Future Of Music Coalition Says Digital Music RESPECT Act Does Not Go Far Enough
Today, Representatives George Holding (R-NC) and John Conyers (D-MI), will introduce the RESPECT act, a bill meant to create a limited performance right for the use of sound recordings by satellite and Internet radio companies.
Under current law, there is no federal copyright for recordings made before February 15, 1972. Where rights exist at all, these recordings are subject to a patchwork of highly variable state laws and statutes. The lack of federal protection leaves pre-’72 recording artists without a reliable means of compensation and services vulnerable to legal action, as evidenced byrecording industry lawsuits against Sirius/XM and Pandora.
The following statement is attributed to Casey Rae, VP of Policy and Education for Future of Music Coalition (FMC), a national non-profit research, education and advocacy organization for musicians: