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Fuzzy Logic Can Internet Radio be saved by US Congress?
Fuzzy Logic Can Internet Radio be saved by US Congress? | Can Internet Radio be saved by US Congress? |
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| by Alex Zaharov-Reutt | |
| Tuesday, 01 May 2007 | |
      
If you’ve ever listened to online radio and have enjoyed the diverse mix of music and more found online, some of which is straight online streaming of existing FM stations, with many other online-only stations that offer a much wider selection of music than that found on traditional commercial radio, you might soon find the online airwaves have gone quiet. Why? Because the ‘Copyright Royalty Board’ has asked for – and have received – a judgment stating that online stations must pay higher fees for every song played, and more for the number of people listening to the music, than is currently the case. Stunningly, the judgment isn’t just planned to go into effect on May 15, but is actually planned to be retrospective all the way back to January 2006, in what would deal a killer financial blow to online radio stations, many of which barely make enough money to cover expenses, let alone actually make any kind of ‘big’ profit. A massive online outcry has erupted with the hope that someone in the US Congress would have the guts to step forward and stop the copyright payment copyrot madness. Thankfully for the Internet radio industry, a set of saviors seem to have appeared in the form of Jay Inslee, (D-WA), and Don Manzullo, (R-IL), and the ‘Internet Radio Equality Act”. According to a memo from the office of Jay Inslee, his act will: “reverse the recent (Copyright Royalty Board) decision and change the royalty rate-setting standard that applies to commercial Internet radio royalty arbitrations so that it is the same standard that applies to satellite radio. For public radio, the bill sets a royalty standard designed for noncommercial entities.” With the date of May 15 approaching, and being billed as ‘the day that music dies’, you can visit the SaveNetRadio website for more information on every aspect of the story, including information on how US citizens can ask their representative in Congress to co-sponsor the “Internet Radio Equality Act”. {moscomment} |
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