system
Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:
human
ELI5: Do radio stations have to pay record companies each time they play a particular song?
gpt
No. Radio stations have what are called “licenses” with music licensing companies. The two biggest are ASCAP (American Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers) and BMI (Broadcast Music Inc.). Most major record labels and popular independent artists are represented by one of these two. 

Radio stations (and other venues that play a lot of music, like clubs, bars, stadiums, etc) buy licenses from these organizations. Many radio stations have multiple licenses from multiple licensers. These licenses vary in their scope, but generally allow you to play whatever music is included in your license however many times your license says you can play it. The licensing company then distributes the money to the artists they cover. 

Sometimes, the licensing agreement requires the station to track how often they play which songs, but not always. But generally this is more on the licensing company to calculate how much they pay out to an artist, rather than how much they’re charging for a license.