Any station streaming licensed music to listeners in the United States needs a licence from all three performance rights organisations — BMI, ASCAP and SESAC — plus a recording performance licence from SoundExchange. Here is what that costs, what has to be reported, and the alternative if you would rather not pay it.
Broadcasting worship services? A separate, much cheaper licensing model applies to you. Jump to worship broadcasters
There is no third option, and the choice is yours to make per station.
To legally broadcast licensed music online — through your website or your mobile app — you need to be licensed by BMI, ASCAP, SESAC and SoundExchange.
What a new station can expect to start with: $336 a year for ASCAP's lowest tier, $1,000 a year per station as the SoundExchange minimum, roughly a dollar a day for BMI, and a quote from SESAC. As your audience and income grow, so do the fees.
If you broadcast through Primcast we can set your station to block all listeners in the United States, which takes the US licensing requirement off the table entirely.
Not sure which way to go? New customers get a free consultation — call us or start a chat and we will walk you through it.
Each of the four entities below requires monthly or quarterly reports of gross revenue, of impression counts, or of both. Primcast provides the monthly royalty reports covering your streams; the financial reports have to come from your own organisation.
The four licences you need, and what each one charges.
The rates on this page are the 2026 schedules. Confirm the current year's figures with each organisation before you budget — every link below goes to their own licensing page.
| Session threshold | Revenue under $24,600 | $24,601 – $49,200 | $49,201 – $98,400 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Less than 369,000 | $336 | $674 | $1,347 |
| 369,001 – 738,000 | $422 | $844 | $1,684 |
| 738,001 – 1,476,000 | $506 | $1,008 | $1,762 |
A special licensing model is available to worship broadcasters in the United States. It covers the performance rights organisations but not SoundExchange, which still has to be licensed separately.
| Average weekly attendance | Annual fee |
|---|---|
| 1 – 199 | $352 |
| 200 – 499 | $532 |
| 500 – 1,999 | $1,012 |
| 2,000 – 5,999 | $1,542 |
| 6,000 – 14,999 | $2,642 |
| 15,000 and above | $3,772 |
Christian Copyright Solutions sells this licence as WORSHIPcast. It takes care of ASCAP, BMI and SESAC, but pre-recorded music is not covered:
SoundExchange is separate and is not covered by the worship model. Its minimum annual fee is $1,000; contact them directly to get licensed:
Tell us where your listeners are and what you play, and we will tell you exactly what applies — including whether blocking US listeners is the simpler answer for you.
