What is a SoundExchange?

SoundExchange is a nonprofit organization in the United States that collects and distributes digital performance royalties for sound recordings. It represents recording artists, record labels, and other owners of master recordings when their music is played on certain digital platforms.

SoundExchange primarily collects royalties from non-interactive digital streaming services, such as internet radio, satellite radio, and digital cable music services. When a recording is played on these platforms, SoundExchange collects licensing fees and distributes the royalties to the rights holders.

The organization typically splits these royalties among three parties: the featured recording artist, the sound recording copyright owner (often a record label), and non-featured performers such as session musicians and background vocalists. SoundExchange helps ensure that performers and recording owners are compensated for the digital public performance of their recordings.