NEED TO KNOW
Gene Simmons asked Congress to pass new legislation
On Tuesday, Dec. 9, the KISS bassist spoke during a Senate subcommittee hearing on the American Music Fairness Act, which would would grant payment for artists when their music plays on the radio
“If you are against this bill, you are un-American,” said Simmons, per CBS News
Gene Simmons made a recent plea to Congress on behalf of artists.
On Tuesday, Dec. 9, the KISS bassist, 76, appeared in front of a Senate subcommittee hearing on the American Music Fairness Act, which would would require that artists are paid when their recordings are played on the radio, per CBS News.
According to Sound Exchange, songwriters only get royalties when their tracks play, however the artists (lead or backing vocals) do not receive any payment.
Simmons stressed the importance of the American Music Fairness Act as he cited artists like Frank Sinatra, Bing Crosby, and Elvis Presley, who “never got a penny for all the millions of times” their music played on the radio.
He also noted that during the Kennedy Center Honors, he asked George Strait, who was also being honored, if he knew that he’d never received payment for any time the radio played his hit song “Amarillo by Morning.”
According to Simmons, Strait had no idea and had to ask his “handlers” if that was true.
Heather Diehl/Getty
Gene Simmons in Washington, D.C. in December 2025
“If you are against this bill, you are un-American,” said Simmons. “You cannot let this injustice continue. It looks like a small issue … But our emissaries to the world are Elvis and Frank Sinatra.”
He continued, “And when they find out we’re not treating our stars right — in other words, worse than slaves; slaves get food and water. Elvis and Sinatra and Bing Crosby got nothing for their performance. You’ve got to change this now.”
At the hearing, Simmons and others discussed other nation’s policies when it comes to radio royalty and commended Russia and China for paying both songwriters and performers when their recordings play on the radio.
He noted that some countries have withheld royalties from American artists because they aren’t paid for radio airplay in the U.S.
“How do we dare come in second to Russia?” Simmons declared. “An alleged country led by a despot, when they do a better job of paying our King of Rock & Roll, and we’re going to stand by and not pay today’s artists and future artists?”
Appearing alongside Simmons at the subcommittee panel was Michael Huppe, the president and CEO of SoundExchange, a nonprofit that collects and distributes digital streaming royalties, and Henry Hinton, a broadcaster and owner of four radio stations in North Carolina, who was not in favor of the legislation. He called it “economically untenable for local radio broadcasters.”
“When new fees are imposed, free local radio’s only option is to cut elsewhere. Stations have to make the choice between covering local football games or paying new fees; between making their payroll, or sending more money to the recording industry — an industry currently making record profits, I might add,” said Hinton.
Simmons’ appearance in front of Congress came just two days after he was recognized by President Donald Trump at the Kennedy Center Honors alongside his KISS bandmates, Sylvester Stallone, Michael Crawford, George Strait and Gloria Gaynor.
Read the original article on People