Pandora today filed a lawsuit against the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP) in a bid to lower the licensing fees it pays out to songwriters, composers, and publishers to stream their music. First reported by Bloomberg, the suit follows more than a year of failed discussions between the two sides to reach a new rate, with Pandora now asking a US District Court in New York to implement a blanket licensing fee that would cover all work under ASCAP's representation. The organization's membership currently stands at over 435,000.

The company is also complaining about preferential treatment ASCAP has heaped upon traditional broadcasters like Clear Channel, owner of competing streaming service iHeartRadio. Earlier this year the two organizations reached a new digital licensing pact with favorable terms that reportedly weren't extended to Pandora.

Yet in the face of criticisms over minuscule royalty payments, Westgren already views Pandora and its 150 million users as a meaningful revenue stream for musicians. By his estimates, the company will dole out royalties of $10,000 to over 2,000 artists over the next year. More than 800 will receive $50,000 and top artists are already taking in annual rates in the millions. That success obviously doesn't translate to the vast majority of artists on the service, but with forecasts for streaming music pointing upward (and Apple's rumored flirtation with a radio platform of its own) it makes sense that Pandora is tackling this nagging problem now if it hopes to have a viable path forward.