by senior contributor Brendan Kownacki
Photo credit: ASCAP Foundation
The musical evening has become a tradition in DC where partisanship is put aside in exchange for honoring the arts and exploring the way that songs and their creators bring people together. With dozens of members of Congress in attendance once again, and even one member noting that this event has become popular among congressional spouses who want to get in on the action.
Camille Thurman, ASCAP CEO Beth Matthews, Paul Williams, Eric Bazilian, Rob Thomas, Rob Hyman and ASCAP EVP of Membership John Titta
The concert coincides with annual advocacy efforts from ASCAP to reform regulations on music licensing that many in the artistic community feel are outdated. ASCAP Foundation President Paul Williams explained there is an imbalance in the way musicians and songwriters are paid, referencing his own famous song “Rainbow Connection” he noted 25 million streams of the song with royalties amounting to roughly only $2500. Williams admits that through decades of success he has it better than so many who are starting out and he hopes to see the industry grow and stabilize where artists can live a healthy life from their work. “Music is the only art that deals with this kind of regulation.” With more than 620,000 composers, writers and publishers in ASCAP, Williams said that copyright is “a holy word” and that it needs to be defined and protected just like invention or paintings or other arts because it is what puts food on the table for people in the music field.
Rob Thomas at “We Write The Songs”
Rob Thomas, who rose to fame in the band Matchbox Twenty identified with that same set of struggles that he sees both old musicians and young going through. “I’ve gotten to see over the last 20 years ever kind of shift that has happened and how they happen kind of slowly, and then since the advent of streaming, it has exponentially been changing.” Thomas says the music industry is zipping forward at a steady pace and that even if you look back three years, people experience music differently today than they do now simply because of how they connect to and engage with the music to recieve it. Thomas referenced his own 19-year-old son who is studying music at Berklee College of Music and the streaming economy of distribution is front and center, and he wants to make sure there is a future there for him. Looking back at one of his most famous hits, “Smooth” that he recorded with Carlos Santana, Thomas learned recently with 24 million streams on Pandora, he made around $600 after splitting the royalties with another writer. Something doesnt seem to add up for these creators. “The music industry is doing great, MUSIC is doing great….but it’s the only artistic industry that exists that doesn’t exist, it doesn’t exist in a fair market, where people can make the same money based on how your music performs.”
Gordon Kennedy (left) and Peter Frampton (right) perform at “We Write The Songs”
The art tells one story of inspiration and the business side tells another story of trouble and so it seems like hammering people with how good music is will be the only way to try and convince them that this industry needs evolution. Cue the show…Rep. Doug Collins from Georgia introduced Rob Hyman and Eric Bazilian who many might know from the band The Hooters, and they performed “Time After Time” and “And We Danced” to kick things off. Rep Jim Cooper introduced an artist named Ledisi who wowed the crowd with her inspiring anthem “Alright” before Rep. Steny Hoyer presented Raul Midon, a somewhat lesser known musician to some of the crowd but only only he took the stage. Midon who has been blind almost since birth shocked folks with his unique slap guitar style and positive attitude performing his newest song “Pedal to the Metal” and his debut hit “State of Mind.” Rob Thomas took everyone back to the 90s and 2000s with Matchbox Twenty’s “3AM” and “Smooth” and the evening was capped off with Peter Frampton and Gordon Kennedy performing “Baby, I love Your Way” and “Change the World.” Sometimes good music is all you need to bring people together.
Eric Bazilian, Rep. Nancy Pelosi, Paul Williams, Rob Hyman
To end the night, Paul Williams took the the stage for a special performance of “Drift Away” which was written by his late brother, Mentor Williams. Paul told a story that after following him into the music business, with just 2 days left on his contract, the lyrics just came to him and a timeless hit was born.
Thomas said that the industry needs a way forward if songwriters can continue to bring people together in this way and find a way to not be destitute doing it. He noted that he is almost begrudging to hear some of his son’s work because he hears it and knows it is better than what he is doing now…but that’s a good thing. So what does he want for his son? “I want him off my couch. I want him to be able to make his own money.”
