The future of Internet radio appears more secure after a handful of online stations reached an agreement Tuesday to head off a potentially crippling increase in copyright royalty rates.

As reported in Yahoo Tech, large commercial webcasters will pay copyright owners up to 25 percent of their revenue or a “per-performance” rate that is below the rates set by the Copyright Royalty Board. Smaller webcasters will pay either a percent of revenue or a percent of expenses.

The deal will give webcasters a chance to “flesh out various business models” and give artists and other copyright holders the opportunity to “share in the success their recordings generate.”