0

SoundExchange Files Suit Against AccuRadio, Inc. for Failure to Pay Creators

SoundExchange, the premier music tech organization powering the future of music, today announced the non-profit company filed suit on July 19 in the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois against AccuRadio, Inc. to recover unpaid royalties owed to performers and rights owners.

“AccuRadio has directly harmed creators over the years by refusing to pay royalties for the use of protected recordings,” said Michael Huppe, president and CEO of SoundExchange. “Today, SoundExchange is standing up for creators through this lawsuit to protect the value of music and ensure creators are compensated fairly for their work. We hope AccuRadio will immediately reverse course and pay what they owe for the use of the music that sits at the foundation of its service.”

Background

SoundExchange is the sole entity in the United States designated by the Library of Congress to administer the statutory license specified in Section 114 of the Copyright Act, collect digital performance royalties from licensees, and distribute those royalties to performing artists and copyright owners.

AccuRadio is a “customizable Internet radio service” that uses the statutory license for the use of sound recordings.

Until 2016, AccuRadio paid statutory royalties for recordings it was using. That changed in 2016, when its payments slowed and finally stopped in 2018. SoundExchange has been in negotiations with AccuRadio since that time to resolve their outstanding balance, but AccuRadio has failed to meet the terms to which the parties agreed. SoundExchange is now filing a complaint to recover the royalties AccuRadio owes.