RANDY TRAVIS AWARDED WITH SOUNDEXCHANGE MUSIC FAIRNESS AWARD

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The legendary country music icon is honored for her courageous commitment to the debate about fairness in US radio performance rights and royalties for artists

WASHINGTON, 26 September 2024 /PRNewswire/ — SoundExchange announced today that legendary country singer Randy Travis was awarded the SoundExchange Music Fairness Award for his work in Congress to modernize national copyright law to protect creators and for his support of the American Music Fairness Act (AMFA).

In 2013, Travis was hospitalized with viral cardiomyopathy and now suffers from aphasia, which makes it difficult for him to speak and sing. Earlier this year, Travis and his wife Mary joined SoundExchange as President and CEO. Michael Huppe to testify before Congress and advocate for a modernization of copyright law to protect creators. AMFA would force terrestrial broadcasters in the United States ? the only democratic nation in the world without performing rights for artists on AM/FM radio ? pay artists royalties when their songs are played on the radio. (Full testimony and a video of the hearing are available at judiciary.house.gov.)

“Randy Travis is a music icon and a courageous leader who will do whatever it takes to ensure that everyone – from music fans to lawmakers – is aware of the injustices artists have suffered for more than a century,” said Michael Huppe, President and CEO of SoundExchange. “Randy and Mary’s powerful testimony is a step forward in creating a better future for the next generation of artists. We are honored Randy Travis with the SoundExchange Music Fairness Award.”

“We thank SoundExchange for recognizing Randy’s commitment. He loves country radio and everyone who works in it, and he loves his fellow creators too. He is advocating for a fair solution to better align artists, labels and radio in the future in the changing environment of the music industry,” said Mary Travis on behalf of Randy Travis. “An old Greek proverb says, ‘A society becomes great when old men plant trees under whose shade they will never sit’ – it is up to artists like Randy to help create a better world for generations to come… he embraces that responsibility wholeheartedly.”

Travis has been a valued member of SoundExchange since 2003 and engages SoundExchange to collect worldwide neighboring rights royalties on his behalf through over 65 agreements SoundExchange has with partner organizations covering nearly 90% of the global neighboring rights market.

To Randy Travis
With a total turnover of over 25 million copies Randy Travis is one of the most successful multi-genre artists of all time and was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2016. He has been a member of the Grand Ole Opry since 1986. His accolades include seven Grammy Awards, eleven Academy of Country Music Awards, ten American Music Awards, two People’s Choice Awards, seven Music City News Awards, eight Gospel Music Association Dove Awards, and five Country Music Association Awards. Three of his performances have won CMA Song of the Year: “On the Other Hand” (1986), “Forever and Ever, Amen” (1987), and “Three Wooden Crosses” (2002). To date, he has 23 No. 1 singles, 31 Top 10 hits, and more than 40 appearances in feature films and television shows. His discography includes four gold albums, four platinum albums, one double platinum album, one triple platinum album and one quintuple platinum album. In 1992, Travis was recognized by the USO for his support and dedication to the U.S. troops, including five USO tours, and received the Bob Hope Entertainment Award. In 2004, Travis was honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame and is celebrated on Nashville’s Music City Walk of Fame. Since his near-fatal stroke in 2013, with the support of his wife Mary and intensive physical therapy, Travis has made significant progress in his recovery, including improvements in speaking, walking and singing. In 2019, he published his critically acclaimed memoir Forever and ever, Amenco-authored with Ken Abraham. In 2021, CMT named Travis the CMT Artist of a Lifetime. In 2022, he released his award-winning documentary More life and won six Telly Awards. June 2024With the support of AI, Travis and Warner Music Nashville released “Where That Came From,” his first new recording in over a decade showcasing his signature vocals. The single debuted at No. 45 on Billboard’s Country Airplay chart and received rave reviews from fans and country radio alike. For more information, visit RandyTravis.com.

About SoundExchange
SoundExchange is the leading music technology organization with a mission to advance the future of music. It was independently founded in 2003 to build a fairer, simpler and more efficient music industry through technology, data and advocacy. As the only organization mandated by the U.S. government to administer the Section 114 sound recording license, SoundExchange collects and distributes digital performance licenses on behalf of 700,000 music creators and counting. Through proprietary music technology solutions that turn data into accurate revenue, SoundExchange has helped more than 11 billion US dollars in the previous distributions. For more information, see soundexchange.com.

(PRNewsphoto/SoundExchange)