Originally Appeared: Billboard on May 10, 2018
Rarely does a century-old musical instrument drive policy in Washington, but that’s exactly what’s happening in the music community at this moment. Everyone from Internet Association (IA) members to artists to record labels are supporting a new piece of legislation called the Music Modernization Act (MMA), that will help bring music licensing into the digital age. The bill passed the U.S. House unanimously recently and now heads to the Senate.
So what’s the driving force behind this new bill? Player pianos. We’re not kidding.