February 6, 2009.
Once each year, the music community and congressional leaders from Washington meet to discuss issues that directly affect the livelihood of Music creators—at The GRAMMY Town Hall. This meeting was exclusively for members of the Recording Academy. (NARAS)
Among the attendees:
U.S. Representative John C. Conyers (Chairman, House Judiciary Committee)
U.S. Representative Marsha Blackburn
U.S. Representative Darrell Issa
GRAMMY-nominated recording artist Josh Groban
Mary Wilson of the Supremes
Artist manager Simon Renshaw
The Main topic this year was the reintroduction of the Performance Rights Act . According to event panelist, Mary Wilson of the Supremes, one of the most played Motown acts in history, musicians do not always “cash in” when they get a radio spin, “it doesn’t really translate into money. Artists do not get paid money for every time records are played on the radio,” explained the former pop icon.
The Grammy Town Hall meeting, panel headlined Wilson and U.S. House of Representative members John Conyers, Marsha Blackburn, Darrell Issa. Also, on the panel was iconic artist manager Simon Renshaw, who represents the Dixie Chicks, among many other household names. In attendance were concerned Recording Academy artists such as Josh Groban, Darren Farris and Sam Moore of ” Sam and Dave” fame.
Many artists are concerned but are appreciative of the broadcasters concerns as well, “I am sympathetic to both sides of the issue,” says rocker Darren Farris. ” The last thing musicians need are radio stations going under because they can’t be profitable due to excessive royalty payments, and musicians can’t make music if they aren’t getting paid. We need more meetings like this to find something acceptable to both sides.”