As CPB winds down operations, new music licensing agreements underscore its continued commitment to serving stations and sustaining public media’s service.
Washington, D.C. (October 27, 2025) — The Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB) announced today that it has reached agreements with all five major performing rights organizations (PROs) to ensure the continued performance of music across public media platforms.
These agreements—covering ASCAP, BMI, SESAC, the Harry Fox Agency, and Global Music Rights—reflect CPB’s continued stewardship of federal funding on behalf of local stations and the preservation of these important rights for public media through December 31, 2027.
“In everything we do, we are guided by our mission to strengthen and advance public media’s ability to serve the American people,” said Patricia Harrison, President and CEO of CPB. “Over the past several months, CPB has worked closely with the performing rights organizations to secure these licenses so that stations can continue to bring music to the communities they serve—without interruption or additional cost. At a time when so many stations are struggling to survive following congressional rescission of federal funding, CPB is proud to lift this financial burden and ensure that audiences nationwide can continue to experience the music that connects us.”
The music featured in public media programming requires a public performance license from the composers of that music, most of whom have consolidated their rights into performing rights organizations (PROs) such as ASCAP, BMI, SESAC, and others. For decades, CPB has assumed the responsibility of negotiating and administering multi-year agreements with these organizations on behalf of the entire public media system—securing favorable rates, ensuring compliance, and covering the administrative costs of licensing and monitoring more than 500 stations nationwide. By handling these agreements systemwide, CPB has saved stations millions of dollars annually, both through reduced fees and by eliminating the need for each station to manage its own complex and costly licensing process.
CPB will also pay for the first two years of the upcoming agreement with SoundExchange, securing digital performance rights for public radio through December 31, 2027.
The timing of this milestone aligns with Public Radio Music Day on October 29, 2025—a nationwide celebration of the role music plays in bringing audiences together through shared stories and sound.
About CPB
The Corporation for Public Broadcasting is a private, nonprofit corporation created by Congress in 1967. It has helped support the operations of more than 1,500 locally managed and operated public television and radio stations nationwide. CPB is the largest single source of funding for public radio, television, and related online and mobile services. With the rescission of federal funds for FY 2026 and FY 2027, CPB is in the process of winding down operations. For more information, visit www.cpb.org and follow us on Facebook or LinkedIn.