In the early ’00s I had a company that developed P2P streaming software that powered Internet radio broadcasts. At that time, there was a big risk that Internet radio would get shut down. It didn’t – but it was burdened with regulations that made it pay MORE fees than terrestrial or satellite radio. (Net radio has to pay composer and performers, whereas, due to it’s roots as a promotional vehicle, terrestrial radio only has to pay composers).
Anyway, it’s very important that Internet radio survives. A new proposal is trying to vastly increase the fees in such a way that all the indie stations that are paying hundreds to several thousands a year would go into 5 digits – i.e. they would have to shut down their stations and cease to exist.
This issue has nothing to do with digital piracy or anything exciting and contentious like that; it’s just standard incumbents vs. upstarts, with Internet radio fighting the uphill battle for over a decade now.
In a few years, your car and mobile phone will be bathed in ubiquitous broadband. You’ll be able to tune into any station you’d like, anywhere around the world. The promise of this is great – but some ill-conceieved regulation could establish too high a bar – and prevent the kind of independent communication essential to a healthy culture.
You can call your representative and say Support H.R. 2060, the Internet Radio Equality Act, if the issue is important to you.
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