Jenner & Block Team Wins Important Victory for SoundExchange and the Recording Industry
News
June 25, 2021
A Jenner & Block team obtained an important victory in front of the US Copyright Royalty Board (CRB) for our client SoundExchange and several other music industry clients.
The CRB conducts proceedings to determine how much certain music services—such as satellite radio, internet webcasters, and other music platforms—pay in royalties to artists and copyright owners to play their recordings.
In 2019-2020, Jenner & Block represented SoundExchange in what’s known as “Web V,” or the fifth proceeding to determine how much the internet radio industry will pay in streaming royalties. In addition to representing SoundExchange, which collects and distributes digital performance royalties on behalf of recording artists and sound recording copyright owners, the firm represented major and indie record companies, artist unions, and the American Association of Independent Music. In effect, the team was advocating for the interests of every artist and copyright owner in the recording industry.
On Friday, June 11, the CRB issued its decision. Our team obtained a significant rate increase from webcasters such as Pandora, Sirius XM, and Google. Rates for ad-supported services increased by 17% and rates for subscription services increased by 8%. As a result, SoundExchange, the record companies, and music artists will earn many hundreds of millions of dollars more from streaming royalty revenues between 2021 and 2025. This step toward fairer compensation for music creators is particularly significant given the challenges that many musicians have faced due to a lack of touring revenue during the pandemic.
This is a notable victory not just for its value and the positive effects it will have for recording artists, but also in light of the unique circumstances facing the team in this proceeding. Due to the unexpected exigencies of the pandemic, we conducted the five-week trial via Zoom, making Web V the first CRB proceeding in history completed in a virtual format.
Partners Previn Warren, Emily Chapuis, Alex Trepp, and Steve Englund, and Of Counsel Dave Handzo led the team, with Associates Loreal Rock, Sarah Clark, and Andrew Cherry, and Paralegal Albert Peterson providing crucial support. Former partner Devi Rao and former associates James Dawson and Jennifer Yun also made valuable contributions earlier in the case.
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© 2026 Jenner & Block LLP. Attorney Advertising. Jenner & Block LLP is an Illinois Limited Liability Partnership including professional corporations. This publication, presentation, or event is not intended to provide legal advice but to provide information on legal matters and/or firm news of interest to our clients and colleagues. Readers or attendees should seek specific legal advice before taking any action with respect to matters mentioned in this publication or at this event. The attorney responsible for this communication is Brent E. Kidwell, Jenner & Block LLP, 353 N. Clark Street, Chicago, IL 60654-3456. Prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome. Jenner & Block London LLP, an affiliate of Jenner & Block LLP, is a limited liability partnership established under the laws of the State of Delaware, USA and is authorised and regulated by the Solicitors Regulation Authority with SRA number 615729. Information regarding the data we collect and the rights you have over your data can be found in our Privacy Notice. For further inquiries, please contact dataprotection@jenner.com.
News
June 25, 2021
A Jenner & Block team obtained an important victory in front of the US Copyright Royalty Board (CRB) for our client SoundExchange and several other music industry clients.
The CRB conducts proceedings to determine how much certain music services—such as satellite radio, internet webcasters, and other music platforms—pay in royalties to artists and copyright owners to play their recordings.
In 2019-2020, Jenner & Block represented SoundExchange in what’s known as “Web V,” or the fifth proceeding to determine how much the internet radio industry will pay in streaming royalties. In addition to representing SoundExchange, which collects and distributes digital performance royalties on behalf of recording artists and sound recording copyright owners, the firm represented major and indie record companies, artist unions, and the American Association of Independent Music. In effect, the team was advocating for the interests of every artist and copyright owner in the recording industry.
On Friday, June 11, the CRB issued its decision. Our team obtained a significant rate increase from webcasters such as Pandora, Sirius XM, and Google. Rates for ad-supported services increased by 17% and rates for subscription services increased by 8%. As a result, SoundExchange, the record companies, and music artists will earn many hundreds of millions of dollars more from streaming royalty revenues between 2021 and 2025. This step toward fairer compensation for music creators is particularly significant given the challenges that many musicians have faced due to a lack of touring revenue during the pandemic.
This is a notable victory not just for its value and the positive effects it will have for recording artists, but also in light of the unique circumstances facing the team in this proceeding. Due to the unexpected exigencies of the pandemic, we conducted the five-week trial via Zoom, making Web V the first CRB proceeding in history completed in a virtual format.
Partners Previn Warren, Emily Chapuis, Alex Trepp, and Steve Englund, and Of Counsel Dave Handzo led the team, with Associates Loreal Rock, Sarah Clark, and Andrew Cherry, and Paralegal Albert Peterson providing crucial support. Former partner Devi Rao and former associates James Dawson and Jennifer Yun also made valuable contributions earlier in the case.
Related Lawyers
Related Capabilities
Related Locations
© 2026 Jenner & Block LLP. Attorney Advertising. Jenner & Block LLP is an Illinois Limited Liability Partnership including professional corporations. This publication, presentation, or event is not intended to provide legal advice but to provide information on legal matters and/or firm news of interest to our clients and colleagues. Readers or attendees should seek specific legal advice before taking any action with respect to matters mentioned in this publication or at this event. The attorney responsible for this communication is Brent E. Kidwell, Jenner & Block LLP, 353 N. Clark Street, Chicago, IL 60654-3456. Prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome. Jenner & Block London LLP, an affiliate of Jenner & Block LLP, is a limited liability partnership established under the laws of the State of Delaware, USA and is authorised and regulated by the Solicitors Regulation Authority with SRA number 615729. Information regarding the data we collect and the rights you have over your data can be found in our Privacy Notice. For further inquiries, please contact dataprotection@jenner.com.
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