Any discussion on the future of artist compensation is incomplete without mentioning the potential for revenue generated by internet streaming. The performing rights organizations (ASCAP, BMI, and SESAC) collect and distribute performance revenue for the owners of copyrighted musical works. Those entities do not however collect revenue for the online streaming of sound recordings owed to owners of the sound recording copyright. This responsibility has been exclusively granted by The Copyright Royalty Board (under the authority of the Library of Congress) to the non-profit organization, SoundExchange. SoundExchange collects digital performance royalties generated by the streaming of sound recordings over satellite radio (like Sirius XM), internet radio (like Pandora), and cable television music channels, on behalf of featured recording artists, master rights owners (like record labels), and independent artists who record and own their masters.
