Any station streaming licensed music to listeners in the United States needs a licence from all three performance rights organisations — BMI, ASCAP and SESAC — plus a recording performance licence from SoundExchange. Here is what that costs, what has to be reported, and the alternative if you would rather not pay it.
Broadcasting worship services? A separate, much cheaper licensing model applies to you. Jump to worship broadcasters
Small broadcasters lost the discounted SoundExchange schedule on 1 January 2016, so there is no third option. The choice is yours to make per station.
To legally broadcast licensed music online — through your website or your mobile app — you need to be licensed by BMI, ASCAP, SESAC and SoundExchange.
A startup station with no revenue and minimal yearly impressions still pays a minimum upfront fee of $1,492 across all four. That upfront fee is credited against the fees you incur through the year; more may fall due depending on your revenue and impression count.
If you hold a Server Room account we can set your station to block all listeners in the United States, which takes the US licensing requirement off the table entirely.
We can also walk you through getting the licences instead. Not sure which way to go? New customers get a free consultation — call us or start a chat.
Each of the four entities below requires monthly or quarterly reports of gross revenue, of impression counts, or of both. Server Room provides the monthly royalty reports covering your streams; the financial reports have to come from your own organisation.
The four licences you need, and what each one charges.
The rates on this page are the 2020 schedules. Confirm the current year's figures with each organisation before you budget — every link below goes to their own licensing page.
| Session threshold | Revenue under $24,600 | $24,601 – $49,200 | $49,201 – $98,400 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Less than 369,000 | $266 | $533 | $1,066 |
| 369,001 – 738,000 | $343 | $667 | $1,333 |
| 738,001 – 1,476,000 | $401 | $799 | $1,499 |
A special licensing model is available to worship broadcasters in the United States. It covers the performance rights organisations but not SoundExchange, which still has to be licensed separately.
| Average weekly attendance | Annual fee |
|---|---|
| 1 – 199 | $259 |
| 200 – 499 | $399 |
| 500 – 1,999 | $799 |
| 2,000 – 5,999 | $1,179 |
| 6,000 – 14,999 | $1,999 |
| 15,000 and above | $2,949 |
The worship licence itself is acquired directly from Christian Copyright Solutions:
SoundExchange is separate and is not covered by the worship model. Its minimum annual fee is $500; contact them directly to get licensed:
Tell us where your listeners are and what you play, and we will tell you exactly what applies — including whether blocking US listeners is the simpler answer for you.
