This Act would create a limited safe harbor from antitrust liability for certain small or independent music copyright owners so they can join together to negotiate licensing terms or to collectively refuse to license with large online music platforms and with companies that develop or deploy generative artificial intelligence. The safe harbor applies to "Individual Music Creator Owners" who own copyrights in sound recordings or musical works and who earned less than $1,000,000 in licensing revenue in the prior year or qualify as a small business under specified NAICS codes. A "Dominant Online Music Distribution Platform" is defined as a service used by the public to listen to sound recordings, with more than $100 million in annual music-distribution revenues and not eligible for a specific statutory license. Group negotiations or refusals are protected only if they are not limited to price, are nondiscriminatory to similarly situated creators, are directly related and reasonably necessary for negotiations, and do not involve parties other than qualifying creators and the defined platforms. The Act says it does not otherwise change antitrust laws. The measure was introduced June 10, 2026, and referred to the House Judiciary Committee.
No publicly available information.
The bill text says proponents view current online music distribution markets as distorted by platform market power. It states that notice-and-takedown systems are inadequate, independent creators lack resources to negotiate fair terms, and that this imbalance has harmed music careers. The findings include a quoted remark from musician Rosanne Cash about young musicians struggling to make a living. The bill frames the safe harbor as a targeted way to let small creators coordinate to restore fairer bargaining.
No publicly available information.