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Sirius XM acquires Pandora

In a landscape-shifting deal that could be filed in the “Finally!” folder, Sirius XM is buying Pandora. The satellite company already owned a 14% stake in the streaming audio giant, and three Sirius execs have been sitting on Pandora’s board for over a year. Pandora’s well-prepared material on the deal calls the combination “the world’s largest audio entertainment company.” Continue Reading

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Sirius XM to pay $150M in settlement with SoundExchange

Sirius XM has reached a settlement with SoundExchange, ending outstanding claims surrounding royalty payments from January 2007 through December 2017. SoundExchange claimed that Sirius XM had taken deductions and exemptions in calculating its royalty payments. The satellite radio company will make a lump sum payment of $150 million to SoundExchange. Continue Reading

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Liberty Media attempts 11th-hour partial acquisition of iHeartMedia

Liberty Media, majority owner of Sirius XM and minority owner of Pandora, has offered a term sheet that would grant it ownership of a 40% stake in iHeartMedia for $1.159 billion. This move is an eleventh-hour deal in reaction to iHeartMedia’s difficult financial situation. It also isn’t the first time Liberty has broached a last-minute audio investment. Continue Reading

David Oxenford: Copyright Royalty Board News – Sirius XM and Cable Radio Rates, Webcasting Rate Appeal to Be Argued in February

by David Oxenford

The Copyright Royalty Board recently made its ruling for royalty rates to be paid by Sirius XM in 2018-2022. David Oxenford lays out the known details of the determination along with some important notes about the appeal for the webcasting rates set for 2016. Continue Reading