SoundExchange and Broadcasters Settle on New Rates for 2026-2030, Await CRB Approval
Written by djfrosty on April 16, 2025
SoundExchange and the National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) have reached a broad rate settlement that includes per performance rates rising from $0.0025 this year to $0.0032 in 2030 for non-subscription digital audio transmissions.
The expansive settlement, which covers the period of 2026-2030, allows SoundExchange and the NAB to forego the usually expensive Copyright Royalty Board rate trials, but the settlement still needs formal approval by the CRB.
Other aspects of the settlement involve gradually raising the current annual minimum fee of $1,000 per station by $50 each year, reaching $1,250 for 2029 and 2030. Additionally, the annual minimum fees will be capped at 100 stations, which means that the large radio networks will have annual minimum fees grow from $100,000 currently to $125,000 in the last two years of the settlement.
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“This settlement with broadcasters provides needed increases for the creative community we represent, and allows us to forego the costs, uncertainties, and distraction connected with any litigation,” SoundExchange president and CEO Michael Huppe said in a statement. “Striking a business solution that both parties can accept has many benefits over battling it out in court and allows us to focus resources on other efforts and services benefiting our creator community.”
Additionally, the settlement mandates shorter reporting and payment deadlines, requiring radio stations to submit data and payments within 30 days after the end of the month, down from the current 45-day timeframe. Furthermore, radio stations also must provide contractual access to performance data held by third-party vendors, which should enhance SoundExchange’s auditing capabilities.
On the positive side for radio stations, late fees for underpayments are reduced from 1.5% to 1% per month. This change, along with the predictability of incremental costs and the capping of minimum payments, offers additional financial relief.
In noting that the NAB is “extremely pleased” to reach the settlement with SoundExchange for the CRB Web VI rate setting period of 2026-2030, NAB president and CEO Curtis LeGety said in a statement that “this settlement provides critical certainty around streaming rates in a way that is sustainable for broadcasters large and small, ensuring that local stations can continue to deliver the experiences and connection that millions of listeners depend on every day.”
Furthermore, he said, “It also includes meaningful improvements in areas like audit late fees and minimum payments, helping broadcasters focus their resources on serving fans and supporting the artists who make broadcast radio so impactful, all while avoiding the high costs of litigation.”
The specifics of the incremental rate increases show that after rising from $0.0025 in 2025 to $0.0028 in 2026, the per performance rate will increase by 1/100th of a penny each subsequent year, culminating in $0.0032 in 2030.
The settlement will be published in the Federal Register so it’s available for public comment, although that doesn’t appear to have happened as of yet, at least according to a Billboard search of the Federal Register and the Copyright Royalty Board websites.