UMG headquarters in Santa Monica, CA. Photo credit: Cool Caesar / CC by 3.0
The top three record labels, Warner Music Group, Universal Music Group and Sony Music Entertainment, are getting contributions from GOP members who voted against certifying the results of the 2020 presidential election. Major publishers are also joining the demand.
Universal Music Group, Warner Music Group and Sony Music Entertainment are joining a chorus of companies that are getting their financial contributions from certain Republican members of Congress. The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), which represents major label conglomerates, confirmed the pushback in an official statement. Additionally, the National Music Publishers Association (NMPA) has also released a statement of support.
“The NMPA political action committee makes donations to members of Congress who support songwriters and the music publishers who represent them,” says NMPA President and CEO David Israelite. “However, most importantly, we are committed to the rule of law and our democratic institutions.”
“In light of the attack on the United States Capitol, we will indefinitely suspend contributions to those who voted against legal certification from the Electoral College,” the statement continues.
Specifically, the top three record labels will no longer donate eight Republican senators and 139 Republican members of the House of Representatives. UMG, Sony and WMG are among a growing number of companies doing the same. Last week, Comcast, Disney and AT&T announced that they would suspend their contributions.
The RIAA issued this statement on the Capitol riots. “The RIAA condemns the attack on the United States Capitol. We support candidates who respect both the rule of law and the results of free and fair elections. In light of the events of January 6, we have revised the criteria for our political contribution and we are not contributing to those who voted against the peaceful transition of power.
The 147 Republican lawmakers who opposed the certification have lost many of their corporate backers.
The Washington Post reached out to 30 companies that supported these legislators through PACs. Two-thirds, or 20, of the companies said they would suspend some or all of their PAC payments. Ten companies said they would review their political contributions or did not commit to take any action against politicians who supported the Capitol riots.
Donations from political action committees can grease the wheels of Congress. In fact, political donations are often expected if a legislator sits on the right committee or wields enough power, or could assume greater power in the future. It’s all part of a money game in Washington that borders on corruption, and corporations often have the power to make or break candidates they don’t like.
Other companies that are suspending their political donations include Honeywell, General Electric, Verizon and KPMG. Many companies that stopped donating have direct relationships with consumers. Taking little or no action could damage the reputation of that company.
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