WASHINGTON - The musicFIRST Coalition held a press conference on Capitol Hill this afternoon to announce a new effort aimed at building support for workers' rights for performers. Participants included AFL-CIO President Rich Trumka, Chairman George Miller (D-CA), Chairman John Conyers (D-MI), Chairman Bob Brady (D-PA), Tom Lee, President of the American Federation of Musicians, Roberta Reardon, President of the American Federation of Radio and Television Artists, and Peter Yarrow of Peter, Paul and Mary.

"The labor movement was founded on the principle that a hard day's work deserves a fair day's pay. That's the principle at stake in the fight for the Performance Rights Act," said Trumka. "Working people understand too well that big corporations use their power and influence in Washington to protect their profits at the expense of the rest of us."

"The reckless greed that drives Wall Street is the same as the unconscionable greed that drives the handful of conglomerate corporate radio executives that control 75 percent of our nation's radio stations. If you care about music, if you care about the right of Americans to get paid for their work, if you care about doing what is right, be a part of the good fight for our performing brothers and sisters."

Musicians Union President Tom Lee outlined new Labor outreach efforts in the following states: New York, Minnesota, Ohio, Wisconsin, Iowa, West Virginia, Pennsylvania, Connecticut, Georgia, Michigan, Florida, among others. The new campaign will include town hall events, press events, and a new outreach effort by state and local union members to engage members of Congress in support of fair pay for musicians. Following the remarks, Peter Yarrow of Peter, Paul, and Mary gave an acoustic performance on behalf of working musicians supporting passage of a Performance Rights Act.

"Musicians don't want a handout -- they just want to be paid a fair wage for work," said Chairman Miller. "The important thing to remember is this: Passage of the Performance Rights Act will stop corporate radio from continuing to exploit the labor of working Americans - Americans who spend decades passionately honing their craft to produce works that resonate with our inner angels."

The musicFIRST coalition is a partnership of artists and organizations in the music community who support compensating performers for their work when it's played over the air. For more information visit www.musicfirstcoalition.org.