American Federation of Musicians (AFM) Local 4 President Leonard DiCosimo joined the America’s Work Force Union Podcast and discussed the need to pass the American Music Fairness Act, which would ensure performers are compensated when their songs are played on terrestrial radio.
The U.S., North Korea and Iran are the only countries in the world who do not pay musicians royalties when their songs are played on the radio, DiCosimo said.
The legislation was introduced in the U.S. House a year ago and was recently introduced in the U.S. Senate with bipartisan support. For decades, the AFM has lobbied for the measure, he said. DiCosimo noted the cost to radio stations would be minimal – about $500 annually.
He also spoke about the Performing Artist Tax Parity Act, which, if passed, would provide tax relief to working artists by updating the Qualified Performing Artist (QPA) tax deduction. This would allow certain performing artists to deduct the cost of expenses incurred in the course of their employment.
Listen to the entire episode to learn more about these topics.