September 1, 2015
Vol 2 | Issue 5
In This Issue
Include Your Member of Congress in Your Summertime Fun! 1
What a Time for Fair Play Fair Pay! 2
Another Billion Dollar Milestone 3
David Byrne Visits Washington, D.C. 4
NPR Leaves Anti-Artist MIC Coalition 5
Straight from the Artists 5
Events 6
Include Your Member of Congress
in Your Summertime Fun!
The end of summer is a great time for beaches, BBQs, beer and baseball. It is also the PERFECT
time to contact your Member of Congress. While your representative is at home for their district
work period, it is the ideal opportunity to reach out and tell them you need them to look out for
the rights of music creators in Congress.
Call, write or visit your congressional district office and tell them you need them to say no to the
Local Radio Freedom Act (LRFA), known as H. Con. Res 17 in Congress. LRFA is a resolution
backed by the National Association of Broadcasters, which seeks to perpetuate the incredibly
unfair practice of allowing FM radio to pay nothing to performers for the music they use to
build their $17.5 billion business. Think about what this practice means: Radio broadcasters use
music to make more money than music creators make from their music—and they don’t pay
performers a penny for it.
1
www.soundexchange.com
Music lovers everywhere should instead ask their representatives in Congress to support the Fair Play
Fair Pay Act, because if you care about the future of music you should want all artists paid fairly when
their music is used.
To contact your member of Congress to support Fair Play Fair Pay, please visit this website.
And, to find out the contact information for your Member of Congress to tell them “no” on LRFA, please
visit: http://www.house.gov/htbin/findrep.
What a Time for Fair Play Fair Pay!
It’s been a great couple of months for the Fair Play Fair Pay Act (H.R. 1733) since it was introduced in
April. And since its introduction, a number of high profile artists have chimed in on social media with
their support.
Check out our Storify article that captures all of this social media support in one place by clicking on the
image below.
And, as always, join the movement today by sharing your support using#FairPlayFairPay and tagging
@SoundExchange.
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www.soundexchange.com | September 1, 2015
Another Billion Dollar Milestone
SoundExchange is proud to announce that it has paid more than $3 billion in digital performance
royalties to recording artists and rights owners since its inception in 2003. This remarkable achievement,
along with SoundExchange’s increasing payouts each quarter, signifies the cultural influence of music
creators and the thriving success of digital radio services.
“Three billion dollars in distributions marks a phenomenal milestone not just for SoundExchange, but for
the entire music industry,” said SoundExchange President and CEO Michael Huppe. “In our place at the
center of digital music, we are proud to be the financial backbone that directly pays artists and record
labels—big and small—whose creative work is the driving force behind the music industry. While we
celebrate this great achievement today, SoundExchange will continue to work towards building a more
transparent future for the modern music business and will continue to advocate for every artist and label
to be paid fairly whenever their music is used.”
Digital performance royalties are vital to the overall music revenue ecosystem as consumers continue
to move from purchasing music to experiencing the listen of music through streaming. In 2014 alone,
SoundExchange paid a record-setting $773 million directly to its more than 100,000 recording artist and
record label accounts. Furthermore, SoundExchange’s annual payments have continuously increased
year after year and today we are proud to represent nearly half of all streaming revenue in the U.S.
To celebrate, SoundExchange is asking all artists and labels to recognize this achievement by tweeting
or mentioning @SoundExchange using the hashtag #3BillionPaid. Artists are also asked to share their
videos in an effort to encourage continued support for and growth of digital royalty payments. Share
your thoughts with thousands of SoundExchange followers today.
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www.soundexchange.com | September 1, 2015
David Byrne Visits Washington, D.C.
Earlier this summer, David Byrne,
SoundExchange’s newest board member
and the former front man of the new
wave band Talking Heads, stopped by the
SoundExchange office to discuss the Fair
Play Fair Pay Act (H.R. 1733)—a bill that
would require all radio platforms to fairly
pay artists for their creative work. Currently,
FM radio stations in the United States play
music without paying the performer or
sound recording copyright owner. This
archaic practice is unacceptable and Byrne
is just one of the many artists, politicians,
and music aficionados banding together
with SoundExchange to move this part of
the music industry out of the dark ages.
Byrne also visited Capitol Hill to speak with
several members of Congress, including
Rep. Jerry Nadler (D-NY), author of the
Fair Play Fair Pay Act, about the vital role
SoundExchange plays in digital music and
to show his support for Nadler’s legislation.
Said Byrne, “SoundExchange is an example
of how an organization can work in the
new digital economy, specifically in music,
and move things forward.”
(L-R) David Byrne, Rep. Jerry Nadler and SoundExchange President and
CEO Michael Huppe
David Byrne (L) signs a statement to support the Fair Play Fair Pay Act with
Rep. Jerry Nadler looking on
Since inception, SoundExchange has
advocated relentlessly for legislation that would ensure all creators receive fair pay, on all platforms and
technologies, whenever their music is used. Period. Show your support on Twitter and Facebook using
hashtag #FairPlayFairPay. You can learn more about the Fair Play Fair Pay Act and write your Member
of Congress on behalf of artists here. Your support is critical to making real change happen.
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www.soundexchange.com | September 1, 2015
NPR Leaves Anti-Artist MIC Coalition
And just like that, another one bites the dust. Shortly after Amazon dropped from the anti-artist MIC
Coalition, NPR followed suit.
As you may remember, the MIC Coalition (Music. Innovation. Consumers) launched back in May with 18
members, including players like Pandora, NAB, Google, iHeart Radio, and the Digital Media Association,
as well as some not-so-usual suspects—the National Retail Federation, National Restaurant Association,
and the American Hotel & Lodging Association, all with very capable lobbying operations in Washington, D.C. SoundExchange applauds NPR for taking this stand for the future of music and artists everywhere and
we look forward to continuing our long-standing, positive collaboration with NPR.
It’s more important than ever that music creators and music lovers everywhere stand together to fight
for the future of music. Supporting the Fair Play Fair Pay Act is one of the best ways to stand united.
Write your member of Congress and ask them to support the bill to ensure all artists are paid every time
their music is played, on every platform. Period.
Straight from the Artists
All good relationships are based on mutual respect and love. The relationship between recording artists
and SoundExchange is no exception. Many artists have spoken about why they love SoundExchange
and what we do for artists. Check out a few of those artists in their own words below:
We’re proud to represent all of the artists who work with SoundExchange and we know that they are
proud to have us on their side. But for those out there still not convinced, here are three reasons why
SoundExchange is great for the artist.
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www.soundexchange.com | September 1, 2015
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SoundExchange works on behalf of the artist. We pay 50 percent of the royalties directly to
the artist.
SoundExchange fights for performance rights across all music platforms. Our advocacy efforts
ensure that you get fairly paid in today’s fast-growing digital radio industry.
Membership with SoundExchange is FREE. SoundExchange members receive exclusive benefits,
including foreign royalty collections to maximize your digital streaming revenue.
So what are you waiting for? Join SoundExchange today and start collecting your royalties!
Events
16th Annual Americana Music Festival & Conference
September 15-20
Nashville, Tenn.
RAIN Summit Atlanta
September 29
Atlanta, Ga.
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www.soundexchange.com | September 1, 2015