Can anyone please explain Soundexchange?

[jerodetmusic]

There’s another option on Soundexchange I have a question on – AHRA Authorization (Home Recording Act). I understand it gets money from a pool somewhere from sales of blank tapes/CDs, etc. Is there any drawback from opting in?

[Art Munson]

“Is there any drawback from opting in?”

I can’t see that there is.

[Paul Prince]

I am having a big problem w sound exchange once I checked my catalog and noticed 1/2 the tunes I registered were missing from my album I registered yrs ago, then there were 3 that I didnt even write on there. Then I asked the person to please remove the ones I didnt write from my catalog which I detailed but now it seems he just deleted my entire album , it has been a constant comedy of errors it seems but if they lose ones tunes I guess no royalties they have absorbed will actually make it to the artists . Multiply that kind of accounting by 1000s or by well known ones like gene Simmons and I guess suddenly one has an embarrassingly large unclaimed nest egg. I just wish there were an alternative, I feel ive been jipped out of royalties for yrs and now I need their help to recover what never should have been altered or deleted – my tunes. I wish there were an alternative but I guess its just too good a money maker. I really am not sure how to proceed. I have a screen copy of back when my catalog had not been messed with too.

[Art Munson]

Their support is terrible but:

Why don’t you just resubmit them? I submit mine using the bulk import option. Download the template, fill it out and upload.

[RM90]

Is anyone getting regular royalties through Soundexchange? I’ve been on there for at least 5 years and haven’t seen a penny. I have dozens of “artist” tracks and hundreds of library tracks linked to my account. I know that some/most of my artist tracks are on Pandora (which I believe is one of their big claims to fame? lol). It seems like I should have gotten something by now, but I basically brush them off as one of those things that has been a waste of time.

[Art Munson]

Yep, one check in the many years with them. September 2023, $14.23.

[Advice]

This stuff always confuses me and I don’t look at it much because (1) I am not an artist and (2) Often, it’s pennies for a lot of admin work. That being said, can someone address whether it’s OK to use these services for tracks that are in exclusive music libraries?

MLC
SoundExchange
Neighboring Rights Organizations

Also, which apply to writers/composers vs. performing artists?

This may be addressed elsewhere on MLR, feel free to point me. Some simple answers to the above, without legal terminology, would be great.

Thanks!

[Art Munson]

It does get confusing. It would depend on your exclusive contract on what rights you have.

The MLC only collects domestic mechanical royalties from digital service providers such as Spotify, Apple Music, Amazon Music and Tidal as well as digital downloads from such as iTunes.

SoundExchange collects and distributes digital performance royalties from the use of sound recordings.

Neighboring rights refer to those royalties generated from a public performance or broadcasting of sound recordings on non-interactive digital services such as satellite and internet radio as well as on terrestrial radio outside the U.S., television, cable music channels, cinemas, public spaces, and businesses.

[Author]

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