Truth in Music Advertising

The Truth in Music Advertising act or bill, also known as Truth in Music Performance Advertising or simply Truth in Music, is legislation, adopted into state law by most U.S. states, that aims to protect the trademark of musical recording artists. The legislation provides that the name of a famous musical group cannot be used by a group of performers unless they include at least one member of the original group. The intent of the legislation is to prevent unfair or deceptive trade practices, and to protect the livelihood of musicians who were in famous musical groups.^[1]

The legislation, co-authored by former Sha Na Na member Jon "Bowzer" Bauman^[2] and promoted by him and Mary Wilson of the Supremes, was not passed by the U.S. Congress, but has been enacted in 35 of the 50 states.^[3] The legislation has been tested in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit.