BMI and the TV Music License Committee Reach Settlement, Avert Litigation

NEW YORK – Broadcast Music Inc. and the Television Music License Committee have negotiated principal terms for new music license agreements providing local broadcast television stations with the public performances rights to BMI’s repertoire of more than 7.5 million musical works. The agreement resolves the litigation in which a trial was scheduled in the BMI Rate Court in New York.

The new agreements run retroactively from Jan. 1, 2005 through Dec. 31, 2017 and will cover a station’s primary channel as well as multicast channels, website and other digital platforms.

“BMI is pleased to have reached a deal with the industry that reflects both the new economics of local television and the substantial contributions of BMI’s composers, songwriters, and publishers to all facets of television programming,” said Michael O’Neill, BMI senior vice president of Repertoire and Licensing.

“With this settlement and the recent ASCAP settlement, we are pleased that stations will have predictable, reduced fees for music with ASCAP through 2016 and BMI through 2017,” said Charles Sennet, chairman of the TMLC. “The new licenses cover all the ways we distribute our content, and move us toward the goal of paying competitive rates for music in our programming.”