A Democratic bill with 9 Democratic cosponsors · See all 9 cosponsors
Last activity — Referred to the House Committee on the Judiciary.
In committee
Introduced and handed to a committee in the chamber it started in.
The committee holds it, and most bills are never heard from again. A hearing or a committee vote would be news; silence is the usual outcome, and it kills the bill without anyone voting against it.
Its path through Congress
- Introduced
- In Committee
What this bill would do
The Protect Working Musicians Act of 2026 aims to empower independent music creator owners to negotiate collectively with dominant online platforms. Currently, these creators face a power imbalance when dealing with large distribution platforms regarding music licensing. The bill provides a safe harbor from antitrust laws for specific collective actions. This allows independent owners to negotiate terms or collectively refuse to license their music to dominant platforms or generative artificial intelligence companies. The goal is to create fairer markets for the use and licensing of recorded music and musical works.
Yes· 3 of 7
- Scored +6
Would business owners be better off under this?
The bill provides legal protections for small-scale music creators and independent businesses to negotiate collectively.
- Scored +6
Does this make it easier to run a small business?
The bill provides a safe harbor for independent creators to negotiate more effectively against dominant platforms.
- Scored +5
Would union members be better off under this?
The bill empowers independent creators to engage in collective bargaining-style negotiations.
The opposite
No question was scored the opposite.
Who it would affect, and how
Potential Positive Impacts for People
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Empowerment of Independent Creators: The bill allows Independent Music Creator Owners to collectively negotiate licensing terms or collectively refuse to license their music to dominant platforms or generative artificial intelligence companies without being held liable under antitrust laws (Section 3(b)).
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Addressing Market Imbalances: The Act seeks to rectify a situation where dominant online music distribution platforms use market power to force music creators into licensing agreements that do not reflect market value (Section 2(4)).
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Protection Against Unlicensed Use: The bill addresses a system where platforms profit from unlicensed uploads while placing the burden of finding those instances on the creators (Section 2(5)).
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Support for Music Careers: By allowing for better negotiation, the bill aims to address the issue where musicians struggle to make a living, which has reportedly caused some to give up their dreams (Section 2(9)).
Potential Negative Impacts for People
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Negotiation Restrictions: The liability protection for collective negotiations is only available if the negotiations are not limited to price and are nondiscriminatory among similarly situated independent creator owners (Section 3(b)(1)).
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Limited Scope of Protection: The safe harbor for collective action does not apply if the negotiations involve any person who is not an Independent Music Creator Owner or a Dominant Online Music Distribution Platform (Section 3(b)(3)).
Groups and Interests Ranking
Every group the model scored this bill for, from -10 to +10. Tap or hover a score for the reason it gave.
- Demographic And Interest Groups
- Would business owners be better off under this? — The bill provides legal protections for small-scale music creators and independent businesses to negotiate collectively. Would union members be better off under this? — The bill empowers independent creators to engage in collective bargaining-style negotiations. Would households on low incomes be better off under this? — The bill supports independent creators who may be earning less than $1,000,000 in licensing revenue. Would middle-income households be better off under this? — The bill aims to help professional musicians maintain their livelihoods.
- Economy And Finance
- Does this make it easier to run a small business? — The bill provides a safe harbor for independent creators to negotiate more effectively against dominant platforms. Is this likely to create jobs? — The bill aims to stabilize music careers to prevent musicians from giving up their livelihoods.
- Education And Technology
- Does this put more rules on large technology companies? — The bill limits the market power of dominant online platforms and generative AI companies over creators.
- 11/2/2026
- 1 Cosponsor added.
- 10/26/2026
- 1 Cosponsor added.
- 10/9/2026
- 3 Cosponsors added.
- 9/2/2026
- 1 Cosponsor added.
- 6/10/2026
- Referred to the House Committee on the Judiciary.
- 3 Cosponsors added.
- Introduced in House
One bill Congress.gov lists as related to this one — companions in the other chamber, earlier versions, and bills this one absorbed or was folded into.
Steve CohenDemocrat · Tennessee
Greg CasarDemocrat · Texas
Lloyd DoggettDemocrat · Texas
Sarah ElfrethDemocrat · Maryland
Cleo FieldsDemocrat · Louisiana
Daniel GoldmanDemocrat · New York
Eleanor NortonDemocrat · District of Columbia
Brad ShermanDemocrat · California
Lateefah SimonDemocrat · California