Michael Huppe & Gene Simmons Testify Before Congress For American Music Fairness Act

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KISS founder Gene Simmons testifies before the Balancing the Interests of Local Radio, Songwriters, and Performers in the Digital Age hearing held by the U.S. Senate Committee on the Judiciary’s Subcommittee on Intellectual Property. Photo: Thomas Brenner

Yesterday (Dec. 9), Gene Simmons and SoundExchange President and CEO Michael Huppe appeared before Congress in support of the American Music Fairness Act (S.326), which would require AM/FM radio stations to pay artists royalties when their songs are played on the air.

Simmons and Huppe spoke during the Balancing the Interests of Local Radio, Songwriters, and Performers in the Digital Age hearing held by the U.S. Senate Committee on the Judiciary’s Subcommittee on Intellectual Property.

“American artists have never been paid for radio airplay,” Simmons addressed Senators. “Not one cent … Meanwhile, radio made $14 billion this year. Billion with a B. They play our songs. People tune in to hear our songs. Advertisers pay big money to reach those listeners. And the artists who created the music that makes it all work? They get bupkis. I don’t know about you, but where I come from, that’s called robbery.

“The American Music Fairness Act is the answer to this injustice,” he continued. “It’s not complicated. It simply says that when radio makes money playing our music, the people who created that music should get a fair cut. That’s capitalism. That’s the American way. I’ve devoted my life to the pursuit of capitalism. I’m not ashamed to say that. The free market made KISS possible. It made America the greatest country on Earth. And it should work for artists today, too. In America, you get paid for your work.”

“Congress has stepped up time and again to modernize the law to ensure that artists are paid when their music is played on digital, satellite, and streaming services, but it has yet to fix this problem for FM radio,” shared Huppe. “We’re asking you to finally close this glaring loophole in our copyright law which has been giving one of the oldest music delivery platforms a free ride for far too long.”

“Even Russia and China pay,” Huppe continued. “We are in the company of the most notorious abusers of property rights in the world—joining North Korea, Iran, and Cuba. Because we don’t pay artists for radio in the U.S., other countries use that as an excuse avoid paying Americans. It’s gotten so bad that countries like France will actually collect American royalties yet give those royalties to French artists. Americans are losing out on hundreds of millions of dollars overseas every year – on top of what they’re losing here at home.”

Full testimony and video of the hearing are available here.

The American Music Fairness Act was first introduced in 2022 . In 2023, Senators Padilla and Blackburn officially introduced the bill. Since then, there have been multiple hearings and bill re-introductions.

Madison Hahnen
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