SoundExchange, a group responsible for collecting music broadcasting royalties, on Friday confirmed it has proposed new terms for internet radio that could lower fees for some webcasters.
While limited in scope, Thursday's proposal offers a partial reprieve for smaller sites facing the axe Sunday when a payment scheme approved by the Copyright Royalty Board, or CRB, is set to take effect. Webcasters have said the fees would effectively force many services that personalize individual channels for listeners to close shop by the end of the weekend.
Under the new proposal, which must be implemented by the CRB, SoundExchange would cap the $500 annual per-channel minimum fee at $50,000 per year for webcasters. In exchange, webcasters could be required to provide more detailed data on the music that they play and make an effort to stop unauthorized copying from streamrippers -- software that can turn ephemeral net radio streams into permanent recordings.