Internet Radio Stations breathe a collective sigh

More information: http://news.cnet.com/8301-1023_3-10052966-93.html

On Saturday, the National Association of Broadcasters withdrew their opposition to the Webcaster Settlement Act, currently under consideration in the US House of Representatives. As a result, the bill passed in the House by a unanimous vote.

The Webcaster Settlement Act would allow Internet radio stations to negotiate with the music industry for a lower rate than Congress mandated last year.

Tim Westergren, founder of Net music service Pandora, said he was
elated about triumphing in the House, which came after traditional
radio broadcasters withdrew their opposition.

Dennis Wharton, a spokesman for the National Association of
Broadcasters, said Saturday night that Rep. Howard Berman (D-Calif.)
had met with representatives of the group and addressed some of their
concerns.

As a result, the NAB dropped its opposition in the House and will not
oppose the bill when it moves to the Senate for a vote, either Sunday
or Monday.

Long Live Internet Radio!

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This entry was posted on Sunday, September 28th, 2008 at 11:49 and is filed under news. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

One Response to “Internet Radio Stations breathe a collective sigh”

Tim Westergren September 28th, 2008 at 14:03

Hi, it’s Tim from Pandora;

Today, thanks to the extraordinary support of many Pandora listeners, we took a giant step forward when the House of Representatives supported Pandora and Internet radio and passed the Webcaster Settlement Act of 2008. Now we need your help so that the Senate will pass it also - and quickly… The finish line is in sight!

After a yearlong negotiation, Pandora, SoundExchange and the RIAA are finally optimistic about reaching an agreement on royalties that would save Pandora and Internet radio. The legislation would give us the extra time we need to finalize the deal.

Please call your Senators Monday morning starting at 9:00 (Eastern) and ask them to support the Webcaster Settlement Act of 2008.

The person who answers the phone in your Senator’s office may ask for the bill number - it’s H.R. 7084 (if they ask for a Senate bill number, you can assure them that in this unusual case, the Senate is actually voting on the House bill number).

If the phone is busy, please try again until you get through. These calls really do make a difference.

Thanks so much for you ongoing support.

Tim

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