Broadcasters are not happy with the decision by the Librarian of Congress to cut in half the royalty fees charged to Webcasters and it seems no one else is either. Recording Industry Association of America President Cary Sherman says the result will mean that artists and record labels “will subsidize the Webcasting businesses of multi-billion dollar companies like Yahoo, AOL, RealNetworks and Viacom. The rate, which cannot be squared with the decision of the arbitration panel, simply does not reflect the fair market value of the music as promised by the law.”
Some members of the U.S. House of Representatives are pondering introducing legislation they believe would more effectively ensure fair payment to music creators. Democrats Reps. Jay Inslee, Wash. and Rick Boucher, Va., stated, “We are moderately encouraged that the Librarian of Congress reduced the rates for internet-only Webcasters to the same level AM/FM radio Internet broadcasters. We remain very concerned, however, that this rate will lead to the elimination of hundreds of small businesses and does not provide a viable model to serve both the Internet radio industry and recording artists.”
The two are considering legislation to change the standard from “willing-buyer/willing seller” for Internet radio to the traditional fair market formula used by other CARPs.
More Carping About Streaming
More Carping About Streaming