The National Religious Broadcasters Music License Committee (the “NRBMLC”) represents full-power AM and FM radio stations in the U.S. and its territories for music licensing purposes. Organized as a standing committee of the National Religious Broadcasters Association, www.nrb.org , NRBMLC’s focus is to serve our member stations in negotiating fair and nondiscriminatory music licenses with the performance rights organizations (the “P.R.O.s” – ASCAP, BMI and SESAC and with SoundExchange for Internet streaming). We also help answer day-to-day license compliance questions. The NRBMLC has, in recent years, undertaken proceedings to achieve music licenses for our members’ Internet simulcasting, or “streaming.” Copyright issues are not new to radio broadcasters. The right of copyright owners to control the public performance of their music was first established by Congress in the late nineteenth century. ASCAP (American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers) was formed soon after, and the first ASCAP – radio industry agreement was forged when radio was still in its infancy.
Objectives
- Negotiate fair music license agreements for member radio stations.
- Ensure that the P.R.O.s and SoundExchange deal fairly with our member stations and in accordance with their license obligations.
- Educate our members on their license obligations and on complex new media music licensing issues.
- Demonstrate for our members the way to manage within the complex world of copyright and intellectual property rights.
Both commercial and noncommercial radio stations are covered by NRBMLC. Commercial stations will find specific information in the Commercial NRBMLC window. Noncommercial stations in the Noncommercial NRBNMLC window. Much of the site content applies variably to each.
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