From Music Business Worldwide · · 1m 40s
SoundExchange Lawsuit Against Sonos Paused
SoundExchange’s $3.4M lawsuit against Sonos paused until appeals court rules on its right to sue over unpaid royalties.
In brief
SoundExchange’s $3.4M lawsuit against Sonos paused until appeals court rules on its right to sue over unpaid royalties. SoundExchange’s $3.4 million claim against Sonos and Napster is paused pending a federal appeals court decision on whether SoundExchange has legal right to sue services that fail to pay royalties…
SoundExchange sues Sonos for unpaid royalties
SoundExchange sued Sonos and Napster in June 2025 over unpaid royalties for Sonos Radio, a streaming service launched in April 2020.
Sonos Radio service relies on statutory license
Sonos Radio uses a statutory license in US copyright law to play commercial recordings without label deals, requiring royalty payments to SoundExchange.
Napster stopped royalty payments in May 2022
Napster, which powered Sonos Radio, stopped royalty reports and payments in May 2022 after being acquired by Hivemind and Algorand.
SoundExchange claims $3.42 million owed
SoundExchange claims Sonos and Napster owe at least $3,423,844.41 in unpaid royalties, late fees, interest, and audit costs from October 2022 to April 2023.
SoundExchange sued SiriusXM in August 2023
SoundExchange sued SiriusXM in August 2023 over alleged underpayment of more than $150 million in royalties by booking satellite revenue as streaming income.
US Court of Appeals rules on SoundExchange’s right to sue
A federal appeals court in New York ruled SoundExchange lacks legal right to sue services that fail to pay royalties, citing The MLC’s authority to bring lawsuits.
SoundExchange’s lawsuit against Sonos paused
Judge Hernán D. Vera paused SoundExchange’s $3.4 million lawsuit against Sonos until the appeals court rules on its right to sue over unpaid royalties.
What to remember
SoundExchange’s $3.4 million claim against Sonos and Napster is paused pending a federal appeals court decision on whether SoundExchange has legal right to sue services that fail to pay royalties.
