If you operate a college website, your copyright fees may increase. The Copyright Royalty Board announced proposed rates and terms for the payment of sound recording performance royalties by nonprofit webcasters not affiliated with NPR or CPB that are operated by colleges and other educational institutions.
According to the decision, these webcasters will pay SoundExchange a yearly fee starting at $800 in 2026, increasing by $50 each year up to $1000 in 2030. For that fee, these webcasters can stream up to 160,000 aggregate tuning hours (ATH) of music each month.
This amount is an increase from previous years. The amount increased from the $700 per year that these educational webcasters pay in 2024 and the $750 they will pay for 2025 (though these fees cover only 159,140 ATH per month).
Under the proposal, if these webcasters have monthly listening of less than 80,000 ATH, for an additional payment of $100, they can be exempt from all obligations to report to SoundExchange the songs that they played. Comments and objections to these proposed rates can be filed through November 12. The CRB is currently conducting a proceeding to determine webcasting royalty rates for 2026 through 2030 – and in 2025 will hold a hearing and issue a decision to set these rates for all other webcasters who do not reach a settlement with SoundExchange.
You can access the Copyright Board's proposed increase here.