Unlike most countries, terrestrial radio in the U.S. is not required to pay a performance royalty on the music it plays, a situation that the creator community has long railed against, and the commercial radio community has long worked to protect. Below, recording artist-actor Common and SoundExchange President/CEO Michael Huppe weigh in on the situation. Variety welcomes responsible commentary — contact music@variety.com with submissions. 

As Civil Rights icon and actor-singer Paul Robeson once said, “Artists are the gatekeepers of truth. We are civilization’s radical voice.”  Artists are society’s moral compass and it is our moral obligation to provide them with fair and just payment for their original creations.

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