WHAT IS SOUNDEXCHANGE?
SoundExchange collects royalties for recordings played on U.S. digital radio, money many independent artists never claim.
WHAT IT COLLECTS
SoundExchange covers the recording itself, not the songwriting. When a recording is streamed on services like satellite radio or internet radio stations, those services pay statutory royalties that SoundExchange distributes.
HOW THE MONEY IS SPLIT
By U.S. law, these royalties are split 50% to the owner of the recording, 45% to featured artists, and 5% to non-featured musicians and vocalists. Independent artists who own their masters can collect both shares.
SOUNDEXCHANGE VS. A PRO
A PRO like BMI or ASCAP pays songwriters and publishers. SoundExchange pays for the recording. Most independent artists who write and own their music should sign up for both.
HOW TO REGISTER
Sign up free on the SoundExchange website as an artist and, if you own your masters, as a rights owner. Add your recordings with their ISRC codes.
GUARANTEED AIRPLAY EVERY SATURDAY
Submit one song a week and it airs on the Hot Artists or Upcoming Artists portion of the Saturday show starting at 3 PM Eastern / 12 PM Pacific, with a personal review from our DJs.
- $49 per month, cancel anytime
- One new song every week — every song you send gets played
- Saturday show at 3 PM Eastern / 12 PM Pacific
- A personal DJ review of every song
- Your own artist profile page with your bio, links, and review archive
- Private member wall and direct messaging with other artists and our DJ
- A new press-release article about you every 30 days, with your music embedded
- Daily motivation messages from DJ SKI FACE
- Chance to win $100 every month
- No approval process. Everyone is accepted.
Our first show airs October 3, 2026.
COMMON QUESTIONS
Does SoundExchange pay for Spotify streams?
Generally no. On-demand streams like Spotify are paid through your distributor. SoundExchange covers non-interactive digital radio.
Is SoundExchange free to join?
Yes, registration is free.