American Music Fairness Act

The American Music Fairness Act (S 326) requires terrestrial radio stations to pay royalties for public performances of music, a change from the current system where they do not pay. It establishes tiered royalty rates for small broadcasters: $10 annually for stations with under $100,000 in revenue, $100 for public broadcasters with $100,000-$1.5 million revenue, and $500 for other stations in that revenue range. The bill explicitly protects songwriters’ existing royalty rights and requires the Copyright Royalty Judges to consider how radio promotion affects music sales when setting rates. These changes amend copyright law to treat terrestrial radio similarly to internet streaming services for royalty purposes.