Nile Rodgers, Recording Academy Congratulate Trump, Urge Copyright Reform in Open Letter

In March, hundreds of artists, songwriters, and others in the music business called on Congress to change 1998’s Digital Millennium Copyright Act, or DMCA, to update a provision they view as unfair. Now, the Recording Academy, the organization behind the Grammy Awards, has sent a letter to President-elect Donald Trump congratulating him and urging him to defend the interests of creators, Billboard reports. The November 29 letter is signed by Nile Rodgers, songwriter/producer Rodney Jerkins, Recording Academy president Neil Portnow, and other members of the Recording Academy’s National Advocacy Committee.

“We look forward to working with your administration to support the music economy,” the letter reads. “We urge you to support reform of outdated laws and oppose any regulation that would diminish the value of these creators’ hard work and property rights.”

Read the full letter below.

Dear President-elect Trump:

We, the undersigned members of The Recording Academy’s National Advocacy Committee, write to congratulate you and to reach out to you about the current state of the music economy for creators across America. The Recording Academy is the only organization that represents the interests of all music creators: the songwriters, performers, producers and engineers who create American recordings.

As your administration begins to chart its course, this is an important moment to ensure the continued viability of music as one of America’s greatest exports and as an integral part of the American innovation story, fueled by the entrepreneurial spirit of the men and women who make up the creative workforce. In 2015, the U.S. music industry contributed $15 billion dollars to the American economy, creating jobs in every state.

Today, music lovers have more ways to listen to music than ever before. But the laws governing the sale and distribution of music have failed to keep pace with technology, keeping music creators from receiving fair market value for their work. These outdated laws, stemming from the turn of the last century, have weakened the value of American intellectual property in foreign markets to the tune of tens of millions of dollars in unpaid royalties.

The Recording Academy and our members across the country are working with Congress to fix the broken copyright system. We hope that the 115th Congress, with support from your administration, will conclude its review of copyright and act to support creators. Copyright reform continues to enjoy bipartisan support on Capitol Hill and among a broad group of stakeholders.

We look forward to working with your administration to support the music economy. We urge you to support reform of outdated laws and oppose any regulation that would diminish the value of these creators’ hard work and property rights.

Thank you for your consideration, and we wish you great success.

Sincerely,

Nile Rodgers, GRAMMY Winning Musician/Songwriter/Producer
John Poppo, Producer/Engineer/Songwriter & Board Chair of The Recording Academy
Rodney Jerkins, GRAMMY Winning Musician/Songwriter/Producer
Ann Mincieli, GRAMMY Winning Engineer
Brandon Bush, Musician/Songwriter
Kim “KEM” Owens, Musician/Songwriter
Neil Portnow, President/CEO, The Recording Academy
Dan Warner, Grammy Winning Musician

Earlier in November, a trade group representing Facebook, Google, Amazon, Netflix, and Uber sent a letter to Trump outline its top policy priorities. On copyright, the Internet Association wrote: “Copyright policies must prioritize the public interest by protecting innovation and freedom of expression online, encouraging new forms of follow-on creative works, and ensuring users have access to legal content. Threats to the flexible framework, such as weakening limitations or exceptions to safe harbors, would create barriers to entry for internet startups and creators, which would deny users the ability to access content online.”

Read “The Year in Streaming 2016,” our feature breaking down the winners and losers of this breakthrough year for streaming music.

Comments are closed.