A new bill put forward by U.S. Rep. Deborah Ross, D-Wake, aims to empower independent musicians as they face growing issues and concerns with both streaming platforms and artificial intelligence companies.

The Protect Working Musicians Act of 2026 would give independent artists power to collectively negotiate with corporations like Spotify and the AI companies that scrape music from the service. As it currently stands, independent artists have little ability to negotiate for fair compensation from these companies.

"What our bill does is give the power to the musicians to be able to collaborate, work together, and negotiate with the big guys, and not be picked off one after the other," Ross said Thursday at a roundtable event at The Pour House in downtown Raleigh.

"The music industry does not always respect (their) work. We know that AI steals their intellectual property, and the only way that they are going to be able to stick up for themselves is by being able to work together."

Joining Ross at the roundtable was a panel of musicians, record label owners and promoters who support the effort. Durham-based country musician Rissi Palmer was one of them.

"As much as everyone wants to talk about there being opportunities within AI, all I see is a new way to steal and a new way to cut us out, and I'm not okay with that," she said. "I am in a genre that is predominantly white and predominantly male. A lot of my advocacy work is for people of color within that space, just to have equal time and equal space and equal platform. What we're seeing now, especially in country (music), is that AI is allowing a new type of Black face. What you can do is steal someone's essence, you can steal their voice, their sound, their soul, and put a white face on it, package it, and it gets more attention."

Singer-songwriter Tift Merritt also joined Ross at The Pour House. As co-chair of the Artists Rights Alliance, Merritt recently organized a campaign to urge AI companies to pursue licensing deals and partnerships rather than build platforms without regard for copyright law.

"I'm here because I think that music is a canary in the coal mine for a whole lot of issues that the creative labor force is facing," she said. "The streaming wages were negotiated in back door deals between major labels and Spotify. We were not at the table. Now with AI, they are training on us to replace us, which is not fair use. Spotify has made it very clear that they have no interest in labeling AI content, because the more content there is on their site, the longer you will stay on it, and the better it is for them. It is absolutely past time for us to have the right to boycott, strike, and collectively bargain because this entire industry is built on our backs."

The bill is co-sponsored by Rep. Steve Cohen, D-Tennessee, and Rep. Lloyd Doggett, D-Texas. It's also backed by labor unions like the Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television & Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA), and trade organizations like the American Association of Independent Music (A2IM).

"The Protect Working Musicians Act is as urgent today as it was when it was first introduced in 2023," said A2IM CEO Ian Harrison. "The explosion of AI and the continued dominance of a handful of streaming giants make it clear that independent artists need real tools to advocate for themselves. A2IM is proud to stand behind this reintroduction and will continue fighting until working musicians have the rights and protections they deserve."

Ross noted at the roundtable that it would be difficult for the bill to pass this year, given the Republican majority in Congress.

https://www.wunc.org/wunc-music/2026-05-29/ross-independent-musicians-collectively-negotiate-ai-streaming-services