A blanket license is an agreement that allows an internet radio station to play any song from the catalog of a specific music rights organization. Instead of the impossible task of licensing every song individually, this single license grants access to millions of copyrighted works. To be fully compliant in the U.S., a station needs multiple blanket licenses from Performance Rights Organizations (PROs) like ASCAP, BMI, SESAC, and GMR, plus coverage for sound recording royalties from SoundExchange. Navigating this complex web is a major challenge for independent broadcasters, which is why Live365 simplifies everything by including this necessary blanket coverage from all these rights organizations in our all-in-one broadcasting packages.

There are two paths to achieving full copyright compliance for your station.

• The All-in-One Solution (Recommended): The most straightforward way is to use a platform like Live365 that provides music licensing coverage. Our packages include royalty reporting and payments for performance rights (via PROs like ASCAP, BMI) and sound recording rights (via SoundExchange) for streaming in the U.S., Mexico, Canada, and the U.K. We handle the complex administrative work so you can focus on broadcasting.
• The DIY Route: The alternative is to independently secure all necessary licenses. This involves negotiating and managing separate agreements directly with each PRO (ASCAP, BMI, SESAC, GMR, etc.) and obtaining a statutory license from SoundExchange in the U.S. (or their international equivalents). This path requires significant time, expense, and ongoing, detailed reporting from you.

This question has two common meanings for artists, both tied to licensing:

• On Your Own Station: If you are an artist who owns 100% of the rights to your original music (both the songwriting and the master recording), you can broadcast those specific tracks on your own Live365 station without them counting against standard royalty reporting.
• On Other Stations: To get your music played on other licensed internet radio stations, the key is to ensure it is properly registered within the royalty system. This means affiliating with the rights organizations (see the next question) so that when a station on a platform like Live365 plays your song, the play is tracked and you can be paid for it.

As an artist or rights holder, "licensing" your music means making it legally available for stations to play and ensuring you get paid royalties. You need to register your music with the correct organizations:

• Register Your Compositions: As the songwriter, you should join a Performing Rights Organization (PRO) like ASCAP or BMI. Register your songs with them so they can collect performance royalties on your behalf.
• Register Your Recordings: As the owner of the master sound recording (the "master"), you must register yourself and your recordings with SoundExchange. They collect and distribute digital performance royalties, which are separate from the songwriting royalties collected by PROs.

By taking these steps, your music becomes "radio-ready" for the thousands of licensed stations on platforms like Live365, ensuring that when your music gets airplay, the system can track it and you can earn the royalties you deserve.

No. As a Live365 broadcaster with one of our standard royalty-included packages, you are freed from the complex and time-consuming task of royalty reporting.

This process normally involves generating detailed logs of every track played and submitting specific reports to numerous music licensing bodies in each country (like SoundExchange, ASCAP, BMI, and SOCAN). Our platform is built to handle all of this for you. We automatically track your playlist data and manage the required reporting and payments, ensuring your station remains fully compliant and allowing you to focus on creating great radio content with complete peace of mind.