Joe Crowley to register as lobbyist for recording artists

Former Rep. Joe Crowley (D-N.Y.) will lobby on behalf of musicFIRST, an independent, non-profit performance rights organization that works to get recording artists paid when their work is played on broadcast radio.

Crowley is a senior policy adviser at Squire Patton Boggs, which was hired by the non-profit in February to lobby on issues related to performance rights, according to disclosures. Crowley recently made his first reportable contact and will therefore be added to the next filing, according to the firm.

MusicFIRST is lobbying the House and Senate to pass legislation to help restore property rights for music creators. It has spent $90,000 on lobbying so far in 2021 and only has Squire Patton Boggs on retainer.

Other Squire Patton Boggs lobbyists hired by musicFIRST include David Schnittger, former deputy chief of staff to ex-Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio), and Callie Fuselier, former staffer to ex-Sen. Harry Reid (D-Nev.). 

Crowley is a music fan himself and has played and sang at various D.C. events and fundraisers throughout the years. He had served in Congress since 1999 and lost the Democratic primary in 2018 to Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.).

He has worked at Squire Patton Boggs since February 2019. Crowley was the chair of the House Democratic Caucus from 2017 to 2019 and was the founder and chairman of the Congressional Musicians Caucus.

MusicFIRST works to ensure that those who create songs are compensated and receive performance royalties. AM/FM radio doesn’t pay creators for their work while platforms like Spotify and Pandora do pay.  

Broadcast radio is the only music platform in the developed world that doesn’t pay the creator for playing their work, according to musicFIRST.