Webcasters are trying to delay when increased royalties for streaming are to go into effect.
The Digital Media Association, National Public Radio and several small Webcasters asked the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit to suspend the July 15 effective date for the increased Webcast royalties until after the court has heard industry appeals of the recent decision by the Copyright Royalty Board.
The Digital Media Association, NPR and mom-and-pop Webcaster groups argued that while the Senate and House are moving on the “Internet Radio Equality Act,” any action is probably not going to happen in time to beat the July 15 deadline for the fees.
SoundExchange, a group formed by record labels to distribute copyright royalties to artists, pushed for the increase, saying some Webcasters are not paying the fees and the fees could provide the record industry revenue as CD sales decline.
