Copyright Board Announces Royalty Rates For Webcasts
Mar 5th, 2007 | By James Lewin | Category: Digital Music, Podcasting Law 
On Friday, the United States Copyright Royalty Board announced new royalty rates for webcasts, effective from 2006 to 2010.
The new rates force webcasters to pay for each traditionally copyrighted song streamed to each user, and increase over the next few years as follows:
- 2006: $0.0008 to stream one song to one listener
- 2007: $.0011
- 2008: $.0014
- 2009: $.0018
- 2010: $.0019
These fees apply to music that is streamed, not podcasts that are downloaded. Because of the many ways people can publish and listen to music on the Web, though, this is a blurry distinction.
The Radio and Internet Newsletter RAIN calculates that, assuming that the average station plays 16 songs per hour, sites would have to pay “about 1.28 cents” per listener per hour using the 2006 rate, and would owe this retroactively, in addition to licensing fees going forward. RAINs math suggests that the rate would render Internet radio unsustainable, or at the very least, more ad-laden than terrestrial radio — and that’s before the songwriters licenses are taken into account.
Looks like the RIAA is going to drive webcasters to use Creative Commons licensed and other indie music.
via WIRED
” … going to drive … “?
It’s already happening. Welcome to podcasting. The RIAA once again shoots themselves in the feet while pretending to be a friend to musicians.
Every single independent musician I’ve met in the past year knows exactly what podcasting is, and understands it’s a great new avenue for promotion and sales.
That screaming sound you hear is the music industry dinosaurs as they sink into the tarpits of history.
Bum Rush The Charts!
[…] This has some interesting ramifications for not just internet radio but for podcasters as well.¬† Podcasting news has this to say Looks like the RIAA is going to drive webcasters (and podcasters) to use Creative Commons licensed and other indie music. Click to listen. […]
Kewl! This will make independent music even more popular and will easily overtake “commercial” music in popularity.
This is good news for all of those singer/songwriters out there. The same music that we’ve been podcasting will now be streamed by the internet radio stations instead of bubblegum pop.
[…] Podcasting News ¬ª Copyright Board Announces Royalty Rates For Webcasts […]
[…] Earlier in the year, the United States Copyright Royalty Board announced new royalty rates for webcasting traditionally licensed music, to be effective from 2006 to 2010. The rates are substantially higher than before, and could force many webcasters to either go off the air or to take whatever deals they can get from the mainstream music industry. […]
Nothing seems to be easier than seeing someone whom you can help but not helping.
I suggest we start giving it a try. Give love to the ones that need it.
God will appreciate it.