MusicFIRST

What MusicFIRST does

MusicFIRST Coalition is a nonprofit policy advocacy organization founded in 2007 and headquartered in Washington, D.C., that campaigns for legislative reform requiring AM/FM radio broadcasters to pay performance royalties to recording artists. Its central product is the American Music Fairness Act (AMFA), a bill it has championed across multiple Congressional sessions — most recently re-introduced in February 2025 with bipartisan sponsorship — that would require commercial broadcasters to compensate performers while capping fees for small, local, and noncommercial stations (under $2/day, or $10–$100/year for public stations). The coalition does not develop or sell technology; its operational assets are a WordPress-based advocacy website, a dedicated grassroots campaign platform called Music Fairness Action (musicfairnessaction.com), and an active press, social media (TikTok, Twitter/X), and annual awareness month presence.

The coalition's underlying "business model" is non-commercial: it is funded through member dues and stakeholder contributions from a tightly organized bloc of music industry institutions — including SoundExchange, the Recording Academy (GRAMMYs), RIAA, SAG-AFTRA, the American Federation of Musicians, A2IM, and the AFL-CIO — rather than through product or service revenue. Its go-to-market is institutional lobbying and public mobilization: it assembles artist endorsements (300+ recording artists), coordinates congressional testimony, files joint FCC comments with allied groups such as the Future of Music Coalition, and drives grassroots letter-writing to Members of Congress. Co-Chairmen Mark Pryor (former U.S. Senator) and Will Moschella (former DOJ Principal Associate Deputy Attorney General) lead the legislative effort.

Name

MusicFIRST

Legal name

musicFIRST

Website

https://musicfirstcoalition.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2007

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

MusicFIRST Coalition is a nonprofit policy advocacy organization founded in 2007 that campaigns for the American Music Fairness Act, requiring AM/FM radio broadcasters to pay performance royalties to recording artists. It serves recording artists, musicians, and music industry labor unions through legislative lobbying and grassroots mobilization.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Music industry legislative advocacy

NAICS

Motion Picture and Sound Recording Industries (512)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Performing Rights Organizations (PROs) & Public Performance Licensing (MPAIAKAA)

Keywords

• Music royalty advocacy
• Legislative policy advocacy
• Music industry coalition
• Artist compensation reform
• Performance rights lobbying

Headquarters

HQ city

Washington

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Others

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

MusicFIRST Coalition is a music industry advocacy coalition that campaigns for U.S. federal legislation requiring AM/FM radio broadcasters to pay performance royalties to recording artists. The coalition's flagship initiative is supporting passage of the American Music Fairness Act (AMFA), which it promotes through its coalition website, the Music Fairness Action grassroots campaign, press outreach, and direct engagement with Congress.

Product overview

MusicFIRST is a coalition/advocacy organization, not a technology product company. The organization offers the musicFIRST Coalition Website as its primary informational platform, and the Music Fairness Action Campaign as its grassroots advocacy tool. Both serve the coalition's mission to secure fair compensation for music creators when their work is played on AM/FM radio.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Music Fairness Action: A grassroots action campaign launched by musicFIRST to amplify voices of music artists and fans in support of the American Music Fairness Act

Products and services

• MusicFIRST Coalition Website The primary digital platform for the musicFIRST Coalition, providing advocacy information, news updates, campaign resources, and action tools to support passage of the American Music Fairness Act. It serves recording artists, music industry stakeholders, journalists, and supporters who want to engage on AM/FM radio performance royalty reform.
• Music Fairness Action Campaign A grassroots campaign providing a platform for music artists and fans to elevate their voices in support of the American Music Fairness Act and to communicate their views directly to Members of Congress through letter-writing, petitions, and advocacy actions.

Quantifiable outcome

• 70% of Americans support passing the American Music Fairness Act according to polling commissioned by musicFIRST
• +1 more outcomes

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• SoundExchangecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSoundExchange is a nonprofit organization designated by Congress to collect digital royalties on behalf of recording artists. SoundExchange CEO Michael Huppe serves as a key advocate and spokesperson for the coalition, testifying before Congress and supporting AMFA passage.
• Recording Academy (GRAMMY)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Recording Academy (producer of the GRAMMY Awards) is a founding member of the coalition. CEO Harvey Mason Jr. has publicly supported AMFA and organized artist advocacy efforts including GRAMMYs on the Hill events.
• SAG-AFTRAcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSAG-AFTRA, the Screen Actors Guild - American Federation of Television and Radio Artists, represents performers and has endorsed AMFA. President Fran Drescher has advocated for the legislation.
• American Federation of Musicians (AFM)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe American Federation of Musicians represents professional musicians and has been a long-standing coalition member advocating for fair pay for performers on AM/FM radio.
• Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerRIAA represents major recording companies and Chairman/CEO Mitch Glazier has publicly supported AMFA, describing it as practical compromise legislation that will ensure fair payment for artists.
• American Association of Independent Music (A2IM)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerA2IM represents independent music companies and President/CEO Dr. Richard James Burgess has advocated for AMFA, noting the radio industry has no valid justification for refusing to compensate recording artists.
• AFL-CIOcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe AFL-CIO, representing 12.5 million workers, unanimously passed a resolution supporting music fairness and artists' rights at its quadrennial convention in June 2022.
• Community Broadcasters CoalitioncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerA coalition of community broadcasters including Alliance for Community Media, Common Frequency, Media Alliance, National Federation of Community Broadcasters (NFCB), Prometheus Radio Project, and REC Networks support AMFA because it protects small stations with affordable fees.
• Future of Music CoalitionminorStrategic or Co-development PartnermusicFIRST and Future of Music Coalition file joint FCC comments advocating for fair pay for music creators and continued protections for small broadcasters.
• Individual Artists and Artist GroupscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOver 300 major recording artists have signed letters and testified in support of AMFA, including Boyz II Men, Gene Simmons, Mýa, Randy Travis, Dionne Warwick, Cyndi Lauper, and many others across genres.

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• American Federation of Musicians (AFM): The leading US musicians' union, a long-standing MusicFIRST coalition member. AFM directly advocates for professional musicians' compensation, working conditions, and royalty rights — sharing MusicFIRST's core mission of fair pay for performers on AM/FM radio.
• Recording Academy (The GRAMMYs): A founding coalition member of MusicFIRST, the Recording Academy is a music industry membership organization that advocates for recording artists and creators on legislative and policy issues. Both organizations share an overlapping advocacy mission focused on artist compensation and creator rights.
• SAG-AFTRA: A major entertainment union representing performers including recording artists, with an active advocacy agenda on performer compensation and fair pay legislation. SAG-AFTRA is a coalition member of MusicFIRST and shares the mission of securing fair compensation for performers.
• National Music Publishers' Association (NMPA): The US trade association for music publishers, advocating on copyright, licensing, and royalty policy. While NMPA focuses on the publishing/songwriter side, it operates in the same music rights policy arena and pursues analogous legislative advocacy strategies.
• ASCAP (American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers): A major US performing rights organization that collects public performance royalties for songwriters, composers, and publishers. ASCAP is a structural counterpart to what MusicFIRST is advocating for — extending similar performance royalty frameworks to sound recordings on AM/FM radio.
• RIAA (Recording Industry Association of America): The primary US music industry trade association representing major record labels. RIAA is both a coalition member of MusicFIRST and a comparable advocacy organization, advancing label and recording artist interests on copyright, royalty, and IP legislation.
• Songwriters Guild of America: A trade organization exclusively representing songwriters and composers on copyright protection, royalty collection, and legislative advocacy. Operates in the same music rights advocacy space as MusicFIRST with a narrower but overlapping songwriter compensation mission.
• A2IM (American Association of Independent Music): A trade organization representing independent music labels and creators, and a MusicFIRST coalition member. A2IM advocates on royalty policy, copyright reform, and creator compensation — closely aligned with MusicFIRST's mission of fair pay for artists.
• Future of Music Coalition: A nonprofit advocacy organization focused on musicians' rights, fair compensation, and media policy. Future of Music Coalition files joint FCC comments with MusicFIRST and shares an analogous mission of advocating for music creator fairness on legislative and regulatory matters.

Emerging players

• Music Managers Forum - US: A trade organization representing artist managers who advocate on behalf of recording artists for fair compensation and policy reform. Functions as an adjacent advocacy body in the music creator compensation ecosystem.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/musicFIRST
• TikToktiktok.com/@themusicfirstcoalition
• Facebookfacebook.com/musicFIRSTcoalition

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about MusicFIRST