SoundExchange is a non-profit organization established by the Copyright Royalty Board. SoundExchange collects and distributes digital performance royalties on behalf of recording artists, master rights owners (such as record labels), and independent artists who own their masters.
Collect your royalties with SoundExchange
SoundExchange collects these royalties from three main sources:
- Non-interactive streaming platforms: SoundExchange collects royalties from non-interactive streaming platforms, meaning service providers that do not allow users to choose what they listen to. Pandora is an example of a non-interactive streaming platform, while MySpace or YouTube are interactive streaming (or on-demand) services because the user selects exactly what they want to hear.
- Satellite and digital cable TV: when your song is played through music-related services on cable TV and digital satellite like Music Choice (digital cable) and Muzak (Dish), SoundExchange collects and distributes royalties.
- Satellite radio services: in the world of terrestrial radio, only the composer and publisher receive performance royalties, not necessarily the performing artist (unless they own or control their underlying compositions). However, in the world of satellite radio, such as SiriusXM, SoundExchange monitors their plays and allocates money to the artists who record accordingly. To collect any potential royalties owed to you for these types of services, you will need to register directly with SoundExchange, which is free.
Also note that SoundExchange is different from performance rights organizations like BMI, ASCAP, and SESAC (the “PROs”). PROs collect royalties when music is publicly performed on behalf of composers and publishers, not the performing artists themselves (although, as mentioned earlier, they may be the same person). Registering with the PROs is a separate process. Visit their respective websites for more information.