Section 3 of 5
The Money
Royalty frameworks, per-stream rates, the terrestrial exemption, and how community radio is licensed and funded.
The piece this section is about
1995
SoundExchange and the Right That Terrestrial Radio Still Does Not Pay
The same song, the same moment, two different legal universes — one broadcaster writes a cheque and one does not.
The angle is the asymmetry: two broadcasters running the same song at the same moment, one paying and one not.
Photo: SoundExchange logo · Wikimedia CommonsThe rest of The Money
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2023The Money
The American Music Fairness Act and the Case Against the Exemption
Describes the American Music Fairness Act — introduced in Congress most recently in 2023 — and the legislative argument for ending the terrestrial-radio exemption from performance royalties, citing bill text, sponsor statements, and the NAB's published opposition.
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2004The Money
How the Copyright Royalty Board Sets the Rate Every Five Years
Explains the CRB's Web IV and Web V rate-setting proceedings — the evidence sessions, the webcaster-versus-label positions, and how the per-stream rate has moved between determination periods — drawing on the CRB's published determinations.
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1988The Money
PRS and PPL: Why UK Radio Pays Two Different Bodies for the Same Song
Distinguishes the PRS for Music (performing right, composers and publishers) and PPL (phonographic performance right, labels and performers) licensing obligations for UK radio broadcasters, and explains the PPL PRS Ltd joint venture that replaced separate invoicing for most licensees.
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2014The Money
GEMA, SACEM, and How European Collecting Societies Set Their Own Rates
Compares the German GEMA and French SACEM tariff structures for radio broadcasters, and how the EU's 2014 Collective Rights Management Directive attempted to harmonise cross-border licensing — drawing on each society's published tariff schedules and the European Commission's CRM Directive documentation.
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2026The Money
The Webcaster Rate Math
Works through the arithmetic of the CRB's published per-performance webcaster rates applied to a station running 24 hours at modest and at significant listener counts, citing the current Web V determination and SoundExchange's minimum fee schedule.
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2004The Money
Community Radio's Licensing Deal and Why the Funding Rules Are the Point
Describes Ofcom's community radio licensing framework — the social-gain obligations, the advertising revenue cap (originally 50% of income), and how those funding constraints have defined which community stations survive — citing Ofcom's community radio fund reports.
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