Public Radio To Pay $1.8 Mil In Royalties

January 15, 2009

After many months of negotiating, digital royalty collector SoundExchange and the Corporation for Public Broadcasting have come to an agreement on Internet royalties for non-commercial educational public radio. The arrangement, which stems from a controversial May 2007 ruling of the Copyright Royalty Board, covers a period from Jan. 1, 2005 through Dec. 31, 2010. Under the deal, SoundExchange will receive a single payment of $1.85 million plus consolidated usage and playlist reporting from CPB on behalf of the entire public radio system.

The settlement will cover about 450 public radio webcasters including CPB supported stations, National Public Radio, NPR members, National Federation of Community Broadcasters members, American Public Media, the Public Radio Exchange, and Public Radio International. NPR has also agreed to withdraw its appeal of the CRB royalty rate decision. "This important agreement will ensure that the artists heard on public radio station Web sites will receive compensation and will enable public radio webcasters to continue to meet their public service, non-profit missions," CPB President Pat Harrison said in a statement.

SoundExchange still has plenty of work to do, executive director John Simson told Tech Daily Dose. The group continues to negotiate with the Digital Media Association, which represents major digital content services, but "every time we seem to get really close, some new issue crops up," he said. Simson's staff is also in talks with the National Association of Broadcasters to reach an agreement on fees for programming that is simulcast online. Additionally, SoundExchange is hammering out a royalty scheme for a group of small commercial webcasters and a separate agreement with noncommercial entities that are not part of NPR or CPB, Simson said.

Juliana Gruenwald

Tech Writer

E-Mail: jgruenwald@nationaljournal.com.

Juliana Gruenwald has been covering tech and telecom issues for more than a decade for National Journal, Interactive Week, BNA and Congressional Quarterly. This is her second stint with National Journal. She was recruited by NJ in 1998 to help launch its first tech policy publication, Technology Daily. She left in 2000 to cover international tech and telecom issues for Ziff Davis Media's Interactive Week magazine. She started her career at United Press International as the wire service's first Helen Thomas Intern. She has a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Minnesota. A Minneapolis native, she misses the lakes but not the cold.

Josh Smith

Tech Reporter

E-Mail: joshsmith@nationaljournal.com.

Josh Smith covers technology policy as a staff reporter for National Journal. He previously interned at National Journal Daily, a Senate press office, and the Deseret News in Salt Lake City where he covered the state legislature, courts, and crime. In 2009 he graduated with honors from Southern Utah University after managing an award-winning student newspaper as editor-in-chief. Josh has received state, regional and national awards for his political and policy reporting, including first place in CapitolBeat’s 2009 Best of Statehouse Reporting college competition. A native of drop-dead-gorgeous Utah, Josh lives in Virginia with his wife, Amber.

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