Pacific Views

Internet Radio Saved At Last Minute

A deal struck late Friday froze music royalty rates for Internet radio and suspended enforcement for the remainder of the negotiations:

... "We're just asking that there be better antistream ripping technology and better reporting [of how much music is streamed]," [Richard Ades, a spokesman for SoundExchange,] said. "We made the offer to the Digital Media Association and announced it before a roundtable discussion before members of Congress last night. We've heard that we'll hear back -- the negotiations are ongoing." ...

There's legislation pending in Congress to address the situation, but without this compromise, many online radio stations would have gone under before there was even a vote taken.