Randy Travis & SoundExchange’s Michael Huppe Testify For American Music Fairness Act

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Randy Travis & SoundExchange’s Michael Huppe. Photo: Tom Brenner

Country music icon Randy Travis and SoundExchange CEO & President Michael Huppe testified before Congress on Wednesday (June 26) in support of the American Music Fairness Act (H.R. 791). The act would require AM/FM radio stations to pay artists royalties when their songs are played on the air.

In his testimony, Huppe highlighted that the U.S. is the only democratic nation in the world without a performance right for artists on AM/FM radio. He called on Congress to modernize the nation’s copyright law to protect creators.

“Congress must set a standard that creators need to be compensated wherever and whenever their music is played–especially when their creations form the backbone of the business model like they do for AM/FM radio,” stated Huppe. “American musicians lose almost $300 million of taxable U.S. income each year because we lack these protections in the U.S.—this is on top of the hundreds of millions of dollars they are already missing out on domestically.”

Travis also provided testimony via his wife Mary, and emphasized the need to provide fair compensation for artists.

“Music is, was and will always be his lifeline. But that lifeline has changed. And we need to acknowledge that,” Mary shared. “The days of Randy packing a car and trekking thousands of miles across the country to visit radio stations and deliver copies of his newest cuts on cassette, in hopes of having his music heard, are a thing of the past.

“Of all the things we do differently than we did a century ago, one thing remains the same—the voice is still the mandatory bridge between the writer and the listener. And it’s time to do right by the ones that create the sound, the melody, the emotion that keeps the listeners coming back and the advertisers buying in.”

LB Cantrell
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