Irving Azoff has stepped up his campaign against YouTube and the safe harbours rules protecting the video streaming website by launching an unprecedented campaign targeting policy-makers in Washington, DC and urging them to reform the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA).  

The twist is that the legendary manager is not doing the talking himself — he’s left it to a group of over 180 artists to tell lawmakers to change the law. The coalition of artists — which includes Aloe Blacc, T Bone Burnett, Elvis Costello, Peter Frampton, Don Henley, Elton John, Yoko Ono, Paul McCartney, Mark Ronson, among others — has signed an open letter in which they claim that “the DMCA doesn’t work” and ask Congress “to enact sensible reform that balances the interests of creators with the interests of the companies who exploit music for their financial enrichment.”  

For the signatories, the DMCA — which was passed in 1998 — has allowed "major tech companies to grow and generate huge profits by creating ease of use for consumers to carry almost every recorded song in history in their pocket via a smartphone, while songwriters’ and artists’ earnings continue to diminish. Music consumption has skyrocketed, but the monies earned by individual writers and artists for that consumption has plummeted.”

The message was sent to Capitol Hill and relayed via advertising pages in such influential outlets as Politico and The Hill. In the opening paragraph of the letter, creators express their "concern about the ability of the next generation of creators to earn a living. The existing laws threaten the continued viability of songwriters and recording artists to survive from the creation of music. Aspiring creators shouldn’t have to decide between making music and making a living. Please protect them.”  

On June 8, Azoff was the keynote speaker at the annual meeting of the National Music Publishers Association. He stated that YouTube and SoundCloud "should play by the same rules as their competitors," and that like Spotify and Apple, "they should get licenses before they start business. I just believe that songwriters and artists should have fair compensation and control and the DMCA prevents that.”  

The voices of creators are adding to those of a cross-industry coalition that has submitted last March comments to the US Copyright Office in their evaluation of the effectiveness of DMCA. The nineteen music industry organisations that filed the joint comments include: A2IM, AFM, ASCAP, Azoff Music, BMI, Global Music Rights, Kobalt, NARAS, NMPA, NSAI, RIAA, SESAC, Sony/ATV, Sony Music, SoundExchange, Universal Music Group, Universal Music Publishing Group, Warner/Chappell and Warner Music Group.

“This is a historic moment in the music business,” said Irving Azoff, chairman and CEO of Azoff MSG Entertainment, in a statement. “This diverse group of artists coming together illustrates that this is a movement, which should not be underestimated. In all my years, this is the only time I can remember everyone — artists, songwriters, managers, labels, publishers, PROs —  agreeing and collectively calling for change. This is just the beginning. The entire industry is united and committed to pursuing a fair resolution. We are fighting for the future.”  

The full letter:  

DEAR CONGRESS:  THE DIGITAL MILLENNIUM COPYRIGHT ACT (DMCA) IS BROKEN AND NO LONGER WORKS FOR CREATORS

As songwriters and artists who are a vital contributing force to the U.S. and to American exports around the world, we are writing to express our concern about the ability of the next generation of creators to earn a living. The existing laws threaten the continued viability of songwriters and recording artists to survive from the creation of music. Aspiring creators shouldn’t have to decide between making music and making a living. Please protect them.  

One of the biggest problems confronting songwriters and recording artists today is the Digital Millennium Copyright Act. This law was written and passed in an era that is technologically out-of-date compared to the era in which we live. It has allowed major tech companies to grow and generate huge profits by creating ease of use for consumers to carry almost every recorded song in history in their pocket via a smartphone, while songwriters’ and artists’ earnings continue to diminish. Music consumption has skyrocketed, but the monies earned by individual writers and artists for that consumption has plummeted.

The DMCA simply doesn’t work. It’s impossible for tens of thousands of individual songwriters and artists to muster the resources necessary to comply with its application. The tech companies who benefit from the DMCA today were not the intended protectorate when it was signed into law nearly two decades ago. We ask you to enact sensible reform that balances the interests of creators with the interests of the companies who exploit music for their financial enrichment. It’s only then that consumers will truly benefit.

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