Public Radio To Pay SoundExchange

The three judges who make up the Copyright Royalty Board have approved the settlement between the SoundExchange and the public radio networks.

As a result of that settlement, Billboard is reporting NPR, American Public Media, Public Radio International, Public Radio Exchange and up to 530 originating public radio stations as named by Corporation for Public Broadcasting will pay $2.8 million annually, divided into in 5 installments, through 2019.

That rate is up from the $2.4 million in annual payments made during the previous term.

As part of the settlement, each public radio station will pay a minimum royalty of $500 a year, the same as it was previously. Moreover, the settlement provides a mechanism that allows the number of stations taking part to be increased. Also, five percent of the payments will be compensation for ephemeral rights, which allow for storage of the reproductions of recordings that are broadcast on the stations' servers.