11-27-13
They made a big deal out of it when it launched back in 2012. It went nowhere fast and has finally disappeared having accomplished very little. Today the website is down, Congress shows no interest, Clear Channel is making one digital side deal after another and Pandora is shifting focus as detailed both in Billboard and The Hill.
13 months ago Clear Channel joined forces with Pandora and other companies hoping to create friendlier
webcasting royalty rates through legislation. That was met with harsh criticism by artists and organizations like the RIAA and SoundExchange. When Pandora CEO Joe Kennedy went to Capital Hill a year ago to lobby for fairness, CNET writer Greg Sandoval declared The Internet Fairness Act Dead back then. Here's what both Clear Channel's Bob Pittman said when the Act was launched and what Westergren is saying now.
Back in October of 2012, Pittman said, ?We believe that market-based solutions are the way to go. But in the absence of these agreements, the CRB needs to have and consider more relevant information so they are better able to develop a rate structure that will lead to a healthy, sustainable Internet radio marketplace. This will enable artists to earn more and connect more with their fans, consumers to have more choices, and entrepreneurs to invent and invest in new services.?
Westergren said, ?Legislation that establishes a fair royalty rate setting-standard for Internet radio will drive investment in webcasting, which ultimately offers greater opportunities and more revenue for working artists. Internet radio has been shown to help decrease music piracy and increase music sales. When the digital music sector is allowed to grow and innovate, everybody wins.?
Westergren said in a statement this week, ?We are pragmatic and recognize the low probability that Congress will address this issue in the near term.? Pandora has been focusing on the upcoming Copyright Royalty Board arbitration which sets the current rates.
The Coalition?s mission was to urge Congress to support legislation (The Internet Radio Fairness Act of 2012, or IRFA), aimed at bringing the royalty system for Internet radio into the 21st century -- creating a sustainable business model for the industry that gives consumers more choices and more products for listening to the music they love; enables artists to earn more money as Internet radio grows; creates a marketplace that will attract entrepreneurs to invest in new, innovative ways to deliver music to the public; and drives higher revenues for record labels.
(11/27/2013 10:22:26 AM)
Steve:
Have you signed up for Obamacare yet? It covers mental heath, you know.
@R Boekeloo: Please do try to get out more into the wide wonderful world. It'll help, believe me.
(11/27/2013 6:21:06 AM)
It's hard to know what's 'fair' in all of this, but the rhetoric sounds a lot like Obamacare.
(11/27/2013 5:39:34 AM)
Still on my Ipad, what are you talking about?
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