119-HR-8994 Journalist Public Summary

Public Summary

Headline Summary: Let independent, small‑business music creators collectively negotiate fairer deals with dominant streaming platforms and AI companies—without getting sued under antitrust law. [2]Rep. Deborah Ross, U.S. House of Representatives — Protect Working Musicians Ac…

What It Does: The Protect Working Musicians Act of 2026 creates a narrow antitrust safe harbor so “Independent Music Creator Owners” (artists and teams who own their recordings and make under $1 million in prior‑year licensing revenue or qualify as small businesses) can jointly negotiate—and, if needed, jointly withhold licenses—from “Dominant Online Music Distribution Platforms” (services with $100M+ in music‑related revenue and not covered by the 17 U.S.C. §114(d)(2) statutory license) and companies developing or deploying generative AI. Talks must be non‑discriminatory, not limited only to price, and confined to the parties defined in the bill; other antitrust laws remain in force. [2]Rep. Deborah Ross, U.S. House of Representatives — Protect Working Musicians Ac…

Why It Matters: Supporters argue independent musicians have little leverage with large platforms and face new AI‑driven uses of their work; a safe harbor could let them seek better rates, transparency, and guardrails on AI training and voice/music cloning. [1]Rep. Deborah Ross, U.S. House of Representatives — NEWS: Ross Introduces Legisl…

• American Association of Independent Music (A2IM), Artist Rights Alliance (ARA), American Federation of Musicians (AFM), Recording Academy, NMPA, SAG‑AFTRA, Society of Composers & Lyricists, SONA, Songwriters Guild of America, Music Managers Forum‑US, Music Artists Coalition, Music Workers Alliance, and United Musicians & Allied Workers endorse the bill, saying it levels the playing field for working artists. [1]Rep. Deborah Ross, U.S. House of Representatives — NEWS: Ross Introduces Legisl…
• Sponsors: Rep. Deborah Ross (D‑NC) with Reps. Steve Cohen (D‑TN) and Lloyd Doggett (D‑TX) as original cosponsors. [1]Rep. Deborah Ross, U.S. House of Representatives — NEWS: Ross Introduces Legisl…

• Potential concerns: Antitrust carve‑outs can, critics say, risk coordinated price‑setting or higher consumer costs; tech‑industry trade groups often warn broadly that new antitrust interventions aimed at large platforms may raise prices and reduce innovation. [3]CCIA — Economic study warns proposed antitrust bills could raise consumer and b…
• Process guardrails in the bill—like requiring non‑discriminatory negotiations that aren’t limited to price and keeping all other antitrust laws intact—are intended to narrow the scope. [2]Rep. Deborah Ross, U.S. House of Representatives — Protect Working Musicians Ac…

What’s Next: The bill was introduced on May 21, 2026, and early tracking lists it as referred to the House Judiciary Committee. From there, it would need a hearing and committee vote before any floor action; the Senate would then have to consider a companion measure. [1]Rep. Deborah Ross, U.S. House of Representatives — NEWS: Ross Introduces Legisl…

Context: This proposal builds on earlier versions (e.g., H.R. 5576 in 2023) that used similar definitions and the same safe‑harbor concept for collective bargaining with dominant platforms and AI developers. [4]Congress.gov, Library of Congress — Text — H.R.5576 (118th): Protect Working Mu…