Grammys are singing lawmakersâ tune
Conservative Republicans Marsha Blackburn and Darrell Issa donât often schmooze at the same events as Democrats Joe Crowley and Linda SÃ¡nchez. But if Elton John stops by â or if Rep. John Conyers is posing for pictures with Grammy nominee Ne-Yo â itâs not your usual political event. Story Continued Below That was par for the course this weekend in Los Angeles, though, where more than a dozen lawmakers headed for the 57th annual Grammy Awards to get in front of industry executives to talk policy and raise money. Politicians â and their political fundraisers â have long glommed onto major sporting and entertainment events like the Super Bowl and the Oscars. But with the music industry facing intense Washington scrutiny over issues like the future of copyright law, the Grammys provide a window into how politicians schmooze and raise money from those they regulate. âItâs part fun, and itâs part that those involved in the issues can meet a lot of people here,â said Rep. Jerry Nadler, ranking member on the Subcommittee on Courts, Intellectual Property and the Internet, which oversees the music industry. The New York Democrat and huge Bob Dylan fan held a fundraiser Saturday at the Soho House in West Hollywood. As Hollywood and recording industry execs from Universal and Sony mingled with songwriters over fried chicken, eggs and grits, Nadler spoke about how labels, artists, songwriters and music publishers need to work together for a new music licensing system, while warning that infighting would kill that effort, according to an attendee. Nadler was hardly alone in doing fundraisers. House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) held a fundraiser for his McCarthy Victory Fund at the Staples Center on Sunday. Crowley (D-N.Y.) has a box at the Grammys, while Conyers (D-Mich.), ranking member on the Judiciary Committee, and Karen Bass (D-Calif.) also held separate brunch fundraisers. Half a dozen members, including Conyers and Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.), also made the rounds at a Saturday brunch held by the American Society for Composers, Authors and Publishers, where they mingled with Grammy-nominated songwriters like Kevin Kadish, who helped create Meghan Trainorâs hit song âAll About That Bass.â While the music stars are certainly a plus, several members said they were just doing their jobs. Blackburn, who often works with songwriters at home in Tennessee, said she probably had nearly two dozen constituents at the ASCAP brunch. Several lawmakers attended a briefing at The Village recording studio. Reps. Sheila Jackson Lee (D-Texas), Louis Gohmert (R-Texas), Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-Fla.), Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) and Californians SÃ¡nchez and Issa heard from veteran musician Graham Nash of Crosby, Stills and Nash about the need for a more sustainable business model for artists and songwriters. Elton John also dropped by to talk with politicians and even posed for a photo. Afterward, the lawmakers went to the Staples Center for a backstage Grammy tour and attended a briefing on a spectrum issue. âMy wife wouldnât permit me to come out solely for the fun,â joked Jeffries. But more seriously, the New York Democrat, who is an old-school hip-hop fan, said the legal and political issues the music industry face âhave become of increasing interest to members from both sides.â Rep. Ted Deutch (D-Fla.) also said he came because âthese are the issues that I work on all the time. So many people who are impacted by the work we do are all in one place here.â Oddly enough, Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), the only lawmaker who was up for a Grammy this year â the audio version of her book âA Fighting Chanceâ was nominated for best spoken-word album â didnât attend the event. Warren tweeted that she was âtickledâ to be nominated and âgrateful the Recording Academy has never heard me try to sing.â Still, even politicians who werenât in L.A. for Sunday nightâs main event were hoping to use it for their benefit. Ready for Hillary planned to follow the Grammys and use social media during the broadcast, trying to repeat the success of the groupâs Super Bowl tweet, which was retweeted 800 times and got more than 180,000 Facebook likes. Hillary Clinton won a Grammy in 1997 for best spoken-word album for the audio version of her book âIt Takes a Village.â The industry has plenty at stake in Washington, as the House Judiciary Committee is in the midst of a full review of federal copyright law and is eyeing the complex music licensing system as a top candidate for potential reforms. Various factions of the music business are pleading with Washington for changes â the Recording Academy, which hosts the Grammys, announced a new artists coalition at Sundayâs awards show that will lobby Washington â to would help their bottom lines. Among their goals: A new performance royalty right for recording artists â who donât get paid when their tracks are played on broadcast radio in the U.S. â or more flexibility for songwriters and music publishers, who have less control over who can play their songs and for what fee. Last week, the Copyright Office released a 250-page report endorsing both of those reforms and many others. The report galvanized the industry executives and lawyers gathered in Los Angeles this weekend, who hope they can guide new rules through a divided Washington. âItâs a particularly crucial time because there is a lot of things happening all at once,â said David Israelite, head of the National Music Publishers Association. âCongress is talking about copyright reform, and so everyone in the music industry is very focused about whatâs going to happen in Congress, whatâs happening at the Justice Department, things going on in the Patent and Trademark office.â Anna Palmer reported from Washington. Alex Byers reported from Los Angeles.