Randy Travis receives Sound Exchange Music Fairness Award

Sound Exchange announced today that famous country artist Randy Travis has received the Sound Exchange Music Fairness Award for his effort for Congress to modernize the nation’s copyright law to benefit creators, as well as his support for the American Music Fairness Act (AMFA).

Travis was hospitalized in 2013 for viral cardiomyopathy and is now suffering from aphasia, which makes it difficult for him to speak or sing.

Travis and his wife Mary testified before Congress earlier this year in support of reforming the country’s copyright legislation to protect creators, with Sound Exchange President and CEO Michael Huppe.

AMFA would oblige terrestrial broadcasters in the United States, the world’s only democratic country without a performance right for artists on AM/FM radio, to pay artists royalties when their music are aired on the radio. (Full witness testimony and video of the hearing are accessible at judiciary.house.gov.)

“Randy Travis is a music icon and a fearless leader who will stop at nothing to make sure everyone-from music fans to lawmakers-knows about the injustices endured by creators for more than a century,” said Sound Exchange President and CEO Michael Huppe.

“Randy and Mary’s impassioned testimony is a step forward in creating a brighter future for the next generation of artists. We are happy to present Randy Travis with the Sound Exchange Music Fairness Award.”

“Thank you, Sound Exchange, for acknowledging Randy’s advocacy. He loves country radio, and everybody involved; he also loves his fellow creatives.

What he is advocating for here is a fairer solution that will bring artists, labels and radio more in line with each other moving forward, in light of the new realities within the music industry, ” says Mary Travis on behalf of Randy Travis.

“An old Greek proverb says, ‘a society grows great when old men plant trees in whose shade they shall never sit’ – it’s up to artists like Randy to help make a better world for those to come… he embraces that responsibility whole-heartedly.”

Travis has been a Sound Exchange member since 2003, and he trusts Sound Exchange to collect worldwide neighboring rights fees on his behalf through over 65 agreements with counterpart organizations that cover approximately 90% of the global neighboring rights market.

Randy Travis is one of the most successful multi-genre performers of all time, with lifetime sales exceeding 25 million. He was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2016. He joined the Grand Ole Opry in 1986.

His awards include seven Grammys, eleven Academy of Country Music Awards, ten American Music Awards, two People’s Choice Awards, seven Music City News Awards, eight Dove Awards from the Gospel Music Association, and five Country Music Association Awards. Three of his performances won CMA Song of the Year awards: “On the Other Hand” (1986), “Forever and Ever, Amen” (1987), and “Three Wooden Crosses” (2002).

He has had 23 No. 1 songs, 31 Top 10 successes, and appeared in over 40 films and television shows. His discography consists of four Gold albums, four Platinum albums, one Double Platinum album, one Triple Platinum album, and one Quintuple Platinum album. Travis was honored by the USO in 1992 with the Bob Hope Entertainment Award for his support and dedication to US troops, which included five USO tours.

Travis was awarded a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2004, and he is also honored on Nashville’s Music City Walk. Travis has made considerable progress in his recovery since his near-fatal stroke in 2013, thanks to the support of his wife Mary and intense physical treatment.

This includes improvements in speaking, walking, and singing. In 2019, he published his critically acclaimed memoir Forever and Ever, Amen, co-written with Ken Abraham. Travis was selected CMT Artist of a Lifetime in 2021. In 2022, he released the award-winning documentary More Life, which received six Telly Awards.

Travis and Warner Music Nashville released “Where That Came From,” his first new single in nearly a decade, in May 2024, including his trademark voice. The tune debuted at No. 45 on Billboard’s Country Airplay chart, garnering positive feedback from both fans and country radio. For additional information, go to RandyTravis.com.

Sound Exchange is a leading music technology group on a mission to power the future of music. It was founded independently in 2003 with the goal of using technology, data, and activism to create a more equitable, simple, and efficient music industry.

Sound Exchange is the sole entity recognized by the United States government to operate the Section 114 sound recording license. It collects and distributes digital performance royalties on behalf of 700,000 music producers and growing.

Sound Exchange has paid out more over $11 billion in distributions to date, thanks to patented music technology solutions that convert data into correct revenue. For additional information, go to soundexchange.com.