Corporation for Public Broadcasting Selects NPR's Public Interactive to Report Music Streaming

For Immediate Release on May 28, 2009

Washington D.C. -- The Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB) has selected NPR's Public Interactive to collect and report public radio music streaming activities to SoundExchange, a performance rights organization which collects and distributes royalties to artists and copyright owners.

This reporting is part of an agreement reached earlier this year between CPB and SoundExhange which defines terms, conditions and reporting for internet performance royalties to artists and copyright owners by non-commercial educational public radio organizations through the year 2010. It covers approximately 450 public radio webcasters including CPB supported stations, NPR, NPR member stations, National Federation of Community Broadcasters members, American Public Media (APM), the Public Radio Exchange (PRX) and Public Radio International (PRI).

Public Interactive will serve as the single collection point for reports which will be consolidated and sent to SoundExchange to ensure that performers and sound recording copyright owners are accurately paid for the use of their recordings.

"Public Interactive has the skills and knowledge to undertake this important task which will assist public broadcasters across the country to better serve their diverse audiences," said Pat Harrison, president and CEO of CPB.

Public radio stations will be able to take advantage of Public Interactive's current playlist application, Composer, to create compatible reports or can upload their reports to a central web location for processing and delivery to SoundExchange.

"This is an important step to make sure that we recognize the value of artists' performances and compensate them fairly and accurately, while recognizing the unique mission of public radio to broaden the landscape of music available," said Vivian Schiller, president and CEO of NPR.

Public Interactive will begin contacting stations immediately to initiate the new reporting process and to schedule webinars and system interconnects. The first round of reports is due to SoundExchange in mid-July.

About Public Interactive

In August 2008, NPR acquired PI from PRI who originally founded the organization 10 years ago to serve stations' unmet online needs. PI was launched with support from a consortium of 15 public broadcasting licensees. For the past decade, its innovative suite of Web tools and services has revolutionized stations' online offerings. PI currently serves 170 subscribers who collectively operate 325 public radio and television stations; additionally, its clients include public radio and public television program producers such as "Car Talk," "The World," and "The Tavis Smiley Show." Public Interactive provides plug-and-play modules that enable broadcasters to offer rich websites at minimal cost and to undertake their own online initiatives, helping to strengthen public broadcasters relevance online. PI's development and operations have historically been financed by a combination of fees from subscribing stations and support from such sources as the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, the Ford Foundation, Atlantic Philanthropies, and the PRI New Venture Revolving Fund. (www.publicinteractive.com)

About CPB

The Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB), a private, nonprofit corporation created by Congress in 1967, is the steward of the federal government's investment in public broadcasting. It helps support the operations of more than 1,300 locally-owned and -operated public television and radio stations nationwide, and is the largest single source of funding for research, technology, and program development for public radio, television and related online services.

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