Rep. Berman to host fundraiser at Grammys

A select group of donors to Rep. Howard Berman (D-Calif.) will get to party like rock stars at next month's Grammy Awards — provided they pay $5,000.

According to an invitation obtained by Hillicon Valley, the price tag will get attendees a welcome brunch with Berman, a private box seat to the show and a chance to hang out with the winners at the afterparty.

Berman has long ties with the recording industry. He's been a longtime supporter for performance rights, which would require radio stations to pay royalties to musicians in addition to songwriters. His district covers parts of Hollywood.

In December, The Recording Academy's Vice President of Government Relations Daryl Friedman, the recording industry's top lobbyist, called Berman a champion of performance rights and cheered his reelection in a blog post published on Grammy.com.

According to OpenSecrets, the entertainment industry was Berman's largest financial supporter during the last election cycle, contributing almost $300,000 to his campaign committee and ChutzPAC. Sunlight data shows the recording industry was responsible for at least $55,000 of that total.

Berman touts his co-sponsoring of the Performance Rights Act in 2009 with Rep. John Conyers (D-Mich.) on his official website, describing it as a bill "to ensure musicians' fair compensation for radio broadcasts of their work."

His office did not respond to a request for comment on Wednesday.

-- This post was updated at 5:05 p.m. on Jan. 27. to clarify Rep. Berman is hosting the fundraiser.