Performance rights collection organization SoundExchange has now paid out $12 billion in royalties to artists and rightsholders since its founding in 2003.
The milestone came with February’s royalty payout, SoundExchange said in a statement on Monday (February 24). It comes less than a year after SoundExchange’s payouts passed the $11 billion mark in 2024.
The non-profit also reported it had distributed $248.6 million to creators in Q4 2024, bringing gross distributions for 2024 to $1.05 billion, up 4.9% year over year.
“This milestone is a reflection of our vigorous commitment to amplifying the value of music, paired with a healthy and growing digital music ecosystem,” SoundExchange President and CEO Michael Huppe said.
“There is nothing more satisfying than putting money into the hands of those who have earned it with their talent, artistry, and passion. It’s our reason for being and it’s our privilege and honor to reliably serve the SoundExchange creator community.”
“There is nothing more satisfying than putting money into the hands of those who have earned it with their talent, artistry, and passion.”
Michael Huppe, SoundExchange
SoundExchange is the only entity licensed to collect Section 114 royalties in the US, which cover statutory licenses for noninteractive digital music providers, meaning providers that offer a radio-like experience for listeners, such as SiriusXM. Interactive services like Spotify and YouTube are not covered under these statutory licenses.
SoundExchange collects royalties on behalf of 700,000 creators in the US, and handles neighboring rights royalties, in partnership with 60 international partners, for 474,000 creators when their music is played overseas.
The organization recently signed a deal with the South African Music Performance Rights Association (SAMPRA), enabling US recording artists to receive neighboring rights royalties from the South African market for the first time.
Since SoundExchange’s launch in 2003, royalties from satellite services have increased 711%, subscription royalties have grown by 294%, and non-subscription royalties have grown 215%, the organization said Monday.
Last fall, SoundExchange launched a registry for rightsholders to declare whether or not they agree to have their recordings used in AI training. The PRO said the registry “will provide a much-needed resource for creators and rights owners to protect their rights related to the use of their content in AI models.”
Also last year, SoundExchange partnered with fractional music investing platform JKBX to administer payments through JKBX’s Creator Program, which pays bonuses to songwriters whenever their songs are traded, regardless of whether they still own the rights to those songs.Music Business Worldwide
