The Songwriters of North America (SONA), a leading advocacy organization for Songwriters and Composers, has announced that hit songwriter-producer Ross Golan has joined its board. The announcement comes as the organization celebrated its tenth anniversary this month with a series of events across New York Music Month and Songwriter Week.
Golan (pictured above, far right, with SONA CEO Michelle Lewis and hitmaker Rodney Jerkins), has scored hits with Ariana Grande, Justin Bieber, Selena Gomez and many others (and the writer of the Ovation Award-winning musical “The Wong Man”). But more pertinently, he is a natural fit for the organization: An outspoken songwriters’ advocate, he played a key role in the creation of the Grammys’ best songwriter, non-classical award, was a leading proponent of the landmark Music Modernization Act, and became the first songwriter to sit on the board of the National Music Publishers Assn. He also played a key role in the overturning of the Grammys “33% Rule,” which determined how many of an album’s contributors received awards. He is also the host of the podcast “And the Writer Is…”
Songwriters have been at the bottom of the streaming economy from its inception — usually receiving a small percentage of the approximately $.003 that each stream generates — and although several proposals have been made to improve their compensation, including points on master recordings (which producers usually receive) and per diems for writing sessions, those proposals are rarely fulfilled. Songwriters are also technically contractors, which means that unlike music publishers, they cannot unionize.
“Just because we can’t unionize doesn’t mean we can’t unite,” Golan says. “I’m proud to join the SONA board at this meaningful time.”
