I find it impossibly lame that internet broadcasters have to pay where airwave broadcasters don't. They provide, to the button, the same service, just over a different transmission medium. They both have ads, one being auditory, one being visual.
I don't know about elsewhere, but in Britain commercial radio stations have to pay a certain percentage of their turnover to the music licensing bodies. It works out at about 6-10% depending on the size of the station, and it doesn't help that we have two bodies doing slightly different things and both taking their 3-5% cut, plus extra fees if you want to simulcast online or via satellite or do anything vaguely innovative in the vein of Last.fm or Pandora. And god forbid anyone include commercial music in podcasts!
The amounts internet stations pay are peanuts compared to the hundreds of thousands going out of FM/AM stations, particularly those which are trying to use tech to become more than just FM/AM stations.
If I lived in the states I would certainly be trying to make my voice heard by my representative in congress. I really hope users are able to hold off the monopoly current radio broadcasters are trying to reestablish.
I've got an idea. Find some new revenue streams. Like, for example, the Pandora iPhone app. It's the one iPhone app I use on a consistent basis, and is worth its weight in gold. How much do they charge for it? Nothing. That's nice and all, but they should split it into "free" and "premium" versions (a la Twitterific from IconFactory). Most people would just use the free version, but as IconFactory proved there are plenty of people out there who'd support the app by purchasing a premium blend.
If they moved the whole thing lock, stock and barrel to the UK, they'd run into the same problems with music licensing bodies. Online radio stations in this country have been having a tough time of it lately.
But what do you expect when the MCPS/PRS collecting body is run by the sort of jobsworths who send letters to shops telling them to turn the staffroom radio off or face a big bill?!
What part would need to be moved to the UK. Would they have to reincorporate as a UK company? Or would they have to move all there key employees to the UK?
[+] [-] maximilian|17 years ago|reply
[+] [-] andyking|17 years ago|reply
The amounts internet stations pay are peanuts compared to the hundreds of thousands going out of FM/AM stations, particularly those which are trying to use tech to become more than just FM/AM stations.
[+] [-] fozy|17 years ago|reply
[+] [-] wtdominey|17 years ago|reply
[+] [-] Dauntless|17 years ago|reply
[+] [-] andyking|17 years ago|reply
But what do you expect when the MCPS/PRS collecting body is run by the sort of jobsworths who send letters to shops telling them to turn the staffroom radio off or face a big bill?!
[+] [-] immad|17 years ago|reply