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Artists’ Bill Proposed in New York

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Times Staff Writer

New York lawmakers have proposed a bill that could open the door on free-agency contracts for recording artists.

The Artistic Freedom Act was introduced Monday by New York State Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver, a Democrat, with the backing of powerful unions such as the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists and the AFL-CIO.

New York State Assembly members Roger L. Green, Joe Morelle and Catherine Nolan, all Democrats, also signed on to the bill, which would limit recording contracts to seven years.

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The move comes two months after a similar bill died in the California Senate. Lawmakers in Sacramento have vowed to resurrect a proposal that would not only reform music contracts but also regulate accounting practices, health-care benefits and pensions in the music industry.

The New York bill was championed by entertainment attorney L. Londell McMillan and the Artist Empowerment Coalition, a New York-based nonprofit group that includes dozens of music stars such as Prince and Stevie Wonder.

The coalition staged a concert Monday evening in New York to raise awareness about artists’ rights, followed by a news conference Tuesday joined by union leaders from AFTRA, the AFL-CIO and the American Federation of Musicians.

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