Why it matters

The Recording Industry Association of America significantly ramped up its lobbying efforts in Q1 2025, spending $2.6 million to influence policy on copyright protection, performance rights, and artificial intelligence. This change represents a 32.7% increase from the same period last year, as the music industry confronts new challenges from rapidly evolving technology.

By the numbers

  • $2,115,480: RIAA’s in-house lobbying expenditure is the bulk of their spending
  • $512,580: Amount spent on eight external lobbying firms
  • 5: Number of external firms specifically working on AI-related issues
  • 9 years: Average tenure of RIAA’s longest-serving external lobbying firms (Alpine Group, Fierce Government Relations, and OGR)

The lobbying team includes specialists in copyright law, trade policy, and emerging technologies, with firms like Continental Strategy ($67,500) and Fierce Government Relations ($50,000) specifically tasked with addressing AI concerns.

The agenda

RIAA’s lobbying focuses on:

  • Copyright enforcement: Legislation like the Foreign Anti-Digital Piracy Act that could help block access to infringing foreign websites
  • Performance rights: Supporting the American Music Fairness Act, which would require terrestrial radio stations to pay royalties for music, while opposing the Local Radio Freedom Act, which would help prevent new taxes and other fees from being levied on stations for broadcasting recordings
  • AI regulation: Advocating for the NO FAKES Act, which would regulate AI-generated replicas of artists’ voices and performances
  • Trade policy: Monitoring interpretations of trade agreements that could affect international IP rights

Between the lines

The RIAA’s heightened focus on AI reflects growing industry anxiety about unauthorized use of copyrighted music to train AI models, and the creation of AI-generated music that could mimic artists’ voices without permission or compensation.

Rep. Zoe Lofgren‘s Foreign Anti-Digital Piracy Act represents a new approach to combating overseas piracy by requiring U.S. internet service providers to block access to infringing sites.

The battle over radio royalties continues to pit the music industry against broadcasters like the National Association of Broadcasters and iHeartMedia, with both sides heavily investing in lobbying on this long-standing dispute.

Bottom line

As digital platforms evolve and AI capabilities expand, the recording industry is strategically escalating its policy influence to protect creators’ interests across multiple fronts. There’s particular urgency from the industry around emerging technologies that present both opportunities and existential threats to traditional music business models.

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