By Ted Johnson, Deadline | Gene Simmons of KISS testified before a Senate Judiciary subcommittee on the “injustice” that performers still go uncompensated when their music is played on broadcast radio stations. Simmons, who on Sunday was awarded a Kennedy Center Honor along with other bandmates, told lawmakers, “Let’s call it for what it is — an injustice that has been going on for decades.” He noted that performers from Bing Crosby to Elvis Presley to Frank Sinatra never were compensated when their performances were heard on radio.
He and other musicians and artists are championing the Music Fairness Act, which would establish a music performance right that would require stations to license their songs for airplay. Songwriters already are compensated, and performers are paid when their works air on satellite and streaming, but not terrestrial radio.
He said of the lack of payment, “When you work hard and you get to the top, what do you got? Zipper-rooney. That’s not the American way. If you against this bill, you are un-American. You cannot let this injustice continue.”
“It looks like a small issue,” he added. “There are wars going on and everything. But our emissaries to the world are Elvis and Frank Sinatra, and when they find out that we are not treating our stars right — in other words, worse than slaves. Slaves get food and water. Elvis, Bing Crosby and Sinatra got nothing for their performance. We have got to change this now for our children and our children’s children.”
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Read the rull article here:
https://www.msn.com/en-us/tv/news/gene-simmons-testifies-on-injustice-of-performers-going-unpaid-when-their-songs-are-played-on-broadcast-radio-stations/
Gene Simmons Barges into White House Press Briefing
By Nouman Rasool, Celeb Tattler
Reporters were settling in for a routine afternoon when the last person anyone expected wandered up to the podium. Gene Simmons, the unmistakable face of Kiss, strolled into the White House briefing room like he owned the place. Cameras snapped before anyone could process the moment, and Simmons rolled right into a casual monologue that blended humor, confidence, and the kind of timing only a rock star can get away with.
People in the room hesitated, unsure whether they were witnessing a planned guest appearance or a surreal detour from the day’s agenda. Simmons, unfazed, offered a few reflections before leaning into a cause he’s recently been vocal about: fair compensation for musicians whose songs keep radio stations afloat.
A rock star makes his case in an unlikely room
While standing at the podium, Simmons pushed for support of the American Music Fairness Act. His point was simple: radio has profited off artists for decades, yet many musicians receive nothing when their older tracks continue spinning on the air. He rattled off names like Sinatra and Elvis to underline how deep the issue runs, reminding listeners that the industry’s legends weren’t exempt from that gap either.
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Read the rest of this article here:
https://www.msn.com/en-us/tv/recaps/gene-simmons-barges-into-white-house-press-briefing/
Gene Simmons of Kiss makes a plea to Congress
By John Johnson, Newser
Gene Simmons of Kiss writes that today’s musicians—including his own children Sophie and Nick—have it harder than those decades ago in one significant way: the “broken radio business model.” In a Washington Post op-ed, Simmons writes that in the good old days, radio stations would play songs that amounted to free publicity for up-and-coming bands. If people liked what they heard, they’d go out and buy the album. “That’s not how it works anymore,” he writes. Listeners are more likely to find new music on streaming platforms, while local stations have been purchased by behemoths such as iHeart or Audacy. “They still play music without paying artists—often hits that listeners already know—in order to generate ad revenue. But almost no one listens to the radio today and then buys an album because they hear a song they like.”
Simmons’ solution: He wants Congress to pass the American Music Fairness Act, which would require terrestrial radio stations to pay performers for the music they play. One of his takeaways:
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https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2025/12/04/gene-simmons-kiss-radio-fairness-act/
https://www.msn.com/en-us/entertainment/news/gene-simmons-of-kiss-makes-a-plea-to-congress
S.326 – American Music Fairness Act
Introduced in Senate (01/30/2025)
American Music Fairness Act
This bill establishes that the copyright holder of a sound recording shall have the exclusive right to perform the sound recording through an audio transmission. (Currently, the public performance right only covers performances through a digital audio transmission in certain instances, which means that nonsubscription terrestrial radio stations generally do not have to get a license to publicly perform a copyright-protected sound recording.)
Under the bill, a nonsubscription broadcast transmission must have a license to publicly perform such sound recordings. The Copyright Royalty Board must periodically determine the royalty rates for such a license. When determining the rates, the board must base its decision on certain information presented by the parties, including the radio stations’ effect on other streams of revenue related to the sound recordings.
Terrestrial broadcast stations (and the owners of such stations) that fall below certain revenue thresholds may pay certain flat fees, instead of the board-established rate, for a license to publicly perform copyright-protected sound recordings.
https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/senate-bill/326