Satellite radio services settle royalties

After months of negotiating, satellite radio services XM and Sirius have reached a royalty agreement with SoundExchange, a licensing organization representing music labels and artists.

The royalty debate was similar to that faced by Webcasters, which have fought long battles over how much they would have to pay for the rights to play digital music. Like Webcasters, satellite radio companies must pay different royalties to those paid by traditional, over-the-air radio stations. Although the Webcasters' royalty rates wound up being the product of public debate and congressional action, the satellite companies have resolved their issues privately with SoundExchange. Terms of the deal were not made public.