As SiriusXM Launches Last-Ditch Effort To Derail Music Modernization Act, Artists Tell Liberty Media CEO: “You can’t be Sirius”
Content Creators Coalition launches mobile billboard as Liberty Media CEO Greg Maffei & SiriusXM Lobbyists Fight Bipartisan Legislation To Close Pre-72 Loophole
The artist-run Content Creators Coalition (c3) launched a mobile billboard tour to counter lobbying efforts by Liberty Media CEO Greg Maffei to tank the bipartisan Music Modernization Act (MMA). Liberty Media owns 71% of SiriusXM, which continues to make record profits while refusing to pay elderly artists when the service uses their music.
While Mr. Maffei is in town lobbying Senators this week, the billboard will be at several locations around the Capitol.
The Content Creators Coalition released the following statement:
“The fact that Mr. Maffei and SiriusXM continue to directly profit off the work of elderly artists without paying them fairly is appalling. And the fact that SiriusXM thinks storming the Hill with a Wall Street CEO and an army of lobbyists in a desperate, last-ditch attempt to kill the Music Modernization Act, shows the world just how clueless the company is.
“That is why artists today are responding to Mr. Maffei saying, ‘You can’t be Sirius.’
“The bipartisan Music Modernization Act is legislation that rights the wrongs of current law and closes the loopholes that have allowed some radio services to make billions while not paying artists fairly.
“This legislation is the product of years of hard work and compromise, which is why it has such strong support from songwriters, performing artists, and music creators. It has been endorsed by streaming services like Pandora, as well as tech trade associations such as DiMA and the Internet Association. And that is why it has passed the U.S. House and Senate Judiciary Committee unanimously. We look forward to the full Senate taking up the legislation in the near future.”
The billboard features the following:
About c3:
The Content Creators Coalition (c3) is an artist-run non-profit advocacy group representing creators in the digital landscape. C3’s work is significant to anyone who creates and makes a living from their creations. c3’s objectives are two-fold: First, economic justice for musicians and music creators in the digital domain. Second, ensuring that the current and future generations of creators retain the rights needed to create and benefit from the use of their work and efforts. C3 has grown into a national organization based on representation, advocacy, and mobilization for sustainable careers in the digital age.
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