WASHINGTON, DC – House Democratic Whip Steny H. Hoyer (MD) released the following statement today after the House passed H.R. 5447, the Music Modernization Act:
“Our nation’s music professionals – performers, recording artists, songwriters, sound engineers, and others involved in the musical arts – deserve to benefit fairly from their hard work. I’m glad that the House today passed the Music Modernization Act, which creates a new system for the collection and distribution of streaming royalties and closes the loophole that too often prevented artists who created works before 1972 from receiving due compensation when their songs were distributed digitally. This will be the first major update to music’s legal framework in over two decades, which is vital since technology has changed and created new ways for consumers to access musical content through a range of digital devices.
“I’m glad we were able to advance this bipartisan legislation, which I hope the Senate will now consider and pass. I’m proud to be a supporter of America’s music professionals. I thank Ranking Member Jerry Nadler, the lead Democratic cosponsor on this bill, for his years of work on these issues. I also thank Chairman Goodlatte and other cosponsors, including Reps. Jeffries, Johnson, and Deutch, for their work on this bill.”