Gene Simmons Says Musicians Face Tough Challenges Due to Low Radio Payments

Gene Simmons in Washington, D.C. in December 2025.
Credit:

Mattie Neretin – CNP/Shutterstock

NEED TO KNOW

• Gene Simmons asked Congress to pass new legislation.
• On Tuesday, Dec. 9, the KISS bassist spoke during a Senate subcommittee hearing on the American Music Fairness Act, which would grant payment for artists when their music plays on the radio.
• “If you are against this bill, you are un-American,” said Simmons, per CBS News.

Gene Simmons made a significant appeal to Congress on behalf of artists on December 9. The KISS bassist addressed a Senate subcommittee hearing focused on the American Music Fairness Act, legislation aimed at ensuring that artists receive compensation when their music is played on the radio.

This proposed legislation would mark a crucial change, as current regulations only provide royalties to songwriters, leaving performing artists without any payment, according to SoundExchange.

Simmons emphasized the necessity of the American Music Fairness Act by invoking the names of legendary artists such as Frank Sinatra, Bing Crosby, and Elvis Presley, who never received compensation for their extensive airplay on radio stations.

He recounted an exchange during the Kennedy Center Honors when he asked George Strait if he was aware that he had never been compensated for his popular song “Amarillo by Morning.” Simmons said Strait was astonished and had to confirm with his “handlers” about the truth of the matter.

Gene Simmons in Washington, D.C. in December 2025.

Heather Diehl/Getty

“If you are against this bill, you are un-American,” Simmons asserted during the hearing. He urged Congress to address what he termed an injustice, stating, “It looks like a small issue … But our emissaries to the world are Elvis and Frank Sinatra.”

He further remarked, “When they find out we’re not treating our stars right — worse than slaves; slaves get food and water. Elvis, Sinatra, and Bing Crosby got nothing for their performance. You’ve got to change this now.”

During the hearing, Simmons and other panelists compared U.S. radio royalty policies with those of other countries and praised nations like Russia and China for compensating both songwriters and performers. He noted that this discrepancy has led some countries to withhold royalties from American artists due to their lack of payment for radio airplay in the U.S.

“How do we dare come in second to Russia?” Simmons questioned. “An alleged country led by a despot, when they do a better job of paying our King of Rock & Roll, and we’re going to stand by and not pay today’s artists and future artists?”

Simmons was joined at the hearing by Michael Huppe, President and CEO of SoundExchange, and broadcaster Henry Hinton, who opposed the legislation. Hinton described the bill as “economically untenable for local radio broadcasters.”

“When new fees are imposed, free local radio’s only option is to cut elsewhere,” Hinton explained. “Stations have to make the choice between covering local football games or paying new fees; between making their payroll or sending more money to the recording industry — an industry currently making record profits, I might add.”

Simmons’ testimony came just two days after he was honored by President Donald Trump at the Kennedy Center Honors alongside his KISS bandmates and other notable figures such as Sylvester Stallone, Michael Crawford, George Strait, and Gloria Gaynor.