Tomorrow, a petition advocating Congress for reform of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act, which regulates the circulation of copyrighted work on the internet, will run in D.C. publications such as Politico, the Hill, and Roll Call, as Billboard and Recode report. The petition will be signed by 180 musicians and songwriters, including Paul McCartney, Taylor Swift, U2, Vince Staples, Kings of Leon, Carole King, and more. The petition will also be backed by 19 companies, which include the three major labels.

Billboard and Recode report that the petition is essentially aimed at curtailing the practices of YouTube, which allows users to upload copyrighted material for anyone to hear. Under the DMCA, YouTube is given "safe harbor" from copyright infringement lawsuits, as long as it complies with takedown notices. The artists and labels signing the petition say this gives the service more power than it should have.

The petition says the DMCA “has allowed major tech companies to grow and generate huge profits by creating ease of use for consumers to carry almost every recorded song in history in their pocket via a smartphone, while songwriters’ and artists’ earnings continue to diminish.” It also calls for “sensible reform that balances the interests of creators with the interests of the companies who exploit music for their financial enrichment.”

YouTube has recently been under attack from musicians who've criticized its approach to paying artists. The Black Keys' Patrick Carney said “I probably can find 250 songs that are available which the artist isn't getting paid for” within five minutes of surfing YouTube. Trent Rezor said the service was “built on the backs of free, stolen content.” In December, Radiohead's Thom Yorke compared YouTube and parent company Google to Nazi Germany.

Read more about the issue in our Pitch piece, "Here's Why Musicians Won't Stand for Illegal Uploads Anymore."