MusicFirst circulated a photo to media this week of a statement signed by artists in support of the Performance Rights Act legislation that would assess a royalty obligation on radio stations that play music.
The statement was timed in conjunction with Grammy Week.
The artists signing the statement, according to musicFirst, are Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, Tre Cool, Mike Dirnt and Billie Joe Armstrong of Green Day, Stephen Stills, Kenny Aronoff, Sheryl Crow, Anthony Kiedis, Chad Smith and Flea of Red Hot Chili Peppers, Phil Soussan, Jackson Browne, Don Was, Dave Matthews, Josh Groban, Travis Barker, Andrea Bocelli, Apl.de.ap, Taboo, Will.i.am and Fergie of Black Eyed Peas, Drake, Mary J Blige, Mick Fleetwood, Stevie Nicks and David Foster.
The text:
“We, the undersigned artists, believe in the partnership between music and radio. We believe that artists (including the background singers and musicians and the great legacy artists of the past decades) deserve to be compensated when their music is used by radio. We support the Performance Rights Act because it is fair to radio and fair to artists. We encourage the radio industry to work with the music community and Congress to pass The Performance Rights Act. Together, we can create a true partnership that benefits radio, artists and musicians and fans.”
In the press release, musicFirst noted that Recording Academy President/CEO Neil Portnow had emphasized the importance of the performance rights effort to “thousands of middle-class performers … unknown and up-and-coming music makers who face the question of survival every day.”
