In June 2021, pro-recording artist rights coalition musicFIRST gained attention for the latest effort in the U.S. House of Representatives to collect dollars for musicians and performers from radio stations. Introduced with a big media splash, the American Music Fairness Act gradually gained steam under a liberal House of Representatives, which pushed the legislation forward despite overwhelming support for a NAB-backed non-binding resolution that saw Members of Congress pledge to prevent any-such bill from becoming law.
Now, with Republicans in charge of the House, a change in leadership is what musicFIRST believes is necessary to meet its stated goals on behalf of the recording industry giants seeking even more from a media long proven to be its biggest promotional vehicle.
In an announcement distributed Thursday, Joe Crowley is departing as Chairman of the musicFIRST coalition.
The group did not elaborate on the reasons for his departure. However, it did laud him for passing the AMFA out of the House Judiciary Committee in the previous Congress, “making it the most successful radio performance royalties bill since 2009” despite the Senate declining to take up the matter, making the vote inconsequential.
Rep. Jerrold Nadler (D-New York) pushed it forward in the House; he was once colleagues with Crowley, whose district bordered Nadler’s.
In a statement, musicFIRST thanked Crowley “for his lifetime of leadership and fierce advocacy on behalf of artists, as he now hands the baton to the coalition’s new leadership for the final leg of the race.”
Now serving as co-Chairmen of musicFIRST, which positions itself as “the voice for fairness and equity for music creators,” are former Arkansas Democratic Senator Mark Pryor and longtime Capitol Hill strategist Will Moschella.
According to musicFIRST, Pryor and Moschella “will serve as the coalition’s new co-chairmen, leading the continued effort to secure fair compensation for artists and music creators when their songs are played on AM and FM radio.”
Pryor commented, “Advocating for fairness has been the cornerstone of my career in public service, and this issue is no different. It’s simple: Everyone deserves to be paid for their hard work, and that includes artists and music creators. I love music and the music industry is a big driver of the U.S. economy. It is important we make the music ecosystem as healthy and robust as we can. I’m honored to get the chance to lead this next phase in the fight for music fairness, and look forward to building on our movement’s incredible momentum and making the American Music Fairness Act the law of the land in 2023.”
Before being elected to the Senate, Pryor, the son of former Arkansas Gov. and U.S. Senator David Pryor, was Attorney General for the state of Arkansas.
Pryor lost his reelection bid for U.S. Senate in 2014, and was defeated by Republican Tom Cotton. In 2020, Pryor was hired as a lobbyist by Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck.
Moschella has served as Principal Associate Deputy Attorney General in the George W. Bush administration and Chief Legislative Counsel of the House Judiciary Committee. As musicFIRST sees it, Moschella brings “a deep background in protecting our nation’s creative and intellectual resources” from his time serving on the Department of Justice’s Task Force on Intellectual Property. “He has played a key part in the movement for music fairness’ historic legislative progress to date, and will now further expand his role within musicFIRST’s advocacy effort,” musicFIRST said.
Where does the American Music Fairness Act stand today?
In February, with the dawn of a new Congressional legislation, the AMFA was reintroduced in the House by Reps. Darrell Issa (R-Calif.) and none other than Nadler himself. Three other House Members have signed on: Tom McClintock (R-Calif.), Ted Lieu (D-Calif.), and Mark Green (R-Tenn.).
In the Senate, Alex Padilla (D-Calif.) and Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.) introduced companion legislation. As of today, it has just two other co-sponsors: Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) and Thomas Tillis (R-N.C.).
