RAC ‘Em Up!

RAC has formed an alliance with the Recording Academy, thereby reducing some redundancy between the two entities and combining some political firepower. Academy CEO Neil Portnow and RAC board member/music manager Irving Azoff made the announcement in Washington D.C.

What’s the big deal? Let’s break it down.

The RAC is a non-profit organization formed in 2000 by Don Henley and Sheryl Crow. Several things motivated it, notably a piece of legislation that involved a longstanding practice called Works for Hire.

To the millions of music fans busy downloading free stuff on Napster, it was a yawner. To the recording artists, it was a very big deal. Works for Hire meant sharing royalties from big hits with the record labels and studio musicians – but at some point, the songwriters expected the royalties to eventually go to them.

But the record companies wanted to keep things going the way they were. Folks like Henley and Crow testified on Capitol Hill, hoping to persuade lawmakers to let Works for Hire sunset.

Of course, they were painted as money-grubbing millionaires looking for a few extra bucks. Henley especially tried to make the point that it wasn’t about him or Bruce Springsteen or Prince or anyone who’s made it – it was about the 90 percent of artists who sign to record labels who don’t make it and spend their days in virtual poverty because of the Works for Hire practice.

The effort quickly led to the RAC, a non-profit backed by more than 150 big names in the industry. RAC then started to defend artists’ concerns in general, like health care coverage.

Now it’s part of the Recording Academy’s “Grammys on the Hill” initiative, which “advances the rights of music creators through advocacy, education and dialogue.”

This means more money in the coffers and more lobbying power. The announcement is made to coincide with the beginning of the 111th Congress and the Obama administration.

We know, it was a long way to get here but that’s the scoop. Enjoy.