Common has joined the fight to get artists compensated when radio stations play their songs.
On Thursday (December 15), the multi-hyphenate penned a powerful op-ed for Variety where he voiced his support of the American Music Fairness Act – a bill that aims to address the issue that was introduced by the Senate in September. Last week, the House Judiciary Committee voted in favor of the bill and advanced it to the House floor.
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According to the publication, more than 8,300 AM and FM stations in the United States pay royalties to songwriters and publishers, but not to the performers or copyright holders. It remains the only major country in the world that doesn’t pay the creators themselves.
“Fairly compensating people for their hard work is a fundamental principle,” Common wrote. “Refusing to do so is morally wrong, especially when these big companies are making more than enough money to share some with the workers who made those profits possible… Thankfully, the American Music Fairness Act would finally address this inequity, and it would do so in a balanced way.
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“If passed into law, the bill would change the law and require big broadcasting corporations to finally pay artists and music creators when they use our work to fill their airwaves and boost their bottom lines,” he explained. “But it would also protect the local radio stations that serve our communities so well, allowing them to continue to play all the music they need to thrive for less than $2 per day.”
He went on to elaborate how the legislation would help people of color the most, as they make up an “overwhelming proportion” of music creators.
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“According to a 2021 study from USC’s Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism, nearly half of the performers on the Billboard Hot 100 Year-End Charts over the previous nine years hailed from underrepresented racial or ethnic groups, including 38% who were Black,” Common revealed. “And that number does not account for the countless everyday musicians of color whose names may not be listed on the chart, but who nevertheless play a crucial role in the creation of those beloved recordings.”
He ended the piece with a question for the leaders in our nation’s capital. “Will you continue to stand idly by and allow the unjust status quo to continue for yet another decade? Or will you stand on the side of fairness and justice in this moment and remake the world “as it should be” for generations of music creators to come?”
Having consistently used his platform to fight for what’s right over the course of his 30-year career, Common was honored with Tribeca Festival’s second annual Harry Belafonte Voices for Social Justice Award in June. The legendary Robert De Niro presented the award, and was full of praise for Common on stage and closed out his speech with a nod to the rapper’s stage name.
“As an artist, Common continues to entertain us, and as an activist, he continues to lead in so many areas,” De Niro said, before adding at the end, “Common — despite his modest name — has achieved great feats.”
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The festival’s website commended Common for “breaking down barriers with a multitude of critically acclaimed, diverse roles, and continued success in all aspects of his career.” This includes “dedicating countless hours” and being “deeply engaged in social justice and advocacy work around mass incarceration, mental health and voting,” while “empowering high school students from underserved communities to become future leaders.”
