Details about the U.S. Music Royalty Fee are provided below.
1. Why does SiriusXM Radio pay music royalties?
Music royalty rights were established by Congress and are the product of the Copyright Act. Unlike terrestrial radio, SiriusXM is required to pay copyright music royalties to recording artists, musicians and recording labels that hold copyrights in sound recordings (the actual recording of a work). Like terrestrial radio, SiriusXM must also pay music publishers who hold copyrights in musical compositions (or the lyrics and music) through their collective organizations such as ASCAP and BMI. The U.S. Music Royalty Fee offsets royalties payable by SiriusXM to composers, publishers, recording artists, musicians and record labels that hold copyrights in musical works and recordings.
2. Who benefits from the U.S. Music Royalty Fee?
The U.S. Music Royalty Fee funds existing and anticipated royalty payments to the music industry, which includes writers and artists.
3. How much is the U.S. Music Royalty Fee?
Your fee may vary depending on the plan and billing term you have chosen and the number of subscriptions on your account. We may adjust the U.S. Music Royalty Fee from time to time to reflect changes in our royalty costs. For our current U.S. Music Royalty Fees, click here.
4. How is the U.S. Music Royalty Fee calculated?
The U.S. Music Royalty Fee is based on the entire subscription price of the plan you purchase that includes musical performances. The U.S. Music Royalty Fee is 21.4% of the subscription price of satellite plans* which include music channels as of January 15, 2019. The U.S. Music Royalty Fee is 8.8% of the subscription price for streaming plans as of August 22, 2018.
5. When will I pay the U.S. Music Royalty Fee?
If applicable, the U.S. Music Royalty Fee is automatically added to the cost of your subscription, along with any state and local taxes we are required to collect based upon your address.
6. Is the U.S. Music Royalty Fee applied to activations and other fees?
No.
* Plans that are not charged the U.S. Music Royalty Fee include News, Sports, & Talk, Traffic, Travel Link, Weather, Marine Weather, and Aviation Weather.