May 14, 2018

Committee on the Judiciary
United States Senate
Washington, D.C. 20510

Dear Dear Chairman Grassley, Ranking Member Feinstein and Members of the Committee: 

On behalf of over 250,000 supporters and activists across the nation, the Center for Individual Freedom ("CFIF") writes to express our strongest support for S. 2823, the Music Modernization Act.  Similar legislation recently passed in the House of Representatives by a 415-0 vote, reflecting the unanimous recognition of the urgency of this matter, as well as the wisdom of its provisions.  We urge the Senate to register similar unanimity. 

For far too long under existing federal law, musical artists have received compensation whenever their post-1972 recordings are played, but in many cases not for their pre-1972 recordings.  That's simply an indefensible and illogical state of affairs that should not be allowed to persist. 

Fortunately, the Music Modernization Act can rectify that distortion and restore greater fairness for all stakeholders in our system of music licensing laws at long last.  Combining several previously introduced legislative reforms - the Compensating Legacy Artists for their Songs, Service & Important Contributions to Society (CLASSICS) Act, Songwriters Equity Act of 2015, the Fair Play Fair Pay Act and the Allocation for Music Producers (AMP) Act - the Music Modernization Act addresses multiple issues, including establishment of federal copyright protection for artists' pre-1972 recordings, creation of a single licensing entity to administer music publishing rights for all digital music and assurance of royalty receipt by producers and engineers for their own invaluable contributions to an American music industry that they help sustain. 

All of this helps explain why the Music Modernization Act claims such rare unanimity across political divides and within the music industry itself.  It offers a fair system at long last for songwriters, producers, engineers, digital music platforms, recording artists themselves and other industry participants. 

We at CFIF therefore urge your support for this common-sense consensus reform. 

Thank you very much for your attention to this matter, and please do not hesitate to contact us with any questions, concerns or comments. 

Sincerely,

/s/

Jeffrey Mazzella
President
Center for Individual Freedom 

cc: All Members of the United States Senate