On Tuesday (Dec. 9), KISS icon Gene Simmons addressed the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee’s Intellectual Property Subcommittee, offering testimony in support of the American Music Fairness Act. The bipartisan bill seeks to close a radio loophole and require broadcasters to compensate performers for the use of their music.
In his speech, Simmons emphasized the importance of requiring radio stations to pay royalties to the music’s copyright holders.
“I’m here to kindly ask all of you, both Republicans and Democrats, to help us remedy a situation — an injustice. Let’s call it for what it is. An injustice that’s been ongoing for many, many decades. I’m gonna tell you what I mean,” he began.
“Bing Crosby recorded perhaps one of the biggest songs of all time, ‘White Christmas’. What’s more American than that? Written by Irving Berlin. It’s been on radio, AM and FM […] millions of times. Every Christmas we, and around the world, are listening to ‘I’m dreaming of a white Christmas’. That’s America’s song. Everyone received money — the radio station sold advertising, the plumber who fixed the plumbing got paid, the disc jockey got paid. The only person that was never paid for the airplay was Bing Crosby, which is astonishing.”
Simmons continued: “Elvis [Presley], baby, the king. Elvis, who sang hundreds and hundreds of songs […] and sadly Elvis never got a penny for all the times, all the millions of times that his music was played around the world. […] Elvis never got a penny.
“[…] We are gonna pass this bill. It is bipartisan. You will do the will of the people because 70% of the United States of America in a recent poll said, ‘We want this injustice cured now and once and for all.’ Getting close to the finish line does not work… We’re only talking about AM and FM radio and paying our Frank Sinatra, Elvis Presley, Whitney Houston, Celine Dion […].
“How do we dare come in second to Russia, an alleged country led by a despot when they do a better job of paying our king of rock and roll, and we’re gonna stand by and not pay today’s artists and future artists, because, let’s face it, our children are tomorrow’s stars. They’re gonna claw and fight their way up to the top, and it’s really hard to do it. […] When you work hard and you get to the top, what do you got? Zipperoni. That’s not the American way. If you are against this bill, you are un-American. You cannot let this injustice continue.
“It looks like a small issue. There are wars going on and everything, but our emissaries to the world are Elvis and Frank Sinatra. And then when they find out we’re not treating our stars right, in other words, worse than slaves… Slaves get food and water. Elvis and Bing Crosby and Sinatra got nothing for their performance. You’ve got to change this now for our children and our children’s children, and I know you will. The president will sign this once all you guys, respectfully, get your act together and put this across the board. Let’s do the right thing. God bless, America.”
