NABOB recently sent a letter to the leadership of the U.S. House of Representatives Judiciary Committee opposing H.R. 4130 – the American Music Fairness Act. This legislation would impose a new performance royalty on local radio stations on top of the huge royalties that our local radio stations already pay to ASCAP, BMI, SESAC and GMR. NABOB explained that such additional royalties could potentially financially cripple many local radio stations and harm the millions of listeners who rely on local radio for news, emergency information, weather updates and entertainment. On the other hand, NABOB informed the leadership of the Judiciary Committee that we support the Local Radio Freedom Act (H. Con. Res. 33, S. Con. Res. 9). We explained that, during an already incredibly difficult time, the Local Radio Freedom Act reinforces crucial protections from burdensome performance royalty fees that would further devastate African American owned broadcasters, and other broadcasters serving underserved communities.
