Congressmen Darryl Issa and Ted Deutch introduced the PROMOTE Act today, a bill that “grant[s] owners of copyright in sound recordings the exclusive right to prohibit the broadcast transmission of the sound recordings by means of terrestrial radio stations, and for other purposes.”

The bi-partisan PROMOTE Act is great news and, as Congressman Issa said:

calls the bluff of both sides in the debate over performance rights. The terrestrial stations playing these works without compensating the artists argue that airtime provides exposure and promotional value, while the artists argue the status-quo allows radio stations to profit on artists’ performances without providing any due compensation. Our bill puts forward a workable solution that would allow those who would otherwise be paid a performance right to opt out of allowing broadcasters to play their music if they feel they’re not being appropriately compensated.

This is a great way to start the negotiation over Fair Play, Fair Pay and resolving the pre-72 issues.

Here’s the SoundExchange statement from Michael Huppe, SoundExchange CEO:

The PROMOTE Act is a positive step forward in the effort to reform a broken and unfair system. On behalf of the 130,000 artists and rights owners we represent, we thank Rep. Issa (R-CA) and Rep. Ted Deutch (D-FL) for supporting the right of America’s creators to be paid when their recordings are used by the $17 billion radio industry. We will persist in our efforts to meaningfully engage with the radio industry to find a solution to this glaring inequity under U.S. law.