The reprieve extends the current terms until 2010, which means Net radio defined as “small” will NOT have to pay hugely increased royalties retroactive to 2006. But it also means small net radio can never grow and become larger. Plus, the largest of independent Net radio, like Pandora and Live365, might not qualify as “small” business and thus would have to pay the higher rates.
SaveNetRadio rejects the offer.
Radio and Internet Newsletter and the EFF says it doesn’t go far enough.
Here’s the answer: The Internet Radio Equality Act
Let’s keep organizing. That we got this far is due to the huge amounts of grassroots net-based organizing that publicized the issue and got the attention of Congress.
(Hmm, since being “small” is based on revenue, I wonder if that is determined by net-based revenue or total revenue? Not that this would be easy to determine.
Great stations like WWOZ in New Orleans and KCRW in Santa Monica broadcast on the air as well as on the net, as do many others. The powerhouse that is KCRW can easily raise $1 million in a 10 day fund raiser, so I’m guessing they won’t be categorized as small, while WWOZ could be. Anyone know?)
For the small part I play (volunteer systems administrator, listen live 24/7)at Bend Community Radio, I’ve kept my nose out of this tussle mostly because as a low power frequency modulated (LPFM, one of two good things I can say about Bush, the other that I’m saying it, here) non-profit broadcast radio station the stream is first secondary to the mission, and second the proposed changes would have had little or no impact on the mission. Our fees would not have increased. Non-profit and LPFM are the distictions.
I also think, having been studying it arduously as it has unfolded, that some of the numbers floated around have been somewhat alarmist. Looking at N&OPB, and a handful of community radio stations around the Northwest, I really haven’t been able to justify the numbers I’ve seen, and am not sure that anyone would, could, really know how it would all play out until it played out. I’ve felt from the start it was doomed, though, the telecommunications/entertainmentmedia complex fingernails ripping out failing grasp of the twentyth century.
Radio and Internet Newsletter said –
“it does relieve a couple of dozen small webcasters from the threat of imminent bankruptcy, but it addresses only a tiny portion of the big picture.”
Interesting it was only a few dozen. But Pandora and Live365 apparently are threatened, KCRW will have to pay, I think they said, $600,000 in retroactive fees (they have a huge web audience.)