Thursday , March 28 2024

Musical Free Agency?

New York lawmakers have proposed a bill that might result in free-agency contracts for recording artists:

    The Artistic Freedom Act was introduced Monday by New York State Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver, a Democrat, with the backing of powerful unions such as the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists and the AFL-CIO.

    New York State Assembly members Roger L. Green, Joe Morelle and Catherine Nolan, all Democrats, also signed on to the bill, which would limit recording contracts to seven years.

    The move comes two months after a similar bill died in the California Senate. Lawmakers in Sacramento have vowed to resurrect a proposal that would not only reform music contracts but also regulate accounting practices, health-care benefits and pensions in the music industry.

    The New York bill was championed by entertainment attorney L. Londell McMillan and the Artist Empowerment Coalition, a New York-based nonprofit group that includes dozens of music stars such as Prince and Stevie Wonder.

    The coalition staged a concert Monday evening in New York to raise awareness about artists’ rights, followed by a news conference Tuesday joined by union leaders from AFTRA, the AFL-CIO and the American Federation of Musicians.

About Eric Olsen

Career media professional and serial entrepreneur Eric Olsen flung himself into the paranormal world in 2012, creating the America's Most Haunted brand and co-authoring the award-winning America's Most Haunted book, published by Berkley/Penguin in Sept, 2014. Olsen is co-host of the nationally syndicated broadcast and Internet radio talk show After Hours AM; his entertaining and informative America's Most Haunted website and social media outlets are must-reads: Twitter@amhaunted, Facebook.com/amhaunted, Pinterest America's Most Haunted. Olsen is also guitarist/singer for popular and wildly eclectic Cleveland cover band The Props.

Check Also

PAX East Videogame Preview: ‘Dune Awakening’ – The Apparent Savior of the Survival MMO Genre

An amazing early look at 'Dune Awakening' showcases innovative survival mechanics, flexible gameplay and a compelling style blending books and movies.