Senator tweets, ‘#StandWithSongwriters’ as he posts pirated clip at the #Grammys

[Len]

Orrin Hatch tweets, ‘#StandWithSongwriters’ as he posts pirated clip from his seat at the #Grammys

Well, this was unexpected…

Senator Orrin Hatch (R, UT) is at the Grammys:
 

Hatch, who is a songwriter himself, followed up with a tweet to #StandWithSongwriters who he thinks have a tough time getting paid in the internet age:

This is a big thing for the retiring Utah Republican:
 

He’s even sponsoring legislation to make sure songwriters are paid “fairly for their work.” From Variety:

"The Music Modernization Act updates music licensing laws to make it easier for songwriters to get paid when their music is streamed or purchased online. Songwriters have been seeking legislative changes for years, pointing out that they have not been receiving fair market value for their works on digital platforms like Spotify and Pandora."

“Our music licensing laws are convoluted, out-of-date, and don’t reward songwriters fairly for their work,” said Hatch, who is a songwriter himself. “They’ve also failed to keep up with recent, rapid changes in how Americans purchase and listen to music.”

And then — maybe to prove how easy it is to listen to a songwriter’s work without paying for it? — he tweeted a clip of of the awards show:
 

And as for Hatch’s attendance at the event, the reaction from the blue-check mob was what you’d expect: