I received an email the other night from Tim, as I’m sure many more of us did. The Tim in question is none other than Mr Tim Westergren – Founder of Pandora – one of the greatest internet radio sites out there!
What was his email about? – well as the title of my latest blog suggests this was another cry for help from Tim to help support Pandora (and the Genome Project) as the Federal court in the US denied a plea to delay the ludicrous and unnecessary huge increase in rates that all internet webcasters must pay the record labels.
Tim asked... “This is a very dire situation and I'm writing to ask one more time for your support. The effort you've made over the past four months has been extraordinary and has forced the rapid introduction of the bill, but the committee process has been sluggish and we need to once again remind the representatives of the urgency of this issue. This is perhaps the most important phone call you can make for us.
Please call your Congressional representatives in the House and the Senate and ask them to force immediate action on the Internet Radio Equality Act and bring the bill to a vote. It is critical that their phones begin ringing off the hook starting early in the morning. If it's busy, please try again later.”
Now of course this is due to the fact that in the US the RIAA (Recording Industry Association of America) has demanded a bigger slice of the royalties pie – the same pie that allows internet users the chance to explore and listen to new music. In a sector rife with CD sales decline, digital downloads not really knowing where it should go (DRM or not to DRM that is the question...), devalue of the recording industry with cover mount CDs and freebies, etc... the internet has given millions a chance to explore, listen to and read all about the new and up and coming artists – and sites such as Pandora, Last FM and The Filter are trying to direct and show consumers that if they get off on this kind of music then you may well like this selection of music – which will does result in conversion of listeners to buyers!
So what does this mean – well from Monday (16th July) Pandora and other US Internet Radio stations will now need to either pay a massive increase in royalty payments or shut down! Shutting down Pandora before it has even had a chance to move into the mainstream is such a waste and we should fight side by side with Tim & Pandora to make sure this doesn’t happen. For if it does the same will happen here (BPI is watching very carefully) and before you know it another Golden Goose will be destroyed by the one entity that may well realise that it is it’s saving grace!
Music doesn’t need more regulators, costs, controls or rights management – it needs to come out of the dark into the light – the world is waiting – and the world wants to listen!