Bill that would save 'net radio passed by House
Senate approval also expected for legislation that would allow services like Pandora to negotiate for lower royalty rates.
The U.S. House of Representatives has unanimously passed the Webcaster Settlement Act, a bill that was widely seen as critical to the survival of internet radio services like Pandora and Slacker. If passed by the Senate -- which seems likely, given that the National Association of Broadcasters dropped its opposition at the last minute -- the legislation would give webcasters an extended deadline to hash out details of the royalty rates they must pay to SoundExchange, the RIAA body that collects compensation for music usage. Before a deal was stricken with the NAB that also extended its negotiating deadline, online radio providers feared that a loss in Congress would force them to shut their doors, as the economics of the current royalty rates don't make continued operation financially feasible.
[Via Techmeme, image courtesy of Aristo Music]
Sony PS3 Slim image gallery
Comments (1)
Add a comment Inappropriate or promotional comments may be removed.
Brian Alvey
(10:47 PM on Mon Sep 29, 2008)
I love the comment over on Reddit about our story made by crosbyface:
"f*ck our homes, we've got.. internet radio"
Hilarious.