U.S. commercial radio stations that are streaming music have a decision to make on whether to accept negotiated copyright rates. The new rates negotiated by SoundExchange and NAB cover the years 2009 through 2015. Stations that want to adhere to the settlement rates must make a decision by April 2.
The U.S. Copyright Office has published details of NAB’s streaming agreement with SoundExchange (which covers commercial stations, whether they are NAB members or not). The agreement, published in the Federal Register, was announced Feb. 16.
For radio stations that are not currently streaming, the negotiated rates and terms will continue to be available. In order to opt in to the negotiated rates and terms, stations must complete the election form on the SoundExchange Web site within the first 30 days they begin streaming.
Or stations can decide not to go by the negotiated rates and continue to rely on the existing Copyright Royalty Board rates through 2010, which will be re-established for 2011–15.
Under the agreement, rates for simulcasts or Web channels operated by stations are reduced in 2009 and 2010 by approximately 16 percent, then gradually increase through 2015, from $0.0015 per streamed sound recording in 2009 to $0.0025 per stream by 2015.
