SoundExchange, Inc.

SoundExchange is a non-profit collective rights management organization headquartered in Washington, D.C., established in 2003 after being spun off from the RIAA. Its core mission is to build a fairer, simpler, and more efficient music industry by efficiently collecting and distributing digital performance royalties, advocating for creators, and developing trusted business solutions. It is the sole organization designated by the U.S. Congress to collect and distribute digital performance royalties for sound recordings.

SoundExchange's primary service involves collecting and distributing digital performance royalties from non-interactive digital transmissions, such as internet radio, satellite radio, cable radio, and webcasters like Pandora, SiriusXM, and iHeartRadio. Royalties are typically split with 50% going to the sound recording copyright owner, 45% to the featured artist, and 5% to non-featured musicians and vocalists. The organization also offers tools like SoundExchange Direct for creators to manage their recordings and payments, ISRC Search, and the Music Data Exchange (MDX) to facilitate data exchange. Furthermore, SoundExchange extends its services globally through agreements with over 90 international performance rights organizations, covering a significant portion of the global neighboring rights market.

As the largest global neighboring rights organization, SoundExchange has distributed over $13 billion in digital performance royalties to more than 800,000 music creators since its inception, with annual collections exceeding $1 billion. Recent developments include the appointment of Michele Page as General Counsel in June 2026 and the announcement of new ISRC auto-assignment capabilities with IFPI. The organization continues to expand its international reach, having added 17 new agreements with collective management organizations in early 2026, and actively advocates for legislative changes like the American Music Fairness Act to ensure fair compensation for creators.