Sean Paul is among the Grammy award-winning artists advocating for fair pay and protection of creators’ rights.
Dancehall star Sean Paul attended the Grammys on the Hill advocacy event this week in Washington D.C. The annual event, which focuses on music law and artist protection, was held in Capitol Hill on Thursday, April 28. Reports say the Advocacy Day meeting was to support legislation to foster fairness and protect the music community, which is still recovering from the pandemic.
The Recording Academy invited Grammy winners and nominees to meet with congressional representatives and help champion legislative change to better the music industry. A number of legal acts have been introduced as a result of the annual event, including the Music Modernization Act and a major focus this year, the American Music Fairness Act. If the latter is passed, the law would ensure that artists and producers are paid royalties when artistes music is played on the radio.
Grammy-winning international dancehall artist Sean Paul was happy to be a part of the industry-changing event this week. He told the Jamaica STAR, “It’s good to know that your voice can be heard by the relevant people who can help to make the change.”
SP continued, “The message here is that the creators of the artwork … music … are not getting properly compensated due to laws that have not changed about streaming. The copyright laws need to be updated.”
He also spoke on hos the pandemic affected the music industry and entertainers earnings over the past two years and how it leaves a bad taste to create something only to have it taken away and be told by streaming platforms how much it is worth.
Reports are that the Copyright Royalty Board will set the royalty rates that streaming services pay songwriters later this year. While tech companies are still pushing to cut songwriter pay, the ongoing fight for fair pay for songwriters and composers was one of the key issues addressed at this year’s meetings.
“I am finding out that there are people who are songwriters who have billions of streams and they are literally making a couple thousand dollars, and that is grossly unfair,” Sean Paul lamented. “These content companies stream and they use it forever, and we as the creators are getting a chip. And we are just asking for a little bit better compensation because it is only right,” he added.
Earlier this month, during Grammy week, the Entertainment Law Initiative event honored the music attorneys and law representatives who have been advocating for the rights of and protecting music creators.
The Advocacy Day Meeting on Capitol Hill followed the 20th anniversary of the GRAMMYs on the Hill® Awards, which is regarded as “Washington’s premier annual celebration of music and advocacy bringing together congressional leaders and music makers to recognize those who have led the fight for creators’ rights.”
During the advocacy event that hosted Grammy winners and nominees, Recording Academy CEO Harvey Mason Jr. said, “Over the past two decades of GRAMMYS ON THE HILL, we’ve honored legendary creators and congressional leaders moving our industry forward and standing up for working musicians across the country.
Mason Jr. continues, “Last night was no exception, though there is still work to be done. As we meet with legislators today, we urge them to join us in support of more equitable solutions that protect the creative community, ensure fair treatment for creators, and harness the power of music to reach across cultures in pursuit of peace.”
