Music Orgs Seek U.S. Intervention as Europe Floats Rolling Back Radio Royalties for American Artists
Categoria: Musica
Groups including the Recording Academy and SoundExchange say a new policy proposal would "codify discrimination against American creators into EU law."
Por Billboard | 10/07/2026
More than a dozen U.S. music industry groups are asking for the federal government’s help fighting a European Union policy proposal that could erase nearly $300 million in annual royalties for American artists and labels. The Recording Academy, SoundExchange, the American Association of Independent Music (A2IM), ASCAP, BMI and eight other organizations sent a letter on Wednesday (July 8) to Jamieson Greer , the U.S. Trade Representative, urging him to stop Europe from changing its rules around recorded royalties for terrestrial radio plays and public performances at commercial establishments. Related Record Labels Have Tried to Get a Radio Performance Right for Decades. Is Anything Different This Time? Naoshi Fujikura of Universal Music Japan on Japan's Unique Superfan Culture & Global Ambitions: Billboard Global Power Players Interview Katsumi Kuroiwa of Avex on the Bruno Mars Publishing Deal & Taking the Company Worldwide: Billboard Global Power Players Interview The European Commission (EC), the main executive body for the European Union (EU), announced in May that it was considering legislation to overturn a 2020 court ruling that required member states to pay public performance royalties to all sound recording rightsholders, regardless of nationality. Before then, EU countries operated under a principle of “material reciprocity” — that is, only giving such royalties to international artists and labels whose home countries offer the same. This effectively excluded Americans, since U.S. law sets forth a public performance royalty for publishing, but not for recorded music (with the exception of digital streams). The EC is now thinking about reinstating material reciprocity in order “to make the European music market more competitive and prevent royalties from being diverted away from European music producers and performers,” per the May announcement. On Wednesday, the U.S. organizations said that would “mark a dramatic policy reversal and codify discrimination against American creators into EU law.” “If adopted, this change would put at risk nearly $300 million in annual royalties that American artists and rights owners currently receive from Europe,” wrote the groups. “We urge USTR to take immediate and decisive action to oppose this proposal.” The coalition argued that the U.S. government should oppose the EC by “fully leveraging available trade tools — including sustained bilateral engagement, coordinated multilateral pressure, and, if necessary, targeted enforcement measures.” Related European Artists & Labels Ask EU to Stop Radio Royalties From Going to U.S. Acts The EC’s legislation proposal has also drawn pushback from Warner Music Group (WMG), which wrote in a June 25 comment to the commission that “protection of foreign copyrights is essential to investment in EU copyright industries.” “The application of material reciprocity would have a significant detrimental impact on the European music industry,” argued