A letter from the NRB, an association of Christian broadcasters:
We’re writing to invite you to communicate with Congress on a crucial issue for broadcasters: the impact of performance royalties on local radio.
On February 7-9, NRB CEO Troy Miller and Director of Public Policy and Communications Noelle Garnier met personally with lawmakers on Capitol Hill to advocate for local broadcasters and urge House members to cosponsor the Local Radio Freedom Act (LRFA).
The LRFA declares that “Congress should not impose any new performance fee, tax, royalty, or other charge relating to the public performance of sound recordings on a local radio station for broadcasting sound recordings over the air, or on any business for such public performance of sound recordings.”
This resolution currently has 211 cosponsors. We would like to see this resolution reach 218 cosponsors (a House majority) to send a strong signal that any performance tax legislation would be dead on arrival.
The opposing bill, the American Music Fairness Act (AMFA), was brought to a full House Judiciary Committee hearing on February 2, 2022. The AMFA would eliminate the distinction between digital and non-digital audio transmission in the royalty space and establish a performance royalty for sound recordings broadcasted by terrestrial AM/FM radio. This constitutes a massive expansion of government into the music licensing space and would mainly benefit the three major record labels that already dominate the market.
As broadcasters, you understand the financial and regulatory burdens that local radio stations face, the promotional value that radio provides to artists and labels, and the essential role of local radio in times of emergency and crisis. Attached to this email, we’ve provided everything you need to reach out to your representatives as station managers and representatives of the industry.
You’ll find:
- a sample letter to update with your information
(We invite you to build on this letter and incorporate information about your station and its impact on the community) - a spreadsheet with names and contact information for House members who have not yet cosponsored LRFA or AMFA
- a fact sheet about the Local Radio Freedom Act
We urge you to reach out to your representatives and those in your stations’ districts and ask them to cosponsor the Local Radio Freedom Act. Thank you for partnering with us!
Sincerely,
Troy Miller, CEO
Sharon Geiger, Radio Committee Chair
