Music rights for web radio: how it works
Playing music on your internet radio means making that music public. The people who write, perform and record it are entitled to payment. In most countries you arrange that through collecting societies. Here is how it works in broad terms.
Two kinds of rights
A song has roughly two groups of rights holders:
- The creators: composers and lyricists, and their music publishers. Their rights are called copyright (or authors' rights).
- The performers and producers: the artists who play or sing the song, and the record companies that made the recording. Their rights are called neighbouring rights.
Each group usually has its own collecting society. For a web radio station that plays music, you generally deal with both.
Examples per country
| Country | Creators | Performers and producers |
|---|---|---|
| Netherlands | Buma/Stemra | Sena |
| Germany | GEMA | GVL |
| United Kingdom | PRS for Music | PPL |
Other countries have similar organisations. Ask your national organisations which licence applies to internet radio.
What do you need to arrange?
- Find out which licence fits your station. There are schemes for webcasting and internet radio. What the licence looks like depends on things like your number of listeners, whether you have income (for example from advertising) and whether you are a foundation, association or company.
- Register with the organisations and ask about the conditions for your situation.
- Keep track of what you play. You often have to report which songs you played. A good streaming panel and a website that logs everything that was played make this much easier.
Common misconceptions
- "My station is small, so I don't need to." Small stations also make music public. There are often schemes for small stations, but you do need to arrange it.
- "I bought the music, so I can play it." A purchased song is for your own listening. Broadcasting it to others is different and requires a licence.
- "My streaming provider arranges it." Sometimes, often not. Ask and get it in writing.
- "Royalty-free music is free for everything." Read the terms carefully. Sometimes it is free for videos, but not for radio.
Listeners abroad
Internet radio can be heard everywhere. If you deliberately target listeners in other countries, rules may apply there too. Ask the organisations what your licence covers.
Practical tips
- Keep an overview of what was played, per month. A "what was that song?" list on your website can help.
- Put the licence details in your records, with the renewal date.
- Do you also play your own productions or music by friendly artists? Record in writing that you may broadcast it.
More about starting your station in how to start your own internet radio station.