The recent CRB royalty decision for satellite and cable radio "for the first time, gives at least some weight to direct licensing deals," and "seems to reject some premises that had long been used to justify royalty rates in other proceedings – and thus may give some insights on approaches to be used in the webcasting royalty proceeding."

We're quoting industry legal expert David Oxenford, who has published some preliminary analysis of the Copyright Royalty Board's full determination of royalty rates to be paid to SoundExchange by Sirius XM and Music Choice from 2013 through 2017.

Last week the CRB released its full decision (actually, two separate decisions, resulting in the same determination, here and here). We reported the actual rates last month in RAIN (here).

We also reported (here) that in the proceedings, satellite radio provider SiriusXM revealed more than 60 direct licensing deals it had secured with record labels, which it argued should be used as benchmarks as the market value of digital sound recordings for noninteractive performance. The service says its direct deals are for 5%-7% of revenues.

Logically, the CRB agreed that directly-licensed sound recordings should be excluded from SiriusXM's royalty obligation to SoundExchange (services need pay SoundExchange only for copyright music for which they have not secured direct deals), Oxenford reports.

And while the CRB rejected SiriusXM's proposal to lower rates from 8% of revenue to 5%, it also rejected SoundExchange's proposal to raise rates -- starting at 12% of revenue in 2013 and ending at 20% in 2017. The Board decision -- 10% of revenue this year, rising to 11% next year, and 12% for each of the next three years -- might indeed indicate it took SiriusXM's market deals into consideration, as Oxenford suggests.

This is important to note as we approach CRB proceedings on Internet radio royalties. Broadcasters like Clear Channel and Entercom have struck streaming royalty deals with certain copyright owners. If the CRB is willing to consider marketplace deals in royalty determinations for satellite and cable radio, they may also be willing to do so in the upcoming webcasting proceedings.

The fact that webcasting royalty proceedings are governed by the controversial "willing buyer willing seller" standard, which by design attempts to replicate an "open market" value for copyright material, may be even more reason for royalty judges to consider these direct deals as benchmarks.

[Satellite radio and cable radio royalty proceedings are governed by the more traditional 801(b) standard. The main goal of the Internet Radio Fairness Act is to have Internet radio royalties to be moved to this same standard.]

The next royalty proceeding for noninteractive webcasting services begins in 2014 and should conclude in 2015.

Oxenford also reports that "the Board also explicitly agreed, for the first time in any decision of which we are aware, that pre-1972 sound recordings also are not to be included in the revenue base, as the Federal sound recording copyright only applies to songs created in 1972 and after (with certain exceptions...)." It will be interesting to see if webcasters are given a similar "pre-1972 carve-out."

Oxenford plans to follow up with more detailed analysis. Read his initial thoughts here.