Pandora and other internet stations under threat

[Kevin Taylor]

Pandora and other internet stations under threat from copyright violations.
Which majorly sucks considering that the one way of finding new bands to listen to is by using services such as this.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/6430489.stm

I totally get copyright violation, but gimme a break..... these stations provide a major service for new bands. Hell... I got my own CD's placed on their and have no problem with people using em. What's the big deal??

[MAVERIC777]

Personaly if I where an aspiring artist I would love to get my music out there. I really dont get some musicians. I understand how much work and effort we all put into our work, but people seem to loose the reason we started in the first place. I mean honestly who in here picked up a guitar because they wanted to be rich and famous? To be honest I quit listening to Metalica due to the fact aparently they where going hungry due to the fact folks where swapping there tunes. (I know thats a lot deeper story than that but I didnt care to look into it due to the way the band handled it) I dont listen to internet stations but I got an idea what they are doing and wish them the best.

[R. Shackleferd]

Boooo!!!!!!!

[rockonn91]

yeah, I noticed that the other day when Pandora wouldn't let me skip more than like 5 songs on one station or something.

...the music industry is kinda going down the drain...

[elklandercc]

I'm writing today to ask for your much-needed support. The Copyright Royalty Board has just dramatically increased the fees internet radio sites must pay to the record labels. Left unchanged, this will kill all internet radio sites, including Pandora. There is a congressional hearing on this matter taking place tomorrow afternoon in Washington, DC. Please help save internet radio by calling your Congressperson's office.

** If you decide to call, please ask to leave a message and be sure to tell them your name and home town, and mention Charles W. "Chip" Pickering's name. We suggest telling them how much you enjoy listening to internet radio and that, left unchanged, the fees passed by the Copyright Royalty Board will kill internet radio. Please ask them to act to reverse this decision.



The RIAA has convinced the Copyright Royalty Board federal committee to pass rates that will kill internet radio. For now, we are continuing to operate Pandora in the belief that rationality will return. Online radio has brought millions of music-lovers back into music radio, and has opened up a world of opportunity and promotion for thousands of musicians - both obscure and well known. Pandora is already paying millions of dollars annually in licensing fees (fees not paid by traditional radio stations), and while we are striving hard to build a sustainable business, we have yet to make a profit--even at the old rates.

That was an e-mail pandora sent out. The RIAA is also targeting college students (started recently) using Limewire, Ares and ect. They sent out 500 letters across the nation to the campuses, 50 being the most any school has gotten. Basically its says that they can either settle for a few thousand now or be taken to court in the future.

The only group of people that is taking money away from the bands is the RIAA, they set high prices for cd's and give little to the artists. If they would stop being so greedy, filesharing would not be as big as a "problem" as it is.

[Kevin Taylor]

I think it's nothing but scare tacticts on the part of the record industry.
The fact is, that as far as I know, nobody has actually been sued or taken to court over copyright infringement.
So far it's just been threats against students at untiversities who don't know any better... they end up settling out of court out of fear of being sued.

I think if people started challenging the record companies they wouldn't have a leg to stand on. It'd cost them so much money in legal costs that they'd just give up.

[elklandercc]

People have, but most if not all the cases were dismissed becuase they decide to sue 5 years old and 80 years olds who don't know how to use a computer.

[Akira]

Well that sucks. :mad: