CHICAGO(CelebrityAccess) — SoundExchange, the digital music performance rights organization, announced it has hit the digital music streamer AccuRadio with a lawsuit seeking to recover what it alleges are years of unpaid royalties.
According to SoundExchange, AccuRadio paid streaming royalties under the blanket statutory license until 2016 when SoundExchange alleges the royalties payments slowed and eventually stopped in 2018.
AccuRadio bills itself as a free internet radio service that allows users to fully customize their experience. According to AccuRadio, users are allowed to skip as many songs as they want and does not include a paid tier along with its ad-supported offering.
“AccuRadio has directly harmed creators over the years by refusing to pay royalties for the use of protected recordings,” said Michael Huppe, president and CEO of SoundExchange. “Today, SoundExchange is standing up for creators through this lawsuit to protect the value of music and ensure creators are compensated fairly for their work. We hope AccuRadio will immediately reverse course and pay what they owe for the use of the music that sits at the foundation of its service.”
The suit, filed in the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois, seeks to recover any outstanding royalties from AccuRadio.
AccuRadio did not respond to a request for comment.
