An important deadline is approaching for most radio broadcasters that stream sound recordings.
This annual required fee — known as a minimum fee and related statement of account — must be filed with SoundExchange by Jan. 31, 2022. Stations can pay the fee through the Licensee Direct online filing portal, according to a blog post by the firm Fletcher, Heald & Hildreth that calls attention to the deadline.
Most radio broadcasters must file a report of use informing SoundExchange of the recordings that a station uses. Each report must include sound recording usage information pertaining to two seven-day periods in that quarter with reports due no later than 45 days after the end of the relevant month or quarter.
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If a station owes more than the $1,000 minimum fee for the year, a station must file census reports on a monthly basis. If a station owes less than that minimum, they can file sample reports on a quarterly basis.
The fee for the 2021–2025 license term for commercial and noncommercial webcasters is $1,000. That was increased for the current license term by $500, as determined by the Copyright Royalty Board. In addition, the per performance fee charged in excess of that minimum fee is $0.0022 for 2022 for non-subscription services and $0.0028 for subscription services.
The rates and rules are different for noncommercial educational stations and public broadcasters affiliated with NPR, as the blog post lays out.
Read the full blog post from Fletcher Heald.
The post Deadline to File Webcasting Fee Is on the Horizon appeared first on Radio World.
