Fresh off the NAB Show — which typically generates roughly twice the revenue of member dues — the National Association of Broadcasters reports it spent $2.91 million on direct lobbying in Washington during the first quarter. That is down slightly from the $3.05 million it spent during the same period a year ago, when a new Congress was being sworn in. The group also reported $217,500 in additional spending through outside firms, bringing its total federal lobbying activity to about $3.13 million for the quarter.

Federal disclosure filings show the NAB directed much of its first-quarter lobbying toward issues that go straight to radio’s business model — pushing back on any expansion of music performance royalties for over-the-air broadcasts, while continuing its advocacy tied to preserving AM radio’s place in the dashboard as automakers rethink in-car entertainment systems. There were also ongoing issues that needed some attention, like the tax deductibility of advertising, direct-to-consumer pharmaceutical marketing, and sports broadcast-related issues.

The filing also reflects work around broader FCC regulatory policy and ownership rules, along with emergency communications policies that reinforce radio’s role as a primary public safety medium.

Solid attendance numbers at last week’s NAB Show should help support current levels of lobbying spending through the year. An Inside Radio review of federal disclosure filings shows the NAB spent $11.46 million on lobbying efforts during 2025.

Beyond NAB, iHeartMedia reported $1.034 million in first-quarter lobbying spending. Its filing points to work around keeping radio — especially AM — accessible in vehicles, shaping data privacy rules that affect advertising, and updating emergency alert systems. It also highlights advocacy on music licensing and royalty frameworks, and emerging AI and copyright issues.

Other broadcasters that invested in lobbying last year include TelevisaUnivision. The largest Spanish-language broadcast owner spent $100,000 on Washington lobbying during Q1 Hubbard Broadcasting invested $20,000 and Cox Enterprises, which holds a minority stake in Cox Media Group, spent a total of $1.08 million, including $810,000 by its in-house team, although that was focused on mostly broadband issues and not radio. SiriusXM also spent $80,000 in Washington during the quarter.

On the noncommercial side, disclosure filings show NPR spent $90,000 on lobbying during the first quarter. That marks a roughly 44% decline from the $160,000 it spent a year earlier, when it was pressing Congress to preserve federal funding for public media.

Among digital audio companies, Spotify reported $530,000 in in-house lobbying during the first quarter, with an additional $260,000 spent across outside firms, bringing its total federal lobbying activity to $790,000 for Q1 2026. Spotify directed its lobbying toward a set of issues closely tied to its core business, including copyright and music licensing policy, data privacy and digital advertising rules, and broader platform regulation. The disclosure also points to engagement on artificial intelligence and its intersection with copyright, along with tax and general business policy.

Issues Drive Spending

The battle over a bill that would require AM in dashboards continues even though there is wide support for the proposed AM Radio for Every Vehicle Act (H.R.979/S. 315). Federal filings show automakers including General Motors, Hyundai, Tesla, BMW, Honda, Volkswagen, the Alliance for Automotive Innovation, and the Consumer Technology Association trying to defeat the bill.

Meantime, the ongoing fight over whether radio should pay a performance royalty also continues, even though a majority of House members oppose changing copyright law. The Recording Industry Association of America reported $2.23 million in in-house lobbying spending during the first quarter, with another $390,000 paid to outside firms, bringing its total federal lobbying activity to about $2.62 million for Q1. That was up from the prior year. The filings show the RIAA focused on copyright enforcement and royalty structures, alongside growing attention to how artificial intelligence intersects with music rights.

The group continued to get help from big music companies as Universal Music Group spent $700,000 during the quarter in Washington, while Sony Music Entertainment spent $380,000 million — both small declines from the prior year. Other music industry groups also continued to be active, including the National Music Publishers Association, which spent $80,000 during Q1.

The three big performance rights groups were also spending in Washington. ASCAP invested $150,000 as BMI spent $130,000 and SESAC spent $150,000 during the year. And SoundExchange reported $290,000 in in-house lobbying spending during the first quarter, with an additional $230,000 paid to outside firms, bringing its total federal lobbying activity to about $520,000 for Q1.