Automakers are wading into a major battle on Capitol Hill over how people can listen to radio programming in their cars — a move that could further complicate the path forward for a popular bill to mandate that AM radios be put in all new vehicles.
In a new letter, first reviewed by POLITICO, two trade groups for leading carmakers are throwing their weight behind tying the “AM Radio in Every Vehicle Act” to the “American Music Fairness Act,” which would compel broadcasters to pay royalties to the copyright holders of songs played on the airwaves.
“Congress should not mandate the use of an infringing platform that exploits artists by not paying them for their work,” the Alliance for Automotive Innovation and the Zero Emission Transportation Association wrote to the chairs and ranking members of the House and Senate Judiciary committees, which have jurisdiction over the music payment bill.
These two groups were joined in signing the letter by the heads of the MusicFirst Coalition and the Consumer Technology Association.
