Fresh off his testimony on Capitol Hill, KISS legend Gene Simmons appeared on CBS News to further advocate for the American Music Fairness Act. Speaking with CBS News 24/7 Mornings anchor Vladimir Duthiers, the bassist explained why he is leading the charge to force AM/FM radio stations to pay performance royalties to musicians.
Simmons framed the issue as a matter of correcting a historical wrong that has plagued the industry since its inception. He argued that while American music has conquered the globe, the creators behind it have been financially sidelined by terrestrial radio.
“Congress must pass a bill called the American Music Fairness Act. American music — we invented rock and roll, blues, hip-hop, country and western, jazz, all of it. It comes from here. America’s music is the music of the planet,” Simmons told Duthiers (as transcribed by Blabbermouth).
To illustrate the severity of the loophole, Simmons pointed to some of the most famous voices in history who never received compensation for their radio airplay.
“Elvis Presley has never been paid a single penny for all the — God knows — tens of thousands of hours you heard his voice coming out of AM and FM radio,” he said. “I’m gonna say this again: your favorite artist does not get paid a single red cent when you hear their voices emanating from AM and FM radio.”
Simmons contrasted this lack of payment with the massive profits generated by the broadcasters themselves.
“Meantime, the radio industry itself just made 14 billion dollars — that’s with a ‘b’ — by selling advertising… I’m not here to demonize them, but it’s time to pay artists something — somewhere between nothing and 14 billion dollars that the radio industry takes in.”
While Simmons acknowledged that he personally is “doing okay,” he emphasized that this legislation is vital for the survival of up-and-coming talent.
“All the new artists, every little one of those pennies helps them survive. For God’s sakes, our children and our children’s children are gonna be tomorrow’s stars… Right now if their songs are played on AM and FM, they’re getting zippo, zero.”
During the interview, Simmons expressed confidence that the bill will finally gain traction. He revealed that he has held private meetings with key political figures on both sides of the aisle, including Senator Marsha Blackburn, Representative Adam Schiff, and even the Speaker of the House.
“They are aligned with the idea that this has gotta be fixed,” Simmons noted. “I had some personal face time with the president alone… I won’t mention what else we talked about, but this will pass because it’s an injustice that has long been overdue.”
He also took care to distinguish this specific battle from the economics of streaming services, clarifying that AM/FM radio is the only major platform that refuses to pay performers.
“I’d like to stress that there’s a profound difference between streaming, and AM and FM radio,” Simmons clarified. “I turn on my favorite station… and I wanna hear Sinatra. Frank Sinatra estate was never paid a single penny all those millions of times you heard Sinatra sing those songs. Celine Dion, Whitney Houston never made a penny when you heard them on the radio, but radio stations made a ton of money.”
He concluded his argument by pointing out that while songwriters and publishers receive royalties, the performers who draw listeners in get nothing.
“The reason I tune in is not because somebody wrote a song or somebody hooted a flute someplace. I wanna hear Elvis or Whitney or the newest artists. They get paid nothing and that’s gotta get fixed right now.”
Simmons‘ media appearance follows his formal testimony before the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee’s Intellectual Property Subcommittee on Tuesday, December 9.
