Dead Webcasters Pay No Royalties
Update on saving internet radioby j. brotherlove
I’ve been waving the SaveNetRadio banner for awhile. The latest update on the proposal on the new royalty rates — that could drive Pandora and other webcasters out of business — comes on the heels of Thursday’s Congress hearing:
Congress and SoundExchange have heard loud and clear the amazing outpouring of support for Internet radio from webcasters, listeners and the thousands of artists they support. A commitment has been made to negotiate reasonable royalties, recognizing the industry’s long-term value and its still-developing revenue potential.
During negotiations SoundExchange committed temporarily not to enforce the new royalty rates so webcasters can stay online as new rates are agreed upon.
That’s great (and somewhat surprising) news. In Wired’s Listening Post article, Tim Westergren of Pandora credits everyone who called their Congress person about the issue:
"This is a direct result of lobbying pressure, so if anyone thinks their call didn’t matter, it did. That’s why this is happening."
Of course, we are not out of the woods. But it does show signs that a better resolution can come out of rate negotiations (unless Google decides to buy Pandora). Continue calling your Senators and Representative to gain support for the internet radio crisis.