SoundExchange Confirms Minimum Fee Offer

SoundExchange Confirms Minimum Fee Offer

Reminds Commercial Webcasters of Obligations to Pay New Royalty Rates

WASHINGTON, July 13 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- SoundExchange announced yesterday new terms of a proposal to address the concerns regarding the minimum fees for webcasting set by the Copyright Royalty Judges (CRJs).

Under the new proposal, to be implemented by remand to the CRJs, SoundExchange has offered to cap the $500 per channel minimum fee at $50,000 per year for webcasters who agree to provide more detailed reporting of the music that they play and work to stop users from engaging in "streamripping" -- turning Internet radio performances into a digital music library.

"We believe that this minimum fee proposal addresses webcasters' concerns about the minimum fee affecting webcasters with hundreds or even thousands of stations," said SoundExchange Executive Director John Simson. "We do expect commercial webcasters like Yahoo! and AOL to pay the new royalty rates set by the CRB due July 15. It is essential that recording artists and content owners receive full and fair compensation from the webcasters making use of their creative works."

SoundExchange has previously made offers to small commercial and noncommercial webcasters to address the royalties they would pay. Although the CRJs' new rates and terms are in effect and royalties are accruing, "we continue to work with small and noncommercial webcasters and hope that we will be able to resolve our issues as soon as possible," Simson said.

For additional information please visit http://www.soundexchange.com/

Contact: Richard Ades or
Gregg Perry
202-640-5894
News@soundexchange.com

Source: SoundExchange

CONTACT: Richard Ades or Gregg Perry, +1-202-640-5894,
News@soundexchange.com, both of SoundExchange

Web site: http://www.soundexchange.com/

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