WASHINGTON, July 22,
2024 /PRNewswire/ -- SoundExchange, the premier music
tech organization powering the future of music, today announced the
non-profit company filed suit on July
19 in the United States
District Court for the Northern District of Illinois against AccuRadio, Inc. to recover
unpaid royalties owed to performers and rights owners.
"AccuRadio has directly harmed creators over the years by
refusing to pay royalties for the use of protected recordings,"
said Michael Huppe, president and
CEO of SoundExchange. "Today, SoundExchange is standing up for
creators through this lawsuit to protect the value of music and
ensure creators are compensated fairly for their work. We hope
AccuRadio will immediately reverse course and pay what they owe for
the use of the music that sits at the foundation of its
service."
Background
SoundExchange is the sole entity in
the United States designated by
the Library of Congress to administer the statutory license
specified in Section 114 of the Copyright Act, collect digital
performance royalties from licensees, and distribute those
royalties to performing artists and copyright owners.
AccuRadio is a "customizable Internet radio service" that uses
the statutory license for the use of sound recordings.
Until 2016, AccuRadio paid statutory royalties for
recordings it was using. That changed in 2016, when its payments
slowed and finally stopped in 2018. SoundExchange has been in
negotiations with AccuRadio since that time to resolve their
outstanding balance, but AccuRadio has failed to meet the terms to
which the parties agreed. SoundExchange is now filing a complaint
to recover the royalties AccuRadio owes.
About SoundExchange
SoundExchange is the premier music
tech organization on a mission to power the future of music. It was
independently formed in 2003 to build a fairer, simpler, and more
efficient music industry through technology, data, and advocacy.
The only organization designated by the U.S. government to
administer the Section 114 sound recording license, SoundExchange
collects and distributes digital performance royalties on behalf of
more than 700,000 music creators and growing. Through proprietary
music tech solutions that turn data into accurate revenue,
SoundExchange has paid more than $11
billion in distributions to date. For more information,
visit soundexchange.com.
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SOURCE SoundExchange