Copyright Alliance Commends Introduction of CLASSICS Act in Senate

STATEMENT

Washington, D.C. The Copyright Alliance released a statement commending Senators Chris Coons (D-DE), John Kennedy (R-LA), Thom Tillis (R-NC), Bob Corker (R-TN) and Cory Booker (D-NJ) on today’s introduction of the Compensating Legacy Artists for their Songs, Service, and Important Contributions to Society Act (CLASSICS Act), a companion bill to H.R. 3301 to ensure fair pay for artists who recorded their music before 1972, as a part of the broader effort to reform music licensing.

Under current law, digital streaming platforms are able to profit from certain pre-1972 sound recordings without compensating the artists and copyright owners of these recordings. Extending the digital performance right to include all pre-1972 sound recordings is an important step toward ensuring that the law recognizes and protects the contributions of all creators, and that legacy artists in particular are appropriately compensated for their work.

According to Copyright Alliance CEO, Keith Kupferschmid, “a core belief of the Copyright Alliance is that all creators are entitled to fair compensation for their creative work. For the past ten years, the Alliance has been dedicated to promoting and protecting the rights of creators and their ability to earn a living from the products of their creativity. The CLASSICS Act, along with other efforts in Congress and elsewhere to reform music licensing, represent an important step toward accomplishing that goal. Therefore, we offer our support of the CLASSICS Act, and thank Senators Kennedy, Coons, Tillis, Corker and Booker, as well as Representatives Darrell Issa (R-CA) and Jerrold Nadler (D-NY), for introducing this legislation in the Senate and House respectively, and for their continued efforts to support all creators.”

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ABOUT THE COPYRIGHT ALLIANCE

The Copyright Alliance is a non-profit, non-partisan public interest and educational organization representing the copyright interests of over 1.8 million individual creators and over 13,000 organizations in the United States, across the spectrum of copyright disciplines. The Copyright Alliance is dedicated to advocating policies that promote and preserve the value of copyright, and to protecting the rights of creators and innovators. For more information, please visit www.copyrightalliance.org.

For media inquiries, contact:

Eileen Bramlet

VP Communications

ebramlet@copyrightalliance.org

571.228.1906