Slashdot Mirror
Pandora Wants Radio Stations To Pay For Music, Too
suraj.sun sends along an Ars writeup of the lobbying Pandora is doing now that it has secured its future, royalties-wise. Some might think it odd that Pandora is weighing in on the side of the record labels in their fight to get radio stations to pay more for the music they broadcast. "US radio stations don't pay performers and producers for the music they play, but the recording industry hopes to change that with a new performance rights bill in Congress. Webcaster Pandora has jumped into the fray on the side of the artists and labels, asking why radio gets a free ride when Pandora does not. ... With revenues from recorded music sales declining, rights-holders have turned their eyes in recent years to commercial US radio, which currently pays songwriters (but not performers or record labels)... With its own future secure for the next few years, Pandora is now turning its attention to the public performance debate here in the US, saying that the issue is a simple matter of fairness: why should webcasters have to pay more for music than traditional radio does? ... [But] the 'fairness' argument could clearly go either way. Radio might start paying a performance right; on the other hand, perhaps webcasters and satellite radio companies should simply stop paying one, relying on the old argument about promotion."
I would awsner this in a pm if we had them, but yesterday someone asked me the same thing here. The reason I don't do that is because Santax is my alter-ego for slashdot. We often take strong political stances here and I want to keep my music-life seperated from my thoughts on such subjects. I sort of like the anonymous-thingie that is behind this nickname. I will keep it in mind though, and we knows, one day it will be in there. But for now I come here for the stuf that matters :P
Btw, I like this way of discussion also. No need for name calling, we always can agree to disagree :)
I don't agree to agree to disagree!