Why does Public Interactive need to know the IP address of users accessing our streams?
SoundExchange pays royalties based on music streamed to listeners in the United States. They have asked us to filter out requests from users outside of the country. In order to do this (as best as possible) PI needs to know the user’s IP address. Q: We’re primarily a news/talk/information stations, that plays little music (interstitials, bumpers, etc.). What are our reporting obligations under this agreement? A: Initially, PI is focusing on gathering playlists from stations that play primarily music, in order to report as much Music ATH to SoundExchange as possible. However, in the future even stations that are primarily news and information will need to report on what songs or recording they play, unless they fall under the “brief and incidental” exception outlined below. Also, SX still requires semi-annual surveys of all stations that are streaming to determine how much music is being streamed. This will require PI to request the appropriate log files from your station twice a year.
