President Donald Trump is trying to Make America Great Again—one song at a time.
Earlier this month, he signed the Music Modernization Act into law.
The bill provides a much-needed update to music copyright law in the digital era in three ways: songwriters and artists will now receive royalties for songs recorded prior to 1972, music producers will now have royalties allocated for them, and streaming services will now pay rights-holders in a more streamlined fashion.
Kid Rock, one of Trump’s most popular supporters in the music industry, was in attendance, according to Rolling Stone. He called it a “great start to protect songwriters, producers, engineers — the unsung heroes behind many of these songs that go out there.”
Many other prominent industry officials voiced their support for the move as well.
Horacio Gutierrez, Spotify’s general counsel and vice president of business and legal affairs, said: “One of our core missions at Spotify is to enable a million artists to make a good living from what they love: creating and performing music. The MMA will benefit the music community and create a more transparent and streamlined approach to music licensing and payment for artists,” according to Rolling Stone.
“A more sustainable future for songwriters is finally within reach,” ASCAP CEO Elizabeth Matthews said after the event.
BMI President and CEO Mike O’Neill referred to the signing as a “truly a historic moment for the music industry.”
Keep checking the Official Music Bible for more as we will cover how the new law affects you once it goes into effect.