Hollywood On Productions: Janet Donovan & Brendan Kownacki
“I’m an old radio guy,” said Congressman Blake Farenthold from Corpus Christi (R-Texas) representing the 27th district. “I’m here because as technology is changing, the economies of how musicians and artists get compensated for their work is becoming much more complicated.
It’s not like it used to be when it was just radio and record sales. Now you’ve got streaming media, the internet. It’s very different and we’ve got to find out the right balance for our intellectual property laws so we can promote innovation and make sure artists are compensated for their work.
Rep. Blake Farenthold (far right)
The issue now is with radio stations and things like Pandora where it’s much harder for a new artist to break in. When you pick a Pandora station, for instance, it’s more difficult and there’s less opportunity for new artists to break out. It’s not so much rules and regulations, it’s technology. Radio stations are losing market share now to the on-line performance outlets like Pandora and Codify.”
Neil Portnow
“The issues within the music community are very complex. What’s also happened is that the world that we live in has changed very dramatically,” President/CEO of The Recording Academy and GRAMMY Foundation President/CEO Neil Portnow told Hollywood on the Potomac.”
So years ago, some things that were issues for us are not today. Today some things that didn’t even exist years ago are issues, so the complication of that is what takes time. We’ve made a lot of progress in a lot of areas. I don’t think there will ever be a day where we can say everything’s perfect, we’re fine and we don’t need to have change; you always need to have change. Sometimes we can affect this change amongst ourselves, sometimes we need legislative solutions and that’s what it’s about.
“Lady Antebellum”
Artists are looking for exposure. The way that exposure happens changes over time, over the years. Radio, for many years, was the only way that someone could get exposed. We didn’t even have television. Today you have television, you have the internet, you have so many different avenues of exposure.
Radio is still very important, so what we have to do is make sure that we are getting paid when we’re on the radio; that’s what the issue was today – the artists are on the radio. Getting on the radio was always competitive because there are only – it’s physics – there are only so many minutes in a hour, so many hours in a day. There is always more music, more artists than there is time to play them so there’s a selective process; but that’s always true between art and commerce.”
Rep. Henry Waxman (center)
“At the end of this year I will have been in Congress for forty years,” Rep. Henry Waxman (D-CA) told us. “We have to champion the rights of the musicians if we want the creativity and talent of these musicians to be valued. They can’t stay in the business if they are not being compensated. I’ve been a champion of performers, performers rights, and other issues that are important to the recording industry for all the time I’ve been in Congress.
I don’t know if the legislation is in the house or the senate, but I’m there in the house to support it.”
Hillary Scott of Lady Antebellum
Washington’s most interesting mix of music and politics -” GRAMMYs on the Hill”- connects talented music artists with Washington’s political leaders. Lady Antebellum performed at The Hamilton, backed by Members of Congress and accepted The Recording Academy®’s Recording Artists’ Coalition Award. McCarthy and Pelosi were recognized with the GRAMMYS on the Hill Award.
The Hanson Brothers
Pop trio Hanson, GRAMMY winners Los Lonely Boys, House Majority Whip Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.), House Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), Wesley Schultz (of folk rock group the Lumineers), Rock and Roll Hall of Famer Booker T. Jones, five-time GRAMMY winner Dionne Warwick, Joy Williams of the Civil Wars and SESAC hit songwriters Gary Burr and Victoria Shaw as well as Recording Academy Chair of the Board of Trustees Christine Albert and President/CEO Neil Portnow were on hand to perform or to recognize music’s most talented.
“I really think it’s a blending of both,” said Rep. Doug Collins (R-GA) when asked about the interaction of music and politics. “We do legislation and we talk to people about how we can change lives and how we can make things better. Music has always done that – it touches the heart, it touches the soul. Growing up in a church with the church choirs, music is just something that has always meant a lot to me.”
One on One with Booker T. Jones, Dionne Warwick, Victoria Shaw and Gary Burr:
Grammys on the Hill:
