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Introduced March 3, 2025 by John A. Barrasso · Last progress March 3, 2025
The resolution defends free over-the-air radio and shields communities and small businesses from potential performance fees, but because it contains only nonbinding findings it risks leaving recording artists uncompensated and does not bar future fee proposals.
Local communities (residents and local governments) and local radio stations can continue providing free local news, emergency weather alerts, and public service programming because the resolution opposes diverting broadcaster revenue to a new performance fee.
Small businesses that play music (bars, restaurants, venues, retail stores) avoid potential new performance-fee costs that could create economic hardship.
Consumers and recording artists continue to benefit from radio airplay as free promotion that supports music sales and artist careers.
The section contains only findings and no operative legal protections, so it does not prevent a future performance fee from being imposed.
Framing policy in favor of broadcasters could bias future legislative and regulatory debates against compensating recording artists for radio performances.
If policymakers rely on nonbinding findings instead of passing compensatory legislation, recording artists and rights-holders may remain unpaid for public performances of their recordings.
Based on analysis of 2 sections of legislative text.
States congressional findings that local radio stations and the sound recording industry have a mutually beneficial relationship and that Congress historically rejected imposing a new performance fee on local radio for playing recorded music. Asserts that local radio provides free promotion for recordings and performers and delivers essential local news, emergency information, public affairs, sports, and community services, and that requiring stations to pay a new performance fee would cause economic harm to stations, many small businesses, and consumers. The text is purely prefatory findings and contains no binding requirements, funding changes, or deadlines.