Nashville-headquartered SESAC has settled an antitrust lawsuit from the Radio Music Licensing Committee (RMLC), for the first time subjecting itself to arbitration over the royalty rates it sets.

Unlike larger PROs BMI and ASCAP, the privately owned licensing company is not subject to regulatory agreements with the federal government over its licensing processes.

The settlement, announced by both parties Thursday (July 23) will extend for 22 years, maintaining license fees for commercial radio stations until 2016, when they will begin to be subject to further negotiated agreements. Final arbitration will be conducted in early 2017 and happen throughout the duration of the agreement.

SESAC will pay no damages outside of reimbursing approximately $3.5 million in legal expenses. 

Thousands of stations joined the RMLC, suing SESAC over “anticompetitive practices in how that group licenses music” with accusations of being “a cartel that has illegally monopolized an essential repertory of copyrighted music.”

According to a statement from SESAC, the settlement will allow its management to pursue the company’s previously announced strategy under its new leadership team of a simplified and more efficient, multi-right, multi-territory licensing model utilizing an ongoing focus on information technology and data science to meet the developing needs of music users, distributors, writers, composers, publishers and other stakeholders.

In July, SESAC announced that it was poised to acquire the Harry Fox Agency from the National Music Publishers’ Association for upwards of $20 million. The deal allows SESAC to become the only U.S. rights organization with the ability to offer singular licenses for the works of its affiliated writers and publishers, aggregating both performance and mechanical rights.

In October, SECAC agreed to pay $58.5 million to television stations as part of a settlement in a separate antitrust case, according to the New York Times, also subjecting it to arbitration if negotiations are unsuccessful.

The final round for The Nashville Connection Heroes Salute‘s talent search will be held today (July 24) from 10:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m. at the Musicians Hall of Fame.

Judged by a celebrity panel including Darryl Worley, songwriter Sam Tate, vocal coach Dave Brooks, A&R Executive and CEO/Icon Studios Stone Stafford, and producer and music director Roger Ryan, the national search will award prize money, a five-day event working with some of the industry’s top music makers, and a performance at a special concert in October supporting the troops and their families.

JB Productions and DB Artist Development along with FUTURE are sponsoring the Heroes Salute competition.

Pictured (L-R): Kevin Herring (WMN SVP Promotion), Chad Schultz (WMN National Dir., Radio & Interactive Marketing), Justin Luffman (WMN VP, Brand Management), Peter Strickland (WMN EVP & GM), Justin Niebank (co-producer, The Blade), Ashley Monroe, Vince Gill (co-producer, The Blade), John Marks (SiriusXM), Buzz Brainard (SiriusXM)

In celebration of her album release tomorrow (July 24), Ashley Monroe performed a show at Nashville’s The Basement East last night (July 22). The new album is titled The Blade and was co-produced by Vince Gill and Justin Niebank.

Buzz Brainard from SiriusXM introduced Monroe, who was joined onstage by Striking Matches, Vince Gill, Steve McEwen, Jessi Alexander and Miranda Lambert.

Immediately after the show, the concert aired on Sirius XM. It will air again on Friday, July 24 at midnight ET (9:00 p.m. PT).

Pictured (L-R): Justin Niebank (co-producer, The Blade), Ashley Monroe and Vince Gill (co-producer, The Blade).