Music and Entertainment
Overview
Tennessee's Fifth Congressional District is home to Nashville, also known as Music City, USA. Music is the lifeblood of Nashville, and it's everywhere you turn in our city. We've got it all: recording artists, musicians, songwriters, record labels, manufacturers, retailers, and service providers. Visitors come from far and wide to enjoy our musical culture, the Grand Ole Opry, the Country Music Hall of Fame and our rich Motown heritage in the Jefferson Street Music District.
Music policy is so important to Nashville, and that's why it is one of my top priorities. Along with some of my Tennessee colleagues in Congress, I co-sponsor the Songwriter Equity Act to update our country’s music licensing system. The bill proposes changes to the Copyright Act that allow Nashville’s songwriters and publishers to be paid fairly for their work in the age of digital music. I also pushed hard for the Federal Aviation Administration’s new rule that allows guitars in overhead bins on airlines.
Intellectual property is almost exclusively the subject of federal legislation, and music policy that affects us locally is hatched in Washington, D.C. I'm a strong supporter of intellectual property rights and rights-holders and believe that intellectual property laws need reevaluating when significant new technologies reach the marketplace.
My goal is to make sure any new laws serve the public's interest in progress, civic discourse, investment and innovation. I want to make sure creative rights are protected while giving consumers access to legal mediums to enjoy the music they love.
Links & Additional Information
United States Copyright Office
United States Patent & Trademark Office
Nashville Convention and Visitors' Bureau
National Endowment for the Arts
Corporation for Public Broadcasting
More on Music and Entertainment
WASHINGTON – As Congress began a new session Tuesday, U.S. Rep. Jim Cooper (TN-5) praised the Federal Aviation Administration’s announcement of a rule that protects musicians and their instruments during air travel.
“I’ve been pushing hard for the federal government to protect our musicians and our musical instruments,” Cooper said. “Finally, the FAA is allowing guitars in overhead bins on airlines. You won’t have to check your instrument underneath the plane. You’ll be able to carry onboard and keep it safe.”
WASHINGTON – U.S. Rep. Jim Cooper (TN-5) recently cosponsored two bills to ensure that musicians are paid fairly for the use of their work.
A bipartisan bill sponsored by Rep. Doug Collins (GA-9), the Songwriter Equity Act would change two provisions of the Copyright Act in order to modernize compensation in the music industry. The outdated provisions prevent songwriters from receiving fair market value for use of their music.
Welcome to our #coopergraphics page. No fancy graphic designers here, just a staff trying to make infographics about what's going on in Congress. We're always looking for new ideas, so send us an e-mail if you have suggestions or questions.
What's an Earmark?
WASHINGTON – U.S. Rep. Jim Cooper and U.S. Sen. Lamar Alexander led members of Tennessee’s congressional delegation in demanding action that would protect musicians and their property in flight.
May 8, 2012
Says bill would clarify law so that "we can have healthy forests and legal guitars"
WASHINGTON - U.S. Rep. Jim Cooper (TN-05) testified before a House subcommittee today about his bill to clarify a broad federal law so that musicians, instrument retailers and resellers would no longer be subject to penalties for unknowingly possessing illegal woods.