MUSIC • TECHNOLOGY • POLICY

This is great day, and a huge victory for music makers. In a bipartisan move, Rep. Nadler (D-NY) and Rep. Issa (R-CA) have just introduced the “Classics Act,” H.R. 3301, which finally guarantees that music recorded before 1972 would receive payments from digital radio services. (Currently only sound recordings made after 1972 receive payments from digital radio services under some interpretations of federal law.)

This issue has been at the very center of the #IRespectMusic campaign, and I’m thrilled to see this bill come to fruition. It’s happened in great part, because of you. Each and every person connected to this campaign has had a hand in this victory, because the grass-roots pressure that continues to be put on our leaders is what wins the day, every time. So if you’ve signed the I Respect Music Petition, if you’ve taken a selfie with the hashtag, if you’ve written your representative, hosted an #IRespectMusic event in your town, shared posts, tweeted, any and all in between…you’ve helped win this great day.

This is such a powerful moment for two important reasons:

(1) All music makers should be paid for their work––but especially recorded music’s founding generation of music makers. These are our legacy artists of Jazz, Blues, R&B, and so many other genres. They’re our mentors, our heroes––artists who are now in their seventies or eighties––who’ve been incomprehensibly denied their right to be paid for their iconic contributions to our society. As many of you know, the great Lesley Gore was not only one of those iconic artists, she was my godmother, and it infuriated me to no end that she was denied payment for her priceless work. This crusade is not simply ideological or professional for me, it’s personal.

(2) This moment is also significant because for the first time, a major Congressional bill that benefits music makers is being endorsed by an entity from “the other side.” In this case, internet-radio giant Pandora. Many if not most of you know my own history with Pandora (if not, start here).

It would be hard to find anyone, anywhere, who’s been more consistently critical of them than I’ve been. However, by standing up for this bill and standing with music makers, Pandora is doing the right thing and, I congratulate them for that. As a smart person once said, “You don’t make peace with your friends, you make peace with your enemies.” So, if this is a sign that Pandora has seen the light and will move forward in partnership with the people who make their only product––music––then I’m grateful, and I welcome them to a new future. A future where each of us understands that music isn’t created in a vacuum. It’s created by music makers. And each of us music makers has the right to expect from our profession what others expect from their professions. That through hard work and determination, perspiration and inspiration, we’ll have the same fair shot to realize our dreams, answer our callings, support our families.

Ours is a profession built on commitment. And respect.

Our music mentors and heroes have known that for a long time. They’ve deserved this day for a long time.

I’m going to honor them by fighting for this bill with everything I have.

I respect my mentors. I respect my heroes.

I respect music.