Lalah Hathaway is using her voice to bring change to the music industry.
The five-time Grammy Award-winning singer has been tapped to lead the Recording Academy’s National Advocacy Committee, alongside songwriter Sue Ennis, for the 2019-2020 year.
Established to be the voice for all music creators, the community will continue to build on the Music Modernization Act (MMA) that was passed in October of 2018.
The Act creates a new and transparent collection entity to ensure that songwriters always get paid for mechanical licenses when digital services use their work; closes the “pre-1972 loophole” so that digital service providers will pay legacy artists; and gives copyright protection to producers and engineers for the first time in history.
“We are at an inflection point in the music industry,” said Deborah Dugan, President/CEO of the Recording Academy. “The MMA was a giant step forward, and now we need to seal the deal in protecting intellectual property and defending creators against exploitative radio practices. I can’t think of a more qualified committee to take on these challenges than this one.”
We're thrilled to announce that music titians, @sueennis, @lalahhathaway, @claudiabrant, Terry Jones (@pythonjones), @emilylazarlodge, @IamRicoLove, and @HarveyMasonjr are part of this year's @RecordingAcad's National Advocacy Committee! https://t.co/s6iNcK2HaS
— GRAMMY Advocacy (@GRAMMYAdvocacy) September 10, 2019
The Committee also includes Grammy-nominated producer Rico Love and Grammy-nominated producer/songwriter Harvey Mason Jr., who also serves as Chair of the Board of Trustees of the Recording Academy. Mason served as co-chair last year.
Some of the many issues the Advocacy Committee will take on include: encouraging passage of the CASE Act, convincing the Department of Justice to ensure fair compensation for songwriters, protecting arts funding to invest in the next generation of music creators and much more.
On October 2, the Academy will host its annual District Advocate Day, where music creators across the country will meet with their local members of Congress to advocate for more protections for artists.
