
Michael Lewan, Stephanie Lamond, Christen McFarland, Mindy Canter, Congressman Huffman (CA-2) and Anthony Montoya
Here's How U.S. Senators, Representatives & Recording Academy Members Joined Forces For The Behind The Record Advocacy Initiative
On Thursday, Oct. 14, Recording Academy members came together for the inaugural Behind The Record Advocacy initiative to virtually meet U.S. senators, representatives, and their staff to discuss key issues impacting the music community today.
Across nearly 200 meetings, Recording Academy members set out to explain the vital need for members of Congress to support music creators through both rhetoric and action. And after gathering feedback from Academy members who participated in Behind The Record Advocacy, it seems they accomplished just that.
As reported by POLITICO, Members of Congress expressed their support for important legislation such as the HITS Act and the American Music Fairness Act. By the same token, their staffs vowed to work with their bosses and colleagues to ensure their offices took action.
Read More: Behind The Record Advocacy: The Recording Academy’s Next Campaign on Capitol Hill
Notably, Rep. Judy Chu (D-CA), Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick (R-PA), Rep. Mark Green (R-TN), and Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-FL) agreed to co-sponsor one or more of these important pro-creator acts. Recording Academy members explained the power of support for those two acts, but also the hurt behind the so-called Local Radio Freedom Act — a misleading piece of legislation that denies creators fair compensation for their work.
In addition to discussing policy, Recording Academy members got the chance to tell their stories as music creators and show Congress how these bills affect them personally.
In Nashville, three-time GRAMMY winner Gramps Morgan met with Rep. Jim Cooper (D-TN) to champion the pro-creator legislation. In California, legendary producer Peter Asher met with Rep. Ted Lieu (D-CA) to thank and re-affirm his support for creators. And in Georgia, keyboardist Brandon Bush met with Rep. Hank Johnson (D-GA) to shed light on the hard work and financial impact that comes with being an artist.
All over the country, Recording Academy members illustrated the importance of supporting those #BehindTheRecord through meetings with U.S. lawmakers on Thursday, amplified by the Recording Academy’s Behind the Record global social media initiative on Friday to #GiveCredit to the many creators in music.