Ales Rarus

!@#$% DMCA….!@#$% RIAA….

Web Radio Fights for Survival
Webcasters rally against royalty ruling they say will yank many off the Net.
Stuart J. Johnston

The 1970s classic hit "The Day the Music Died" referred to the death of rocker Buddy Holly, but for many Internet radio stations and their listeners, doomsday is October 20.

By then, tens of thousands of Webcasters must pay millions of dollars in back royalties for the songs they stream to listeners online. Already, hundreds of Webcasters are shutting down operations, complaining that the fees exceed their annual revenues. The rates, set by the Librarian of Congress and the Copyright Office, are higher than those assessed to standard broadcast radio. The music labels' trade organization, the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), is unsympathetic.