[Congressional Record Volume 164, Number 68 (Thursday, April 26, 2018)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E553]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                        MUSIC MODERNIZATION ACT

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                               speech of

                    HON. F. JAMES SENSENBRENNER, JR.

                              of wisconsin

                    in the house of representatives

                       Wednesday, April 25, 2018

  Mr. SENSENBRENNER. Mr. Speaker, the Music Modernization Act, which 
the House is considering is a major step forward in providing fairness 
for those in the music industry. This legislation updates several key 
provisions of U.S. copyright law regarding music licensing, including 
the creation of a single licensing entity to administer mechanical 
reproduction rights for digital music compositions, and the 
establishment of royalty payments for pre-1972 artists. I am proud to 
support it.
  While this legislation is a major achievement, there are additional 
issues around the public performance of musical works which have been a 
priority for me that must be addressed. Specifically, we need to 
address the fact that venues such as restaurants, bars, hotels, 
wineries, breweries and other retail establishments cannot rely on the 
repertories published by the Performing Rights Organizations to make 
decisions about what music to play. I've heard from many business 
owners in my district throughout the years that have had to decrease 
their use of live music as a result of a complicated and convoluted 
music licensing process. Currently, they face a ``take it or leave it'' 
situation: Either buy licenses from all the Performing Rights 
Organizations or don't play music. This not only hurts small 
businesses, it hurts the artists when their music isn't played.
  This problem certainly isn't localized to Wisconsin. It's happening 
throughout the entire country, and it's up to Congress to take the 
necessary steps to fix it. For this reason, I introduced H.R. 3350, the 
Transparency in Music Licensing and Ownership Act, last year. This bill 
would establish a fully searchable, up-to-date, comprehensive digital 
database of historical and current copyright ownership and licensing 
information. By increasing transparency we can help ensure that when a 
business pays a music licensing fee, it knows exactly what it is 
buying. It is my hope that this and other issues can be addressed in 
subsequent legislation.

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