Save Pandora!
<div class="IPBDescription">this makes me sad it does</div>Oh noes... I got this message in my inbox:
<!--QuoteBegin-Pandora E-mail+--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Pandora E-mail)</div><div class='quotemain'><!--QuoteEBegin--><img src="http://www.pandora.com/static/images/pandora_logo_email.jpg" border="0" alt="IPB Image" /> Hi, it's Tim from Pandora,
I'm writing today to ask for your help. The survival of Pandora and all of Internet radio is in jeopardy because of a recent decision by the Copyright Royalty Board in Washington, DC to almost triple the licensing fees for Internet radio sites like Pandora. The new royalty rates are irrationally high, more than four times what satellite radio pays, and broadcast radio doesn't pay these at all. Left unchanged, these new royalties will kill every Internet radio site, including Pandora.
In response to these new and unfair fees, we have formed the SaveNetRadio Coalition, a group that includes listeners, artists, labels and webcasters. I hope that you will consider joining us.
Please sign our petition urging your Congressional representative to act to save Internet radio: <a href="http://capwiz.com/saveinternetradio/issues/alert/?alertid=9631541" target="_blank">http://capwiz.com/saveinternetradio/issues...alertid=9631541</a>
Please feel free to forward this link/email to your friends - the more petitioners we can get, the better.
Understand that we are fully supportive of paying royalties to the artists whose music we play, and have done so since our inception. As a former touring musician myself, I'm no stranger to the challenges facing working musicians. The issue we have with the recent ruling is that it puts the cost of streaming far out of the range of ANY webcaster's business potential.
I hope you'll take just a few minutes to sign our petition - it WILL make a difference. As a young industry, we do not have the lobbying power of the RIAA. You, our listeners, are by far our biggest and most influential allies.
As always, and now more than ever, thank you for your support.
-Tim Westergren
(Pandora founder)
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I've lately been listening to my radio station both at work and while playing games online. This would be sad if it goes away.
<!--QuoteBegin-Pandora E-mail+--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Pandora E-mail)</div><div class='quotemain'><!--QuoteEBegin--><img src="http://www.pandora.com/static/images/pandora_logo_email.jpg" border="0" alt="IPB Image" /> Hi, it's Tim from Pandora,
I'm writing today to ask for your help. The survival of Pandora and all of Internet radio is in jeopardy because of a recent decision by the Copyright Royalty Board in Washington, DC to almost triple the licensing fees for Internet radio sites like Pandora. The new royalty rates are irrationally high, more than four times what satellite radio pays, and broadcast radio doesn't pay these at all. Left unchanged, these new royalties will kill every Internet radio site, including Pandora.
In response to these new and unfair fees, we have formed the SaveNetRadio Coalition, a group that includes listeners, artists, labels and webcasters. I hope that you will consider joining us.
Please sign our petition urging your Congressional representative to act to save Internet radio: <a href="http://capwiz.com/saveinternetradio/issues/alert/?alertid=9631541" target="_blank">http://capwiz.com/saveinternetradio/issues...alertid=9631541</a>
Please feel free to forward this link/email to your friends - the more petitioners we can get, the better.
Understand that we are fully supportive of paying royalties to the artists whose music we play, and have done so since our inception. As a former touring musician myself, I'm no stranger to the challenges facing working musicians. The issue we have with the recent ruling is that it puts the cost of streaming far out of the range of ANY webcaster's business potential.
I hope you'll take just a few minutes to sign our petition - it WILL make a difference. As a young industry, we do not have the lobbying power of the RIAA. You, our listeners, are by far our biggest and most influential allies.
As always, and now more than ever, thank you for your support.
-Tim Westergren
(Pandora founder)
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I've lately been listening to my radio station both at work and while playing games online. This would be sad if it goes away.
Comments
BTW, right now I'm listening to "Tip The Dancer" by Panzer Ag. Good song. Well good night UWE glad to see you don't care. I was being serious.
post Today, 08:22 AM
21 minutes of apathy! oh em gee.
x5, you need to relax a little.
Anyway, the rise in royalty charges for internet broadcasts is the least of the worries for North American radio. The relaxation of monopoly control and the resultant reduction in competition for the public airwaves ( reducing the number of large broadcast license holders from over 80 in the mid 80s to 6 by 2005 ) is something you should be worried about.
This move is typical of how politics works in the modern democratic world, we have the same problem here in Europe. The lobbyists can 'persuade' government to act in a certain direction and the long term health of the society that is being legislated is often sidelined in the discussion.
The move to legislate for QOS discrimination on networks is also something of concern. The over-the-top services that have developed in a neutral internet will not be possible in a model where the wealthy corporations get premium access to carrier networks.
So this particular issue is just one very small step in a general trend going on at the moment. People don't care though, they haven't cared for the last 10 years as big business has carved up legislation to support its short term goals. The open access initiative for access networks failed due to lobbying, and that killed the independent ISP. The Telecommunications Act of 1996 pulled the rug from under the small scale broadcaster. The trend will continue for as long as the public do not see a problem with government and big business working together as they do right now.
Just as there is good reason to seperate church and state, I also think there is justification for separating business and state. The way large corporations with very very deep pockets can influence policy is causing many issues for us.
x5, you need to relax a little.<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->
<img src="style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/sad-fix.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":(" border="0" alt="sad-fix.gif" /> Sry, I guess I do need to relax a bit, but I was just alarming to see that my little means of finding new music would basically end.
<!--quoteo(post=1621858:date=Apr 19 2007, 05:14 AM:name=puzl)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(puzl @ Apr 19 2007, 05:14 AM) [snapback]1621858[/snapback]</div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec-->
Just as there is good reason to seperate church and state, I also think there is justification for separating business and state. The way large corporations with very very deep pockets can influence policy is causing many issues for us.
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WOW! I agree totally. What's that term called... ah yes: <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Laissez-faire" target="_blank">"laissez faire"</a>
Another thing worth saying is the importance of a free and varied media in a democracy. The privately owned mechanisms for information dissemination need extra regulation because they are central to the health of a democracy. We grant freedom of the press for a very important reason, and we require competition of ideas within the press for very important reasons.
Yay for corpocracies? <img src="style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/sad-fix.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":(" border="0" alt="sad-fix.gif" />
Where's a rampaging werewolf to take out the us government when you need one D:?
Dont use pandora much nowdays but it did give me a few good songs to remember.
Unfortunately I don't have a valid US phone number or address
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Ditto, even though I don't want pandora to go <img src="style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/sad-fix.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":(" border="0" alt="sad-fix.gif" />
Isn't that your job Beast? <img src="style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/wink-fix.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=";)" border="0" alt="wink-fix.gif" />
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I wish <img src="style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/biggrin-fix.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":D" border="0" alt="biggrin-fix.gif" />......
Next full moon isn't for a while though <img src="style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/sad-fix.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":(" border="0" alt="sad-fix.gif" />
I guess nobody on this board gives a crap. Thanks Caboose, I see you reading this thread.
BTW, right now I'm listening to "Tip The Dancer" by Panzer Ag. Good song. Well good night UWE glad to see you don't care. I was being serious.
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Sorry... I was too busy contacting <a href="http://allard.senate.gov/public/" target="_blank">this guy</a>.
:edit: for a third time actually...
Sorry... I was too busy contacting <a href="http://allard.senate.gov/public/" target="_blank">this guy</a>.
:edit: for a third time actually...
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ha. that'll shut him up <img src="style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/tounge.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":p" border="0" alt="tounge.gif" />
You could always just switch to Last.fm. I know a bunch of people who say that works better than Pandora anyways.
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And when the same thing happens to Last.fm where are you then?
Aye, this effects all or most small Internet Radio stations. I'm not sure if it only effects US based stations, probably, but only big name companies will be able to afford to stream internet radio.
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why would it affect legislation of different countries? That said I suppose pandora could move north to my house. <img src="style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/tounge.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":p" border="0" alt="tounge.gif" />
And when the same thing happens to Last.fm where are you then?
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Signing another petition?
just a suggestion
<!--quoteo--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE</div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec-->"(a) in the case of those telecommunications services that do not earn revenue from advertisements on the service, $0.25 per subscriber."<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->
I wish you Americans and Canadians luck in keeping information and art free for all. Write letters to the appropriate people and be heard for freedom's sake.
Edit: Removed parts I'm not 100% sure of.
The major problem is that this is going to cripple online radio broadcasting as a legitimate business venture in the US. Innovative ideas like Pandora and last.fm ( yes I know it is a UK company and not under threat right now ) simply cannot develop under this proposed system, and that is sad. This has always been the way of things though, the people who own the current system do their best to sandbox the market around the old principles of business. We see the same ding-dong going on with many of the over the top online services, and I do believe that in the long run the public will win out - if they care enough. Take iTunes, for example - there is no way big business would have blessed such a service had it not been evidently clear that almost everyone was willing to get their music online, either legitimately or not. iTunes became the cheerleader for the 'viable alternative to piracy'.
So, support your pirate radio station!
Quoted for truthiness. Most of my legit CDs are from artists I discovered through grey or black airwaves.
<a href="http://www.savenetradio.org/press_room/press_releases/070416-Order_denying.pdf" target="_blank">Copyright Board Says F-U to internet radio's appeal</a>
And here an interesting article about the influence of digital media on music buying habits:
<!--QuoteBegin-http://www.radioink.com/HeadlineEntry.asp?hid=137614&pt=todaysnews+--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(http://www.radioink.com/HeadlineEntry.asp?hid=137614&pt=todaysnews)</div><div class='quotemain'><!--QuoteEBegin-->Arbitron/Edison Study: Digital Platforms Continue To Extend Radio Beyond AM/FM Dial
According to the latest study by Arbitron and Edison Media Research, “The Infinite Dial 2007: Radio’s Digital Platforms,” consumers are continuing to explore radio in all its digital platforms – Online Radio, Satellite Radio, HD Radio and audio podcasting – while maintaining a broad use of AM/FM radio.
Key findings from the study:
* AM/FM radio continues to have a big impact on people’s lives. The study asked consumers to rate the impact different digital audio platforms has on their lives. Nearly one in five (19 percent) consumers said radio has a big impact on their lives; ranking second only to mobile phones (35 percent) as the audio platform/device that has the biggest impact on the lives of its users.
* Those who listen to digital radio platforms do not spend less time listening to AM/FM radio. Among all persons 12 and older who participated in the study, the average time spent listening per day to AM/FM radio was 2 hours, 37 minutes compared with 2 hours, 45 minutes a day among those who use radio’s newer digital platforms (listened to online radio in the last month, or subscribe to satellite radio, or have ever listened to an audio podcast).
* The weekly Internet radio audience remains steady over the past year at an estimated 29 million. Eleven percent of the US population age 12 and older have listened to Internet radio in the past week; 16 percent of persons age 18-34 and 14 percent of persons 18-49 have done so.
* iPod/Portable MP3 player ownership continues to rise. Thirty percent of Americans age 12 and older own an iPod or other brand of portable MP3 player; this figure has risen from 22 percent in 2006 and 14 percent in 2005. More than half (54 percent) of those age 12-17 own a digital audio player.
* Fewer than 10 percent report less time with over-the-air radio specifically due to time spent with their iPod/portable MP3 player. Seventy percent of Americans age 12 and older do not own an iPod/portable MP3 player, and an additional 15 percent report the device has had no impact on radio listening. Nine percent say they are listening less to over-the-air radio due to time spent with their iPod/portable MP3 player.
* Awareness of HD Radio nearly doubled in the past year, but that has not yet translated into high interest. In January 2007, 26 percent said they had heard or read about HD Radio recently, compared to 14 percent in January 2006; however, only 6 percent said they were “very” interested in HD Radio.
* While awareness of podcasting is up significantly, usage of audio podcasting is only up slightly. Awareness of podcasting has jumped from 22 percent in 2006 to 37 percent in 2007. In that time, those having ever listened to an audio podcast have risen from 11 percent to 13 percent.
“Broadcasters should promote the vitality of over-the-air radio,” said Bill Rose, senior vice president, Marketing, Arbitron Inc. “On a weekly basis, AM/FM radio is used by the overwhelming majority of Americans, and it continues to have a big impact on the lives of consumers. In addition, the widely held perception that people who use new digital platforms listen less to over-the-air radio is false. In fact, users of digital radio platforms spend just as much time listening to over-the-air radio as the average consumer.”
“Consumers have shown increasing interest in and usage of radio’s digital platforms over the years,” said Joe Lenski, executive vice president, Edison Media Research. “Advertisers who start early will gain invaluable insight into refining their advertising business practices, resulting in a more effective use of these newer digital audio platforms.”
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<!--QuoteBegin-http://www.pcworld.com/article/id+130874/article.html--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(http://www.pcworld.com/article/id @ 130874/article.html)</div><div class='quotemain'><!--QuoteEBegin-->Net Radio: 'New Song Royalties Will Kill Us'
A new coalition of Internet radio stations will take its case to Congress and the courts to stop a new royalty fee hike.
Mark Sullivan, PC World
Tuesday, April 17, 2007 6:00 PM PDT
Internet radio stations are mobilizing in the wake of a potentially costly new royalty fee structure approved earlier this week by the Copyright Royalty Board (CRB).
The board decided Monday that commercial Internet radio stations, regardless of their size, will pay a new, higher flat fee to the record labels each time a song is played. The increase applies to songs played in 2007, and retroactively for 2006 at a slightly lower rate. As it stands now, the rates will go into effect in about a month.
"The CRB's ill informed decision to increase royalty fees to this unjustifiable level will quite simply bankrupt most webcasters and destroy Internet radio," says the Net radio stations' newly formed coalition, SaveNetRadio.org. SaveNetRadio says the move will increase its member stations' rates between 300 percent and 1200 percent, depending on the station's size.
Stations Fear Fees Too Onerous
Internet radio isn't a very lucrative affair to begin with, and the fee increase will put many out of business, the stations say. Their royalty payments, they complain, will exceed their revenues.
"It makes our business financially unviable," says Tim Westergren, founder of the Internet radio station Pandora. Westergren estimates that his company will end up paying out about 60 percent of its revenues in royalty fees once the new rates kick in.
Westergren says his company is funded by venture capital firms and has yet to reach profitability. He says that getting Pandora into the black wouldn't be easy even with the existing royalty fee structure. With the higher rates, he says, it might be impossible.
The Royalty Board has no understanding of the Net radio business, Westergren says. "The ruling was a flat per-song rate, and it's set at a level that makes recouping that and building a business on it impossible."
Another Net radio broadcaster, KCRW in Santa Monica, estimates that--with the new rates--it will pay $140,000 in copyright royalties for 2006, and $190,000 for 2007 (based on the station's January 2007 traffic levels).
Since KCRW is a public radio station that does both terrestrial and Internet broadcasting, the new royalties aren't likely to kill it. But it'll hurt. "It's going to cost us money that we didn't plan for," says KCRW station manager Ruth Seymour. "We will be paying for each song every time it's heard by one listener."
Payment Plans
Seymour explains that the Internet radio stations appealed to the Royalty Board to adopt a system that exacts royalties that are at least partially based on the revenues of the stations. But, she says, under the influence of the record labels, the board refused.
SoundExchange, the organization that collects Internet radio royalties for the record labels, says the radio stations have had it pretty good. John Simson, the organization's executive director, says the station's royalty payments have not increased since 1998, and that the stations knew proceedings to increase the rates were going on.
Simson acknowledges that the new rates will make it tough for some. "I think there are a lot of stories being told under one banner here," Simson says. "I think there are services that can easily afford the rates, and then there are some services that will struggle with those new rates."
Simson makes it clear that his side is willing to negotiate. "We're interested in discussing business solutions with them, but right now they only seem interested in making noise," he says. Asked what he means by "business solutions," he replies: "I'm talking about sitting down with them and saying 'Okay, let's see if we can reach a business deal that will work for both sides."
Meanwhile, the radio stations say they will follow a two-pronged strategy to prevent the new rates from taking effect. SaveNetRadio says it will take its case to an appeals court in the District of Columbia. It is also soliciting federal lawmakers to introduce a bill in Congress that would block the rate increase.<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->
<!--QuoteBegin-e-mail from Tim to the Pandora members+--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(e-mail from Tim to the Pandora members)</div><div class='quotemain'><!--QuoteEBegin--><img src="http://www.pandora.com/static/images/pandora_logo_email.jpg" border="0" alt="IPB Image" />
Hi, Tim again,
First, I wanted to thank you again for the support last week. It was absolutely overwhelming. More than 200,000 Pandora listeners contacted their congressional representatives! The entire fax infrastructure on Capitol Hill ground to a halt. We had to deliver faxes manually - literally boxes full of them were delivered to every office in the Capitol building.
The result has been swift and dramatic: more than a million people have already joined the cause! There is now a bill just being introduced called the "Internet Radio Equality Act" to fix the problem and save Internet radio -and Pandora- from obliteration.
I'd like to ask you to do one more thing which is to call and ask your Congressperson, John A. Yarmuth, to co-sponsor the Internet Radio Equality Act:
John A. Yarmuth's phone number: (202)225-5401
This fight for our life is not over, but there has been a marked shift in momentum. Thanks to your efforts, this vital channel for musical diversity has a hope of finally being treated fairly and being allowed to grow and nurture a newly empowered class of independent musicians.
Your opinion matters to your representatives - so please take just a minute to call.
Visit www.savenetradio.org to continue following the fight to Save Internet Radio.
Thanks again for being such a wonderful supporter.
<img src="http://www.pandora.com/static/images/tim_signature.jpg" border="0" alt="IPB Image" />
-Tim Westergren
(Pandora founder) <!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->
Cool. I've been telling friends and people at work about it too. <img src="style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/smile-fix.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":)" border="0" alt="smile-fix.gif" /> Keep it up.