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NAB, SoundExchange Reach Tentative New Deal On Streaming Royalties
The NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF BROADCASTERS (NAB) has reached a proposed agreement with SOUNDEXCHANGE covering streaming royalty rates for commercial radio stations from JANUARY 2026 through DECEMBER 2030. If approved by the COPYRIGHT ROYALTY BOARD, the rates would increase 28% by the final year of the agreement.
Under the proposal, simulcast streaming rates will rise from $0.25 per 100 performances to $0.28 in 2026. Annual increases will follow until the rate reaches $0.32 in 2030 for non-interactive webcasting services. Minimum annual fees will also increase, rising from the current $1,000 per station to $1,100 in 2026 and $1,250 by 2030.
The COPYRIGHT ROYALTY BOARD (CRB) is a panel of three judges appointed by the LIBRARY OF CONGRESS. The CRB oversees “WEB” proceedings, legal processes that determine royalty rates for digital sound recording streaming.
Each WEB proceeding governs a five-year term. The current WEB VI proceeding (2026–2030) affects terrestrial radio stations that simulcast online, platforms like PANDORA’s non-interactive tiers, music licensing groups such as SOUNDEXCHANGE, and rights holders including artists and labels.
The proposal also shortens the royalty payment window from 45 to 30 days, reduces late fees from 1.5% to 1% per month, and caps late fees discovered during audits at 75% of the amount owed. Additional provisions allow SOUNDEXCHANGE to use proxy data if usage reports are unavailable and require broadcasters to ensure data access from third-party vendors.
SOUNDEXCHANGE and the NAB filed a joint statement, “The parties respectfully request that the Judges expeditiously publish the settlement in the Federal Register and adopt the settlement in its entirety,” the filing stated.
If the CRB approves the agreement, royalty payments will be retroactive to JANUARY 1st, 2026. The public will have an opportunity to comment before a final ruling.
The WEB VI process remains ongoing for non-commercial broadcasters and services not represented by the NAB, including the NATIONAL RELIGIOUS BROADCASTERS’ MUSIC LICENSE COMMITTEE and SIRIUSXM/PANDORA.