Gene Simmons, the bassist and co-founder of KISS, testified before a Senate Judiciary subcommittee on Tuesday, emphasizing that paying recording artists for broadcast radio performances is not just about fairness, but also a matter of patriotism. He said, "If you are against this bill, you are un-American." This statement was unusual in Congressional hearing practice, as Simmons did not use notes to support his arguments.
Simmons appeared before the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Intellectual Property, where industry professionals discussed the American Music Fairness Act (AMFA), a bill that would require broadcast radio companies to pay for the performance of sound recordings. Radio stations currently pay royalties through performance rights organizations like ASCAP and BMI, but they do not pay record labels or performing artists when playing music over the air.
The 76-year-old rocker emphasized that he doesn't need radio royalties himself, having done well thanks to the "American dream." However, he stressed the importance of supporting young artists during their financially precarious early years. He said, "This is for our children and for our children's children. We can't just let them out in the cold and not have a way to get paid for their hard work."
In contrast, Henry Hinton, president and CEO of Inner Banks Media, a small broadcast radio company, took an opposing view. He argued that radio stations pay many fees, including FCC regulatory fees and copyright royalties, which makes it impossible for them to also pay artists. Streaming services, he claimed, are able to recoup costs through subscriptions and fees.
Simmons played a good-natured foil to Hinton's business case against the AMFA. He said, "I'm not here to demonize Mr. Hinton or the radio stations. We need each other. Performers need radio; radio needs performers. But for God's sake, equitable doesn't mean you get zero and radio makes $14 billion just this last year. That's not equitable."
The pros and cons voiced during Tuesday's AMFA hearing echoed those from an earlier hearing in 2024 before a House Judiciary subcommittee. During that hearing, chairman Darrell Issa suggested that lawmakers would be more painful than broadcasters if they didn't negotiate with record labels.
On Tuesday, some senators took a combative stance toward radio stations' financial state. Sen. Marsha Blackburn told Hinton that his station is "causing harm" to musicians by not paying a performance royalty. However, Sen. Adam Schiff acknowledged the concerns of radio stations and expressed a willingness to find a fair balance.
Michael Huppe, president and CEO of SoundExchange, urged senators not to pay heed to broadcasters' talking points about compensation for performances not being merited. He argued that a performance right is simply a matter of paying for content, just as businesses pay for other services. Huppe also pointed out that 72% of the music played on the radio is not current and therefore not promoting new music.
Overall, Simmons' testimony highlighted the importance of supporting young artists and ensuring that they receive fair compensation for their work. His statement that if you are against this bill, you are un-American underscored the need for lawmakers to take a stand on this issue.
Simmons appeared before the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Intellectual Property, where industry professionals discussed the American Music Fairness Act (AMFA), a bill that would require broadcast radio companies to pay for the performance of sound recordings. Radio stations currently pay royalties through performance rights organizations like ASCAP and BMI, but they do not pay record labels or performing artists when playing music over the air.
The 76-year-old rocker emphasized that he doesn't need radio royalties himself, having done well thanks to the "American dream." However, he stressed the importance of supporting young artists during their financially precarious early years. He said, "This is for our children and for our children's children. We can't just let them out in the cold and not have a way to get paid for their hard work."
In contrast, Henry Hinton, president and CEO of Inner Banks Media, a small broadcast radio company, took an opposing view. He argued that radio stations pay many fees, including FCC regulatory fees and copyright royalties, which makes it impossible for them to also pay artists. Streaming services, he claimed, are able to recoup costs through subscriptions and fees.
Simmons played a good-natured foil to Hinton's business case against the AMFA. He said, "I'm not here to demonize Mr. Hinton or the radio stations. We need each other. Performers need radio; radio needs performers. But for God's sake, equitable doesn't mean you get zero and radio makes $14 billion just this last year. That's not equitable."
The pros and cons voiced during Tuesday's AMFA hearing echoed those from an earlier hearing in 2024 before a House Judiciary subcommittee. During that hearing, chairman Darrell Issa suggested that lawmakers would be more painful than broadcasters if they didn't negotiate with record labels.
On Tuesday, some senators took a combative stance toward radio stations' financial state. Sen. Marsha Blackburn told Hinton that his station is "causing harm" to musicians by not paying a performance royalty. However, Sen. Adam Schiff acknowledged the concerns of radio stations and expressed a willingness to find a fair balance.
Michael Huppe, president and CEO of SoundExchange, urged senators not to pay heed to broadcasters' talking points about compensation for performances not being merited. He argued that a performance right is simply a matter of paying for content, just as businesses pay for other services. Huppe also pointed out that 72% of the music played on the radio is not current and therefore not promoting new music.
Overall, Simmons' testimony highlighted the importance of supporting young artists and ensuring that they receive fair compensation for their work. His statement that if you are against this bill, you are un-American underscored the need for lawmakers to take a stand on this issue.
. It's not just about fairness, but also about ensuring that they can make a living doing what they love. And let's be real, the radio industry is making a pretty penny (14 billion last year, to be exact!), so it's only fair that they start paying their fair share 
.
. And let Simmons be right that this isn't just about fairness, but also about patriotism - we need to support our artists and give them the resources they need to create more music.
. I think it's great that Sen. Adam Schiff expressed willingness to find a fair balance, because let's be real, nobody wants to come out and say "we hate musicians" 
. But seriously, this is an important issue that needs to get taken seriously.
.
anyway i feel for young artists who gotta start from scratch and simmons said it himself - we gotta support our kids and future generations 
maybe a fair deal would be like they pay royalties to bmi or ascap and give the record labels a tiny bit more than what they already get from streaming services 
. It's all about finding a balance, not making one party completely responsible for the other's financial state 
! Like, seriously though, he's right – it's all about fairness and patriotism 
. I mean, who doesn't want to support young artists and help them get paid for their hard work? 
.
. I don't care what Henry Hinton has to say, Simmons' passion and conviction are winning me over 
. And let's be real, who needs radio stations' financial excuses when you have the "American dream" like Gene did? 
!
. Let's get behind this movement and make sure young artists are getting the recognition and compensation they deserve 
!
. And what about the radio stations? They're already paying tons of fees, they can't just be expected to pay record labels too 
.
. What do you guys think? 
I'm not saying they don't need to pay anything, but let's not forget about all the other fees and royalties they already have to deal with.
It's all about fairness and supporting the people who create the art in the first place.
. If we can't even have a civil discussion about this without resorting to name-calling and scare tactics, then we need to take a step back and regroup. Let's focus on finding some real solutions here instead of playing politics with our artists 
. Like, I get it, he wants to support young artists, but can't we just have a respectful conversation about this? It's not like radio stations are trying to be cruel on purpose. And btw, $14 billion in revenue from radio stations is still a pretty sweet deal for the music industry 
.
. But let's be real, radio stations already pay royalties through ASCAP and BMI... it's just a matter of getting record labels to benefit from that too 
. Simmons is all about keepin it real 
and makin sure we're doin right by our young musicians 
.
it's not just about fairness, but also about supporting young artists who are struggling to make ends meet during their early years in the industry 
and I feel like radios do get away with exploiting artists by playing their music without giving them any credit or compensation 
