Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/1467606
28 SAGAFTRA | Spring 2022 | sagaftra.org For Members ightTime rammy inner loria stefan Testifies Su Am Mu Ac S AG-AFTRA member and eight-time Grammy Awardwinning recording artist loria stefan testified before the House Judiciary Committee on Feb. 2 in support of the American Music Fairness Act, a bipartisan bill that seeks to ensure artists are fairly compensated when their music is played on AM/ FM radio stations. The singer-songwriter and musician, who received the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2015 alongside her musician husband milio, reminded the committee who wins and who loses when it comes to performers and radio airplay. When their music is played on the radio, artists don't get paid," stefan noted. Only the songwriters do. Radio stations enefit from the advertising dollars, but the artists that breathed life into a song, the featured artists, the singers, producers and studio musicians, are left out. This can be particularly problematic for older artists, whose songs are not in the Top 40 but still get airplay," the singer said. stefan identified herself as one of the hundreds of thousands of Americans who earn their living making music and urged the ommittee to consider the financial hardships many musical artists have faced during the COVID-19 pandemic, which all but eliminated live musical performances. SAG-AFTRA President Fran Drescher praised stefan for her passionate support of the legislation. Bravo to Gloria stefan for standing up for all recording artists," said Drescher. As a television actor, I can say how grateful every performer is to receive residuals for the reuse of our performances. Singers and musicians whose music is played on terrestrial AM/ FM radio deserve the same treatment for the ongoing use of their music performances. This critical piece of legislation would help so many artists who rely on royalties to cover life's essentials. You go, Gloria! This is the right thing to do. It's called the Fairness Act for a reason! The American Music Fairness Act would give new rights to the copyright holder of a sound recording and give that holder, often the performer, the exclusive right to perform that recording. Currently, public performance rights do not cover A radio stations, where many listeners still find their musical content. This new bill, should it pass, would mean radio stations would be req uired to pay fees to performers for their music, not just to the publishers of that music, as it stands today. Certain small-revenue radio stations would be allowed to pay lower fees. Visit music£rstcoalition.org/action-center to £nd out more. I n a big win for eq uity and inclusion, members of the U.S. House of Representatives passed the CROWN Act in a vote of 235-18 9 on March 18 . SAG-AFTRA lauds the advancement of this important legislation and congratulates Rep. Bonnie Watson Coleman's leadership on the bill. The Creating a Respectful and Open World for Natural Hair Act, HR 2116 , prohibits discrimination in education and employment based on the texture or style of a person's hair. Several states already have such laws. Now is the time to reevaluate norms in our multiracial, multiethnic nation," said SAG-AFTRA President Fran Drescher. The CROWN Act is an exciting step towards a societal awareness of prejudice, judgment and whitewashing of culture. We must elevate ourselves as a species by embracing the many different threads that make up the fabric of the human experience." SAG-AFTRA performers of color routinely find themselves on sets where their hair care and styling needs are not met in an eq uitable manner. This legislation will help address that disparate treatment nationwide and end this discriminatory practice in the workplace once and for all. es arara ee, lhan mar, Ayanna Pressley and Gwen Moore supported the bill, which was reintroduced in the U.S. Senate by Sen. Cory Booker. SAG AF TRA La Pa CROW N Ac