streaming net radio - in danger??

It's simple, RIAA=Greedy SOBs.

There's a group in world you can join called "Save Internet Radio -- Get Involved" comprised of people very concerned about this very issue. Yes, this decision does mean there will be an increase in "pirate radio" stations and such, but in SL terms, that may refer only to those heard in the nightclubs and such. When you think about how many residences and public sims across SL stream in some type of music, you have to wonder how many of those streams are going to simply vanish, and how it's going to effect the SL landscape.

And even outside of SL, think of how many people listen to internet radio at work, or around the house, or while they're surfing the web. These stations being taken off air is going to Severely limit what people have availible for thier listening pleasure.

If you'd like to take action, I'd advise you to look into the following sites.


Artical on subject
http://www.wired.com/news/culture/music/0,72879-0.html?tw=wn_index_2

To write your congressman or woman.
http://www.congress.org/congressorg/issues/alert/?alertid=9461656&content_dir=ua_congressorg&mailid=custom

Home Site
http://www.savenetradio.org

As a small, not for profit, niche webcaster who has been broadcasting within the law for the past three years, this new ruling is most likely a death knell for my station. The last time SoundExchange raised royalty rates in 2002, Congress stepped in and created the Small Webcasters Settlement Act, which allowed stations with revenues below a certain amount to pay either a percentage of revenue or a minimum blanket fee. SoundExchange is the entity that collects and distributes royalties and was set up by the RIAA. Rather than acting as a neutral administrative entity as it was intended it now seems to have become part of the lobbying/legal arm of the RIAA, bent on destroying anything it doesn't like. Under the new rules, the SWSA is dead. All stations must now pay a per performance royalty rate (meaning every time a song is streamed to a single listener). The new rates are retroactive to the beginning of 2006, meaning that broadcasters who had already signed contracts for 2006/7 with SoundExchange under the SWSA will be hit with enormous bills which will kill most if not all of them, and drive many of them into bankruptcy. Further, there's now a $500 minimum per "channel" which must be paid as a deposit against future royalties. This is why Pandora is a goner. They allow every listener to create their own channel which means Pandora will owe $500 to SoundExchange for every individual listener they've had since the beginning of 2006. It also doesn't look good for Live365 (where I broadcast) since Live365 hosts over 10,000 stations. The new royalty rates represent a hike of 1000% or more. The only internet broadcasters likely to survive this are entities like AOL radio who have deep enough pockets to absorb it. If the new rates are allowed to stand and Congress doesn't step in like they did in 2002, niche and hobbyist broadcasting is, for all intents and purposes, dead.

To find out what you can do to help, visit www.savenetradio.org

Chip this seems to say not only cant small sattions afford to continue-

But also small sattions that exist and were following the law now owe tons of money?

I thought there was protections against retroactive laws - no ex post facto.

Wow after a lil research no - Ex post facto doesnt apply to fees. Only crimes - by precident. This sure seems an abuse of governement to me =/ and a perfect example of why.


Sad that special interests encourage them to apss laws like this.

Time for all these relay services to start moving off US soil to some nice little European country....

Unfortunately, that's exactly right. I won't get hit with a bill because, as a personal broadcaster on Live365, they covered my liscense fees and royalty payments and while they'll get hit with a huge bill they have enough integrity not to pass it along to their broadcasters. But Live365 also has pro broadcaster packages where broadcasters are responsible for paying their own fees and filing regular royalty reports with SoundExchange. They're all completely screwed and the most popular ones are likely facing bills for tens of thousands of dollars. They were operating under the law, not making a profit, and had signed contracts in good faith with SoundExchange that SX offered on its own website. "Sorry we lost the house and that you can't go to college now, Junior. Daddy wanted to run a radio station as a hobby." It's simply criminal.

=/

So there will be bankrupcies from this. Business and personal. Im glad you arent affected financially.

Hopefully theres some sort of deal offered. Seems like a pretty big task to prosecute all these people for back fees.

So well get clear channel stations, and maybe Sirus, etc. Independent radio on the internet is dead (as it nearly is offline)

Sounds like business as usual for the RIAA.

Live365, RealNetworks, Pandora, AOL, NPR, and many others are appealing the ruling, and several of the people in Congress who were responsible for the SWSA are still active. Hopefully this will be overturned, but I'm not holding my breath.