SoundExchange said it distributed about $88 million to 18,300 recording artists and labels in the third quarter.
That includes royalties paid by Internet radio, satellite radio and cable TV music-only channels. Broadcast stations are exempt, a situation the recording industry has been pushing to change.
This was the largest quarterly distribution to date from SoundExchange. SoundExchange is a non-profit organization appointed by the Copyright Royalty Board to distribute royalties to recording artists and sound recording copyright owners.
The organization said total distributions in 2010 were $249.2 million, up from $155.5 million in 2009.
SoundExchange President Michael Huppe said the organization has “processed an unprecedented amount of digital performance data this quarter, which is proof positive that consumers are listening, purchasing and enjoying music in more ways than ever.”
