Sponsors (232)
The resolution preserves free, locally oriented radio and avoids new costs for stations, businesses, and listeners, but at the cost of forgoing additional royalty revenue for recording artists and potentially constraining congressional debate on creator compensation.
Local radio stations and local governments would avoid new licensing costs, helping preserve funding for local news, emergency alerts, and other public-service programming that communities rely on.
Consumers (over-the-air radio listeners) would continue to receive free music and local programming without price increases or reduced availability.
Bars, restaurants, venues, and other small businesses would avoid additional operating expenses that could otherwise be passed to customers or threaten closures.
Recording artists and rights holders would miss potential royalty revenue from public performances on local radio if no new compensation requirement is adopted.
Framing congressional findings against a fee could bias legislative consideration and limit exploration of alternative compensation models for creators.
Based on analysis of 2 sections of legislative text.
Expresses congressional opposition to imposing a performance fee on local radio for playing recorded music, citing harms to stations, small businesses, and local public services.
Official title: Supporting the Local Radio Freedom Act.
Introduced February 13, 2025 by Steve Womack · Last progress February 13, 2025
Expresses the sense of Congress that imposing a new performance fee on local radio stations for playing recorded music would be harmful and unjustified. The resolution says local radio provides promotional value, emergency alerts, public affairs and community services, and that a performance fee would cause economic hardship for thousands of local stations and many small businesses that publicly play music (bars, restaurants, retail, venues) while undermining local news and emergency services.