Internet radio will remain safe and sound, at least through July of this year, on account of a new decision by the US Copyright Royalty Board.
Under the CRB’s original ruling, Internet radio stations would have had to begin paying retroactive royalties on May 15, thereby knocking many of them offline due to the crippling fees.
The new date, July 15, 2007, is two months later than the original deadline set by the CRB and offers some reprieve for Internet radio stations hoping for a miracle (or Congress) to reverse the CRB’s decision.
One lobby group, SaveNetRadio, pledged to spend the next 45 days “educating Congress” on why ‘Net radio should stick around. “We feel strongly that Congress could not possibly have intended a structure whereby Internet radio services pay 60 percent to 300 percent of their revenue in royalties while satellite radio pays 5 to 7 percent and broadcasters pay zero,” said the group in a statement. “We urge them to support HR 2060.”
Photo by MSDesign.
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