Default/Standard Rates
1Eligible Services
First, ensure your service is eligible to operate under the statutory license. Begin by reviewing the U.S. Copyright Act, 17 U.S.C., §§ 112 and 114 to familiarize yourself with the applicable requirements that would govern your service. For more information about statutory licensing, please review the Licensing 101 section on our website.
These rates, set by the Copyright Royalty Board, are to be paid by all commercial webcasters operating under the statutory license, until and unless they have elected in to alternate and agreed upon rates and terms as published in the Federal Register. Eligible services include all webcasters which are not registered as nonprofit under IRS code 501, and all ad-driver or subscription services.
2Terms
View all rates and terms in the Federal Register (37 C.F.R. Part 380) Commercial webcasters will pay a “per performance” rate for each track played to a listener (an historic aggregate tuning hour option is available for periods prior to 2008). An annual minimum fee of $500 per station or channel is required, which is applied against the service’s total annual liability.
Services will be required to supply regular reporting in accordance with CRB regulations (37 C.F.R. Part 370) . For more information about reporting and payment requirements, see “How Do I Pay”.
3Rates
| Year | Per Performance | ATH* Other programming | ATH* Broadcast simulcast programming | ATH* Non-music programming |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006 | $0.0008 | $0.0123 | $0.0092 | $0.0008 |
| 2007 | $0.0011 | $0.0011 | $0.0127 | $0.0011 |
| 2008 | $0.0014 | NA | NA | NA |
| 2009 | $0.0018 | |||
| 2010 | $0.0019 |
4Reporting and Recordkeeping Requirements
Services generally must provide regular reports of use(actual recordings played and total listenership) within 45 days of the end of the relevant reporting period. The current requirements are for full census reporting each month (with certain exceptions). For more information, please see the “Reporting Requirements” page. These requirements enable SoundExchange to most accurately process royalty payments to artists and copyright holders.
5Notifying the Copyright Office
Eligible webcasters wishing to operate under statutory licensing must provide notice to the Copyright Royalty Board of your intent to operate under the statutory license by submitting a Notice of Use of Sound Recordings Under Statutory License (“Notice of Use”). The Notice of Use must be accompanied by a $25 filing fee and should be submitted to the Copyright Royalty Board at the address listed on the form. This form must be submitted directly to the copyright office, not to SoundExchange, and need only be filed once. Please note that the Copyright Royalty Board WILL NOT confirm receipt of form and fee. If you wish to receive confirmation of receipt, you will need to send via certified mail, return receipt requested. Additionally, you must file a Notice of Election form to notify SoundExchange of your choice.
6Compliance
Services must provide all minimum fees, monthly statements of account and payments, and reports of use to SoundExchange as required . For guidelines and forms, see “How Do I Pay?”
Specially negotiated rates for non-interactive, subscription-based digital audio services which transmit audio recordings to be played in retail establishments, restaurants, offices, public areas, and similar establishments.