Sponsors (233)
The bill protects local radio, small businesses, and free over-the-air access for consumers by maintaining the status quo on licensing fees, but does so at the cost of foregone royalties for artists and by potentially constraining congressional debate over creator compensation.
Local radio stations and the communities they serve would avoid new licensing fees, preserving funding for local news, emergency alerts, and public service programming.
Bars, restaurants, venues, and other small businesses would avoid additional operating expenses that might otherwise be passed to customers or threaten closures.
Consumers would continue to receive free over-the-air music and local programming without price increases or reduced availability.
Recording artists and rights holders could miss out on potential royalty revenue from public performances on local radio.
Congressional findings framing the fee as unjustified could bias future debate and limit consideration of alternative compensation models for creators.
Based on analysis of 2 sections of legislative text.
Expresses congressional findings opposing a new performance fee on local radio for playing recorded music, citing harm to stations and small businesses.
Official title: Supporting the Local Radio Freedom Act.
Introduced February 13, 2025 by Steve Womack · Last progress February 13, 2025
Expresses congressional findings that imposing a new performance fee on local radio stations for playing recorded music would cause severe economic harm to thousands of local radio stations and many small businesses that play music (bars, restaurants, venues, retail, transportation hubs). It states that local radio provides promotional value, emergency information, public affairs programming, sports, and public service announcements, and notes Congress historically has rejected such a fee. The resolution argues a performance fee is unjustified given past industry arrangements and would jeopardize local news, emergency services, and small-business viability, while harming American businesses and consumers. It is a findings-style resolution rather than a law creating new obligations or funding.