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Fall 2010 NewsExchange Now Available

November 10th


	For the third consecutive quarter, it’s my pleasure to announce our largest distribution to date: a record-breaking $65 million is on its way to our recording artists and copyright owners, pushing us well above a half Billion dollars in distributions in the last nine years. Individual payments are also at their highest level ever. Over 5 years, average artist payments have increased from $700 to $2,800 a year. Over the same period, average copyright holder payments have increased from $5,000 to $14,000. When SoundExchange was formed, the royalties we paid out were a rounding error for most artists and labels. Now we’re a budget item and increasingly… read more


	Distribution Services has continued the upward trend in royalty distributions we started in August 2009. The record-breaking distributions of the past several quarters have been due to our efforts to associate previously unpaid performances to artists and labels as well as allocating royalties that… read more


	As we’ve previously reported, last year, SoundExchange filed its direct case in a proceeding before the Copyright Royalty Board (CRB) to set rates and terms for webcasters for the 2011-2015 license period (also called “Web III”). SoundExchange submitted written testimony from six witnesses in… read more

Bluegrass bandleader, singer and guitar picker Ernie Thacker has seen some of the best luch, and the worst, in the music business over the last ten years. As a young man, blessed with an exceptional voice, he was good enough to be noticed by one of the bluegrass legends Ralph Stanley.

After a stint with Stanley, Thacker started his own band, but in 2006, bad luck struck. He was involved in a bad automobile accident that put him in the hospital. He lost half… read more


	SoundExchange has been busy as ever this quarter: attending, sponsoring, or speaking at music festivals, conferences and meetings. We always try to be where the artists and copyright holders are, spreading the word about performance rights and helping folks get registered and maximize… read more

SoundExchange is a non-profit performance rights organization that collects statutory royalties from satellite radio (such as SIRIUS XM), internet radio, cable TV music channels, and similar platforms for streaming sound recordings.

The U.S. Copyright Office has entrusted SoundExchange as the sole entity in the United States to collect and distribute these digital performance royalties on behalf of featured and non-featured recording artists, master rights owners (usually record labels), and independent artists who record and own their masters.

NewsExchange Summer 2010 has arrived

August 2nd

We recently heard from an artist who wondered about the “value” of her performances on Internet radio. Specifically, this artist was concerned that she hadn’t received enough royalties for the number of spins she’d received. We were able to answer all her questions, and I’d like to take the opportunity to share with you that same information about spins, the value per spin, and the value of your music online.

A number of news stories have recently highlighted how difficult it can be for recording artists and labels… read more


	In the last year (from August 2009 to June 2010), Distribution Services has been focused on increasing the amount of royalties paid to our recipients. To do this, we have undertaken the challenge of working through a large backlog… read more


	Through the Webcaster Settlement Act, SoundExchange reached agreements with most of the major webcasters for the rates covering 2011 – 2015. While the WSA agreements are available to eligible services that elect the rates, we have also asked the Copyright Royalty Board to adopt two… read more


	Here in the outreach department, we often joke that we have the best jobs in the world. After all, a primary part of our work is to call up strangers, head into greenrooms, or storm festival venues, all to offer up one unlikely phrase: “You don’t know me, but I have money for you.” We’ve been very public about the problems we often face in getting artists and indie labels to register, even after they’ve been contacted and told they have royalties… read more


	Tom Silverman is the founder, chairman and CEO of the record label Tommy Boy Records and its partner indie film company, an all-around industry luminary, as well as a SoundExchange board member. He’s a busy guy, but we caught up with him as he was prepping for the New Music Seminar in NYC to ask him a few questions about the future…. read more


	SoundExchange has been out and about these past few months attending, sponsoring, or speaking at music festivals, conferences, and meetings. We are consistently meeting with artists and copyright holders to ensure that they are getting registered and getting paid… read more

SoundExchange is a non-profit performance rights organization that collects statutory royalties from satellite radio (such as SIRIUS XM), internet radio, cable TV music channels, and similar platforms for streaming sound recordings.

The U.S. Copyright Office has entrusted SoundExchange as the sole entity in the United States to collect and distribute these digital performance royalties on behalf of featured and non-featured recording artists, master rights owners (usually record labels), and independent artists who record and own their masters.

Spring 2010 NewsExchange

April 6th

As I write this, $51.7 million in royalties is on its way out to our registrants and members. That’s our largest quarterly distribution ever, and it’s reflective of a lot of hard work: both your creative work, which draws this kind of value from those who love to listen, and the hard work going on at SoundExchange to get those payments to you as efficiently as possible.

In our past few issues, I’ve used this space to talk about some of the challenges facing SoundExchange… read more


	In the last eight months, Distribution Services has been focused on two main objectives: Distributing (and in many cases, obtaining) the delinquent reports of use from licensees that had not yet been distributed…read more


	As noted in previous editions of NewsExchange, in mid-2009 the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia issued its decision in the appeal of the Copyright Royalty Board (CRB)’s May 2007 decision setting rates and terms for webcasters for 2006-2010.. read more


	“Excuse me,” says a SoundExchange staff member, waving at those passing booth 400 at the South By Southwest (SXSW) music festival in Austin, Texas. “Are you on our list?” The list stretches behind her, a full fifteen feet of names on a laminated banner. People stop to squint at it, pointing to names they recognize. “We’re giving away a million dollars,” says the SoundExchange staffer, “And if your name’s on this list, some of it’s yours!” read more


	SoundExchange has been busy as always, attending, sponsoring, or speaking at music festivals, conferences and meetings. We always try to be where the artists and copyright holders are, spreading the word about performance rights and helping folks get registered and maximize their royalties. read more


	Corporate radio posts yet more profits; claim they’re still too poor to pay for music. Ever heard the stereotype of the ‘starving radio exec’? We haven’t either.read more

SoundExchange is a non-profit performance rights organization that collects statutory royalties from satellite radio (such as SIRIUS XM), internet radio, cable TV music channels, and similar platforms for streaming sound recordings.

The U.S. Copyright Office has entrusted SoundExchange as the sole entity in the United States to collect and distribute these digital performance royalties on behalf of featured and non-featured recording artists, master rights owners (usually record labels), and independent artists who record and own their masters.

1121 14th Street, NW, Suite 700 | Washington, D.C. 20005
Phone: 202-640-5858 | www.soundexchange.com

Winter News Exchange Now Available

February 8th

Happy New Year! 2009 was a banner year at SoundExchange, and despite the economic recession, we paid out an unprecedented $147.5 million to our registered artists and copyright owners. We even added an extra distribution in October to get money out as quickly as possible. We hope that checks from SoundExchange made 2009 a bit brighter.

In this letter, though, I have a challenge for you. read more


	In this special “insider edition” of NewsExchange, you’ll get a look inside the departments here at SoundExchange—what they do, what they’re most proud of, and what challenges they face. read more


	As a part of our outreach efforts, SoundExchange does matching exercises with partners in the music industry. We tap their databases to find the artists and rights owners we haven’t registered yet, and our partners help us spread the word to folks who have royalties waiting. Recent matching partners include CD Baby, ReverbNation, MySpace, and Sonicbids. read more


	SoundExchange has been out and about these past few months, meeting with artists and copyright holders to ensure that they are getting registered and getting paid. Here are a few of the events that SoundExchange attended or participated in. read more

SoundExchange is a non-profit performance rights organization that collects statutory royalties from satellite radio (such as SIRIUS XM), internet radio, cable TV music channels, and similar platforms for streaming sound recordings.

The U.S. Copyright Office has entrusted SoundExchange as the sole entity in the United States to collect and distribute these digital performance royalties on behalf of featured and non-featured recording artists, master rights owners (usually record labels), and independent artists who record and own their masters.

Fall NewsExchange now available

November 18th

As I write this, more than $40 million is flowing out the doors of SoundExchange—driving our total distributions so far this year past $112.8 million! It’s the first of two distributions we’ll have in the fourth quarter. While other royalty organizations distribute only once a year, or at most once a quarter, SoundExchange remains committed to distributing your royalties as quickly as possible.

We are excited that your royalties are continuing to grow. Rates for satellite radio are firmly in place and we have reached comprehensive rate agreements with many of our licensees through 2015. This resolved a very public, two-year battle with webcasters and other music users. read more


	As we reported in our last update, President Obama signed the Webcaster Settlement Act of 2009 (WSA 2009) in June. The law gave SoundExchange the authority to negotiate industry-wide webcaster rates and terms different than those established by the Copyright Royalty Judges, from the date of signing to a minute before midnight on July 30. read more

SoundExchange tackles massive noncompliance by licensees. During the 3rd quarter of 2009, Distribution Services remains focused on our mission to better serve our members and registrants

Our primary project has been to clean up the massive amount of incomplete or unusable data we receive from services. As we’ve worked with both our licensees and outside groups, we have been able to load and distribute many of these logs and began planning for distributions over the next year to pay those of you who earned money, but weren’t properly credited by the services which played your tracks. read more


	SoundExchange is constantly reaching out to artists, performers, copyright owners, labels, and others, to collect the information we need to get royalty checks to all those who deserve them. It’s not easy to find the thousands of creative people we want to help. So if you know or represent a performer, sound recording copyright owner, or producer who hasn’t yet registered with SoundExchange, let them know we may have money for them. read more


	These past few months have been exciting for SoundExchange and other supporters of artists’ rights. The Performance Right Act (PRA) has taken some impressive steps in both the House and Senate, and has been passed by the Senate Judiciary Committee. The bill is now before the full Senate. This progress marks the furthest this bill has ever gone, since the fight began nearly 80 years ago. Let’s not mistake progress for victory, though—we still have a long way to go before we can secure the right of artists and copyright holders to be paid fairly in all formats. read more


	In addition to our tireless work on the home front, SoundExchange has been crisscrossing the country in the past few months to spread the word about the royalties we have for many artists and copyright owners. From sponsorships to panel discussions to registering new members, here’s just a sampling of what we’ve been up to. read more


	Radio One CEO Cathy Hughes has recently been using her unlimited access to public airtime to spread misinformation about SoundExchange. In ads masquerading as public service announcements, Hughes claims SoundExchange isn’t trying to find artists for whom we have money—a blatant falsehood which could be disproved by any one of the thousands of you receiving this letter. As you know, SoundExchange is actively engaged in finding and registering the artists for whom we have money. read more

SoundExchange is a non-profit performance rights organization that collects statutory royalties from satellite radio (such as SIRIUS XM), internet radio, cable TV music channels, and similar platforms for streaming sound recordings.

The U.S. Copyright Office has entrusted SoundExchange as the sole entity in the United States to collect and distribute these digital performance royalties on behalf of featured and non-featured recording artists, master rights owners (usually record labels), and independent artists who record and own their masters.

Summer NewsExchange now available

July 23rd

Summer is in full swing, but there’s no lounging on the beach for SoundExchange. We’re busy as always, working on behalf of the artists and labels we represent. This quarter, we’re proud to announce just a few of the benefits of those labors.

I hope you have a great summer with family, friends and great music, whether on internet radio or satellite radio or radio stations streaming online. In Washington, online, and in a town near you, SoundExchange will be continuing to work for the fair compensation of the artists and owners of the recordings which make the soundtrack of summer so memorable. read more


	On June 30, 2009, President Obama signed into law the Webcaster Settlement Act of 2009 (WSA 2009), which gave SoundExchange the authority to negotiate industry-wide webcaster rates and terms different than those established by the Copyright Royalty Judges. read more


	Each quarter, as new copies of NewsExchange fly out our doors, so do royalties collected by SoundExchange from digital streaming services. In this, our 33rd quarterly distribution, $18 million is on its way to artists, performers, and copyright holders. For details about the services and time periods reflected in this quarter’s payments, please refer to your statement. read more


	SoundExchange is constantly reaching out to artists, performers, copyright owners, labels, and others, to collect the information we need to get royalty checks to all those who deserve them. It’s not easy to find the thousands of creative people we want to help. So if you know or represent a performer, sound recording copyright owner, or producer who hasn’t yet registered with SoundExchange, let them know we may have money for them. read more


	Behind every song we hear is a great story: the time, talent and vision which turn a tune and a few lines of lyric into a finished track we can all enjoy. Too often, the people who make that journey happen are overlooked later: performers, musicians and copyright holders see little of the compensation owed them when all that hard work results in play and profit. read more


	SoundExchange is always on the road and out in the field spreading the word about what we do. Click through for a sampling of the events we’ve participated in this quarter. read more


	There is an old adage from the newspaper age which warns against “engaging in a war of words with someone who buys ink by the barrel.” In the new media era, the same might be said of broadcasters who, with unlimited access to airtime, seek to spread misinformation about The Performance Rights Act. Undaunted, the musicFIRST coalition releases a ‘Radio Distortion of the Day’ to set the record straight. read more

SoundExchange is a non-profit performance rights organization that collects statutory royalties from satellite radio (such as SIRIUS XM), internet radio, cable TV music channels, and similar platforms for streaming sound recordings.

The U.S. Copyright Office has entrusted SoundExchange as the sole entity in the United States to collect and distribute these digital performance royalties on behalf of featured and non-featured recording artists, master rights owners (usually record labels), and independent artists who record and own their masters.

Winter NewsExchange Now Available

March 28th


	If the first quarter is any indication of the rest of the year, 2009 will be incredibly exciting and busy. We are constantly working on behalf of the artists and labels that we represent and can see the fruits of our labor. Just this quarter, we reached three landmark deals under the Webcaster Settlement Act, sent out our thirty-second distribution—this time in excess of $20 million—and saw the re-introduction of the Performance Rights Act in both the House and Senate. read more


	Under the Webcaster Settlement Act, SoundExchange was granted authority to negotiate with webcasting groups. We are happy to announce that we reached landmark agreements with several groups. read more


	As this edition of NewsExchange is being delivered, so is $23.3 million to SoundExchange royalty recipients. This quarterly distribution, our 32nd, is the regularly scheduled distribution of royalties to artists and record labels from a number of digital streaming services. read more


	SoundExchange believes in doing its part to help the environment. This goes beyond recycling paper and maintaining its offices in our nation’s capitol in an environmentally friendly green building. SoundExchange has taken its environmental responsibility a step further with its Go Green initiative. read more


	People who love music understand that creativity, talent and hard work are required to bring it to life. The goal of the musicFIRST (Fairness in Radio Starting Today) Coalition is to ensure that aspiring performers, local musicians and well-known artists are compensated for their music when it is played both today and in the future. read more


	Lupe De La Cruz, based in Los Angeles, is SoundExchange’s newest addition. He is in charge of Latin Outreach, informing artists and copyright owners about their digital performance rights and SoundExchange. read more


	As usual, SoundExchange spent a lot of time taking the message to the people. In the first three months of the year, we sponsored, participated in panels, set up a booth or otherwise had a presence at a number of music industry events. read more

SoundExchange is a non-profit performance rights organization that collects statutory royalties from satellite radio (such as SIRIUS XM), internet radio, cable TV music channels, and similar platforms for streaming sound recordings.The U.S. Copyright Office has entrusted SoundExchange as the sole entity in the United States to collect and distribute these digital performance royalties on behalf of featured and non-featured recording artists, master rights owners (usually record labels), and independent artists who record and own their masters.

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