The Future Of Internet Radio

[Flash Frizbone]

OK..I run 3 internet stations for fun..all three have a loyal audience..playlists on internet radio are huge..but the spector of doom is on the horizon with this new Copyright Board..any thoughts on the future of Internet Radio from those of you out there..in my opinion they are going to price the average "radio" joe like myself out of the way..so "guess who" can take over..I'd like some opinions here as all of us in internet radio are just waiting for the axe to fall..then its back to the 300 song universe!

[DJ Specs]

I'd say what the world needs are more Pro Assassins to take out the trash..
Other than that, it sucks for the hobbyist running a net station for fun.

[skyvalleyradio]

I operate a 24/7 Live 365 hobby station with a VERY narrow-appeal format & a small but dedicated group of regular listners worldwide. Some of my monthly fees to Live 365 go toward paying royalties and supporting artist & labels in a fair manner. Since I stream on a US server I am bound by the rules of the DMCA and Live 365 submits royalty payments to the Sound Exchange which handles administration on behalf of ASCAP, BMI, SOCAN, SESAC etc. Fair is fair and I pay my share. However...the RIAA and Sound Exchange have a bill before the US regulators which will crank the fees for Internet broadcasters way up, which will, as you say, virtually wipe out hobby stations and all but the largest broadcasters such as Standard, Rogers, Bore-Us and in the US, Cheap Channel, Entercom, Infinity etc. who can still afford streaming royalty fees. Hobby stations fill a much needed void catering to small, disenfranchised groups of listeners fed up with what's on their terrestial airwaves and wanting something different - much different! I use pro automation/scheduling software & currently maintain a library of 13,000 legitamatly owned MP3 files. I am capable of having VTs, live studio airshifts on the fly, live DJs all over the planet doing shows, & sophisticated programming configuration. Many of the tracks I am playing are by indie artists and those who choose to bypass the big money machine of the RIAA, CRIA and others - instead offering their music to fans via website download purchases or shipped CDs. Most of them are HAPPY to have their music heard and since the RIAA/CRIA don't get a piece of the action, they look down their noses on this alternate/parellel "music industry" Like you, I am waiting for the axe to fall & then I am left trying to determine my next evolutionary step in the world of broadcasting/production/programming etc. I am NOT taking listeners away frrom ANYBODY & spend considerable time & money to operate my station. I cannot think of ANY reason why I am a threat to the Recording assns. or royalty societies & see this as a money grab & control of what is seen and heard on the Internet. Now...if you'll excuse me I have weekend syndicated shows to download, weekend playlists to construct, plus there are 1/2 dozen promo CDs that came in the mail this week that need auditioning! Good luck to ALL of us Internet broadcasters - we need support by those that LIKE what we do!

[PMC]

I operate a 24/7 Live 365 hobby station with a VERY narrow-appeal format & a small but dedicated group of regular listners worldwide. Some of my  monthly fees to Live 365 go toward paying royalties and supporting artist & labels in a fair manner.  Since I stream on a US server I am bound by the rules of the DMCA and Live 365 submits royalty payments to the Sound Exchange which handles administration on behalf of ASCAP, BMI, SOCAN, SESAC etc.  Fair is fair and I pay my share.  However...the RIAA and Sound Exchange have a bill before the US regulators which will crank the fees for Internet broadcasters way up, which will, as you say, virtually wipe out hobby stations

Move all of your business out of the U.S.... simply put, America screws the world for a buck, George Bush being the example for oil.

There are sites in Canada to use, or use sites in the Cayman Islands or the other offshore islands.

It is not just music, or internet radio stations, the gambling sites are being hammered too... an executive of a gambling site was arrested the other day while changing flights in San Francisco... internet gambling is outlawed on the internet by the U.S....there is a Canadian gambling entrepreneur that expects the same treatment, and the word is out, to not go near the U.S. for anything.

[jon]

There is at least some chance that SOCAN will win the right to make their fees for Internet music usage RETROACTIVE, as their counterparts did in the U.S. I don't think anyone in the U.S. had to pay past fees so long as they immediately stopped their Web site, but it did shut down a lot of sites. A few non-profit sites, like reelradio.com, had been putting the money aside over the years, in preparation, but they were in the minority.

What SOCAN will do in Canada is difficult to predict. Personally, I'd choose to use a service like a Canadian equivalent of Live 365, since they would bear the responsibility for back fees, not me.

[pave]

I am curious to know how much, specifically, are internet-stations required to pay per track for already licensed/published music.

Terrestrial stations pay no more than 4.5% of gross revenue.

Is there a projected, specific amount for internet station-fees should the proposed legislations go through?

Is "offshore" the only viable alternative?

This is a significant matter, particularly for those of us who may want to go the "internet route".

Thanks.