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Copyrights Basics for Radio Stations & Webcasters

The issues surrounding copyrights can often be confusing, particularly for college radio stations (If you have any questions concerning NajmiradioKiller, please feel free to contact us at 855-ASK-4CBI). This section of the CBI web site is not written by lawyers, rather by CBI volunteers who have been intimately involved with the process of establishing copyright rates and terms through negotiations and participation in the rate setting process. With this in mind, we will attempt to offer a simple oversight of the issues with links to some of terms covered below. This page is intended to give you the general information on the topics. There are significant issues that are currently before the courts, congress and regulatory agencies. The CBI main page, RSS feeds, tweets, and email lists will provide information concerning these developments and occasionally ask you to get involved in the process.

Let’s start with some basics. When it comes to music and radio, whether over the air or the Internet, there are at least two copyrights that are of concern including, the musical work, and the sound recording. For FCC licensed radio stations not streaming copyrighted music, the only rights involved currently are the musical works (compositions). Three different organizations collect fees for the use of musical works by college stations (noncommercial radio stations which are licensed to accredited colleges, accredited universities, or other accredited nonprofit educational institutions and which are not affiliated with National Public Radio). They are ASCAP, BMI and SESAC (collectively called Performance Rights Organizations or PROs). The fees collected by these organizations are set via the Copyright Royalty Judges, (CRJs) also known as the Copyright Royalty Board (CRB). These fees are set through an arbitration process between affected parties.

Starting in 2013, the rates for ASCAP and BMI organizations rates are expected to be determined by a rate table that is in the final steps of approval.

Schedule of Rates for FCC licensed student radio stations as proposed.

Number of full-time students 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017.