RIAA CEO Talks Midterms, AI Deepfakes and Trump: ‘Music Is a Very Bipartisan Issue’
Categoria: Musica
On the latest episode of Billboard On the Record, RIAA CEO/chairman Mitch Glazier talks Napster and AI and why he's confident the NO FAKES Act will pass soon.
Por Billboard | 07/10/2026
There is a lot going on in Washington D.C. Between conflicts in the Middle East, rising inflation and other hot button issues, it could be understandable if music industry issues fall lower on the priority list for politicians these days. However, no matter what is going on in the nation’s capitol, it’s the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) and its chairman/CEO Mitch Glazier ‘s mission to get the D.C. power players to pay attention to causes related to the recorded music industry, and he tells Billboard it’s actually not as hard as one might believe. “Everyone loves music,” Glazier says with a smile and a shrug. To build rapport, Glazier is known to ask members of Congress about the song they danced to at their weddings, tugging on the emotional heartstrings of both Republicans and Democrats alike, before launching into RIAA talking points about strengthening copyright protection and safeguarding against AI deepfake impersonation. His biggest push right now is the NO FAKES Act, a bill guarding against unauthorized deepfakes, that’s been reintroduced to the House and Senate for several years in the row, each time adding in new supporters, ranging from Google and OpenAI to SAG-AFTRA and the Motion Picture Association. Last week, Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) took the bill to the senate floor for a vote, and while it received nearly universal support, it was thwarted by one dissenter, Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX), who expressed concern that the bill did not have sufficient exceptions for the use of one’s image in satire or political commentary. With the midterm election — and the holidays — fast approaching, it is looking like the bill may need to go through another round of reintroduction in 2027. Still, as Glazier puts it, he’s “an optimistic person,” and he believes there’s still a possibility that the bill could get unanimous support during the lame duck period and slip through in the final moments of 2026. “This is one that has such broad support, both from a coalition basis and from members of Congress — House, Senate, Republican, Democrat — that if we can work out a couple of these last issues, I think it has a real shot at what we call unanimous consent,” he says. To talk through the upcoming election, Trump’s second term and coalition building for music rights on Capitol Hill, Glazier joins the latest episode of Billboard On the Record . To watch this episode of Billboard On the Record , check out the YouTube video below or click here for more viewing and listening options. An edited and condensed excerpt of the conversation can also be found below. Since you have your feet in both words, how would you compare D.C. and Hollywood? There are a lot of similarities. D.C. is all about a brand around a person, right? And an artist is all about a brand around a person. They all have teams, and it’s not like you’re working for, you know