Maren Morris, Shane McAnally, Ali Harnell Join New Lobbying Group For Artist Rights

Maren Morris, Shane McAnally and Ali Harnell have joined artists and executives including Irving Azoff, Dave Matthews, and Coran Capshaw to form a new lobbying group titled Music Artists Coalition, which will advocate for and protect artists’ rights.

Led by Azoff, Capshaw, and John Silva, the initial Board for the organization will include artists such as Don Henley, Anderson.Paak, Meghan Trainor and Verdine White. The Board will also include Jordan Bromley, Jim Cicconi, Kristen Foster, Susan Genco, and Elliot Groffman. Other artists and songwriters who are committed to advocacy will be asked to join the Music Artists Coalition (MAC).

“There is no music business without the artists. We have a responsibility to protect the people who write the songs and create the music. MAC will be the voice and defender for all music creators,” said Azoff.

“Music plays a vital role in so many people’s lives and the creators of music are sacred, so their rights must be protected. MAC aims to represent, advocate for, and serve those creators in this evolving digital age,” said Harnell.

The newly formed Music Artists Coalition’s agenda is to address the complex issues facing artists today in a rapidly changing digital landscape, and to give artists an uncompromised voice in all debates which impact today’s artists and the artists of tomorrow.

From the Copyright Royalty Board proceedings, and the formation of the Mechanical Licensing Collective under the Music Modernization Act, to the modernization and reform of the safe harbor protections for the world’s largest online service providers, to the lack of national protection for the right of publicity, the Music Artists Coalition plans to tackle a wide-reaching set of issues. The coalition also intends to inspect and opine on various state legislation and policies that impact artists as well. The coalition will seek to inform, educate and protect all artists’ rights with active participation in national and state legislative and judicial matters affecting artists. The organization looks forward to partnering with other industry organizations where appropriate.

“Artists decide their musical fate every time they write a song or step on stage. Their true fate – the ability to protect their music – is being decided by others… bureaucrats, government legislators, and the powerful digital gatekeepers.  We are forming the Music Artists Coalition (MAC) to ensure that there is an organization whose sole mission is to protect the rights of music artists – performers and songwriters,” said Henley.

“Emerging artists deserve the same opportunity that many of us had – to be able to make a living creating music. It’s important for today’s musicians to pave the way for those in the future,” said Matthews.