Wonder Why Country Artists Keep Sharing This Image? Here’s Your Answer…
on Aug 02, 2018
Over the course of the past few days, country fans’ social media feeds have been filled by identical images posted by their favorite artists. If you follow any country stars on social media, we’re sure you’ve seen one of these images in your feed.
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Variations of that image include the lines “I am an artist,” or “I am a manager” in place of the “I am a songwriter” part, but the rest of the image remains the same. So, what exactly is this Music Modernization Act that country artists seem to be so strongly against?
Rolling Stone describes the MMA as the “biggest attempt at music copyright overhaul in decades.” The act, which has already passed in the House of Representatives is currently up for vote in the Senate.
Don’t get things twisted, a large number of artists and songwriters are in full support of the MMA as it is written right now. That’s because under the MMA, streaming services such as Spotify will work with publishers so that licensing and royalties for artists and songwriters are more fair than they are under the current system.
The thing all of your favorite artists are speaking out against is a proposed amendment to the MMA by performance-rights organization SESAC, which wants to implement “certified administrators” to work between them and other organizations when it comes to figuring out royalties.
This proposed amendment is quite controversial, since many artists support the MMA as it is. That’s why you’ve seen the same images start popping up on social media, as more and more stars speak out against the amendment.
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Just a short list of the many stars who have spoken up against SESAC’s amendment include Travis Tritt, Old Dominion, Maren Morris, and Russell Dickerson. Scotty McCreery penned one of the most moving posts about the whole ordeal, sharing an “I am an artist” image along with his own message.
“So many incredible songwriters in Nashville and all around the country deserve to be able to make a living and feed their families by writing the songs that you know and love,” he wrote. “I support the MMA as is!”
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So far, one of the biggest stars to speak out against the SESAC amendment is Luke Bryan. He shared an “I am a songwriter” image along with a simple message begging for the amendment to be withdrawn.
Now that Bryan has said something, it seems like only a matter of time before other major stars start to make their voices heard as well.
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So if you were wondering why you keep seeing all artists posting these similar images on social media, now you know. Fans like you can help by sharing the “I am a fan” image like the ones the artists and songwriters have been sharing, or by writing to your senator to pass the MMA as it is.
If the act passes, it will allow artists such as McCreery to get fair compensation for remarkable songs such as his new single, “This Is It,” which he wrote about his now-wife Gabi. Enjoy that song below.
