The Senate is considering comprehensive Music Modernization Act (S.2823), the same legislation the House of Representatives passed unanimously this past April.
The House vote was an historic legislative victory for all music creators, which included the CLASSICS Act for legacy artists. Now we have to keep building on that momentum to ensure the Senate passes the Music Modernization Act (S.2823) this Congress.
Because sound recordings weren’t protected by federal copyright law until 1972, many digital music platforms argued that they owed no royalties to the iconic artists responsible for these classics. As a result, legacy artists – the music creators behind Motown, Jazz, the Blues and Rock and Roll – were left out in the cold and forced to go to court to fight for equal treatment.
The good news is that the bipartisan Music Modernization Act (S.2823) includes provisions from the CLASSICS Act (S.2393) that would make sure the legacy artists responsible for our most iconic sound recordings aren’t forgotten. It will close the pre-1972 loophole in U.S. Copyright Law, guaranteeing compensation to artists regardless of the year their music was recorded.
Write to your Senators today and ask them to support legislation that includes fair treatment for legacy artists.