Cool internet radio

dklsplace

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Ok, I've subscribed to this service & have set up serveral "stations" so far. Input a song, or artist of your choice & this will create a station according to your preferences. You can give a "thumbs down" if you don't like a particular song & it will adjust & adapt the station according to your input.

Pandora Internet Radio

I'm spending more time listening to my "Robert Earl Keen" station than anything else. Haven't made any additions to it, & have only given a couple tunes a thumbs down.
 

Jeff

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It appears there is no fee to subscribe which makes my cynical side ask "What's the Catch?"

We have subscribed to "Live 365 Radio" for 3 years. http://www.live365.com/stations/love_no_one/?site=..

The fee is about $47.00 a year, The main menu is Genre's, looks like 100 + as opposed to artists. I never really looked at all the features till you mentioned your site, now I notice it has the same thumbs up & down choices on the selections.

They offer a free week to entice you in & you get some chatter about the site but after paying the fee, nothing, hours & hours of tune after tune. No commercial content period.

I'm listening to Delta Blues right now, earlier it was 50's & 60's hits,
Buddy Holly, Everly Brothers , Doo Wop & the like.
 

dklsplace

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Jeff said:
It appears there is no fee to subscribe which makes my cynical side ask "What's the Catch?"

Advertising. You can only listen for so long without subscribing, but once you do, the page cycles adverts while you listen. Since I listen while working on something else & the page minimized, I never see it. The ads are pretty nicely incorporated into the page so it's not like the annoying pop up, flashing crap you find everywhere else.

I've been using it for a couple months with no issues. The more you listen & interact with what's being played (like it, don't like it) the better it gets.
 

Guildmark

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This is very cool. Thanks for the lead, dklsplace. So, far there are a few artists I've wanted to add that aren't mapped in their genome, but they are lesser known, if not downright obscure. I like this process better than trying to select from a specific genre because you never know what category they stick your favorite players in. I've seen Kottke listed in folk, country, bluegrass, pop, rock and jazz. I think I'm going to like Pandora.

Guildmark
 

iamru02

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Don,
I'm still trying to get caught up here with all the great information avail on LTG. Wow, so much good stuff.
My best friend and Guitar mentor turned me on to Pandora a couple of months ago. It is as you say, Very Cool.
I like being introduced to performers that I wasn't aware of. Really broadens the horizons and there is so much talent out there.
good stuff.
 

Graham

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One of you guys mentioned Pandora a few months back. I set it up, had to use a US zip code 'cause they won't accept a Canadian one, anyway I love it. I'm constantly adding people I don't know much about. It opens up a whole new world of music. Now I need to get it in the car.
 

FNG

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It's a great site, especially if you do the iTunes deal. If you hear something you like, you can go right to iTunes and download it.
 

dklsplace

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I know some have signed up & have been using Pandora for awhile so you're probably aware of this already. But I thought I would share this with the rest of the forum.

Things aren't looking good for internet radio in the near future. Here's a letter from Tim, founder of Pandora.

Hi, it's Tim from Pandora,

I'm writing today to ask for your help. The survival of Pandora and all of Internet radio is in jeopardy because of a recent decision by the Copyright Royalty Board in Washington, DC to almost triple the licensing fees for Internet radio sites like Pandora. The new royalty rates are irrationally high, more than four times what satellite radio pays and broadcast radio doesn't pay these at all. Left unchanged, these new royalties will kill every Internet radio site, including Pandora.

In response to these new and unfair fees, we have formed the SaveNetRadio Coalition, a group that includes listeners, artists, labels and webcasters. I hope that you will consider joining us.

Please sign our petition urging your Congressional representative to act to save Internet radio: http://capwiz.com/saveinternetradio/iss ... id=9631541

Please feel free to forward this link/email to your friends - the more petitioners we can get, the better.

Understand that we are fully supportive of paying royalties to the artists whose music we play, and have done so since our inception. As a former touring musician myself, I'm no stranger to the challenges facing working musicians. The issue we have with the recent ruling is that it puts the cost of streaming far out of the range of ANY webcaster's business potential.

I hope you'll take just a few minutes to sign our petition - it WILL make a difference. As a young industry, we do not have the lobbying power of the RIAA. You, our listeners, are by far our biggest and most influential allies.

As always, and now more than ever, thank you for your support.

Tim Westergren
(Pandora founder)
 

Jeff

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We received a similar message from our service 'Live 365".

http://www.live365.com/index.live?tm=1163360460


Does not bode well for diversity in Popular Music, Greed is an Evil Vice.

Here is an excerpt from the message, complete article is here: http://www.live365.com/choice/

Recently, the Copyright Royalty Board (CRB) issued the significantly higher new royalty rates for Internet radio for the 2006-2010 period. The ruling ignored webcasting community proposals and set out the SoundExchange proposed "per performance" rates (below) and a $500 minimum fee per channel per year. With around 10,000 stations playing over 250,000 artists each month, that would mean an additional $5 million per year for Live365 and our broadcasters.

Broadcasters: please visit the Broadcaster Choice page for more station-specific info

Although there is no clear definition of what a "channel" is, the $500 minimum fee per channel threatens Live365's ability to help make the small webcasters' voice heard on the Internet, by effectively forcing Live365 to raise the minimum broadcasting fees to a level that would cause most small webcasters to discontinue their service thus silencing their stations. The CRB's determination imperils small and large webcasters alike and threatens listening experiences of millions of Internet radio listeners.

New per performance royalty rates established by the CRB

Year Royalty
Rate Increase Year Over Year Increase Over 1999-2005
1999-2005 $0.000762
2006 $0.0008 5% 5%
2007 $0.0011 38% 44%
2008 $0.0014 27% 84%
2009 $0.0018 29% 136%
2010 $0.0019 6% 149%
 

Guildmark

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I signed the petition, which automatically forwarded it to my senators and congressman. Here's the response from one of the senators.

Dear Mr. Hermann:



Thank you for writing to me with your concerns about the Copyright Royalty Board's recent decision on the statutory rate for music webcasting. I understand your concerns and appreciate the opportunity to respond.



Under the Copyright Royalty and Distribution Reform Act of 2004, Congress - at the behest of webcasters - created the Copyright Royalty Board which consists of three judges. By law, the judges are a venue of last resort and are required to periodically set rates for various statutory copyright licenses in the event that webcasters and copyright owners are unable to reach voluntary agreements. In the absence of an agreement, the judges set a rate designed to approximate the fair-market value that webcasters should pay to artists and performers for streaming their music for the years 2006-2010. The new rate that was established is less than a 5 percent increase of the rate in effect from 1998-2005.



Although a few webcasters have recently claimed that the process was unfair, it was not arbitrary and allowed representatives from all sides to make their cases. The judges began the proceedings in 2005, and heard testimony from dozens of witnesses and conducted a comprehensive review of tens of thousands of pages of evidence submitted by all interested parties over an 18-month period.



While some webcasters may choose to pay this rate, independent negotiations between the parties are still possible and this new statutory rate would serve as the ceiling. Additionally, if it appears that the new rate will reduce the overall amount of webcasting - as well as the overall income from this stream of revenue - the copyright owners may still have an incentive to offer webcasters a rate less than the statutory rate.



I am a strong believer in intellectual property rights and believe that artists and performers have earned the right to be fairly compensated for the broadcast of their works by webcasters who benefit - financially and otherwise - from their talents. Without fair compensation, these artists would not create their works.



Once again, thank you for writing. Should legislation addressing this new rate or the rate-setting process come before the Senate, I will be sure to keep your concerns in mind. In the meantime, if you should have any additional questions or comments, please do not hesitate to contact my Washington, DC staff at (202) 224-3841.





Sincerely yours,

Dianne Feinstein
United States Senator

Further information about my position on issues of concern to California and the Nation are available at my website http://feinstein.senate.gov. You can also receive electronic e-mail updates by subscribing to my e-mail list at http://feinstein.senate.gov/issue.html.
If I read this right, she is speaking politicalese to say, 'Tough.'
 

Guildmark

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And here is what my congressman had to say. The facts sound a little different in his description, but I haven't studied it long.

April 18, 2007

Dear Mr. Hermann:

Thank you for contacting me regarding a March 9, 2007 decision
by the Copyright Royalty Board (CRB) concerning royalties to be paid
by Internet radio stations for streaming music. I appreciate hearing from
you on this issue.

As you may already know, the first Internet radio station was
developed in 1993. Since that time, with the proliferation of broadband
technology and the increased availability of the Internet to American
consumers, the prevalence and influence of Internet radio has been rising
sharply while the cost of broadcasting has dramatically declined. As a
result, Internet radio has made available a wider selection of music and
talk radio stations for listeners around the globe. At the same time,
concerns have been raised that artists and recording companies are not
being adequately compensated for their work.

Since 2002, the compensation paid by Internet radio stations to
recording artists has been determined as a percentage of the total revenue
taken in by the radio station. This arrangement was designed with an eye
toward small Internet broadcasters, ensuring that they would never have
to pay more in fees than they collected in revenue. However, under a
March 9, 2007 decision issued by the CRB, royalties owed by Internet
radio stations will now be based on either the number of times a song is
performed or the total number of hours that a station broadcasts. For
commercial webcasters, the cost of broadcasting one song will gradually
rise from $.0008 today to $.0019 by 2010. Noncommercial webcasters
will be subject to a similar fee if they broadcast for more than a certain
number of hours. Under the ruling, both commercial and noncommercial
Internet broadcasters will be subject to a minimum $500 annual licensing
fee.

Since the announcement of the CRB decision, concerns have
been raised that it will put smaller Internet radio stations out of business
as they are unable to meet the increased fees. Currently, the decision is
being appealed and the case is working its way through the judicial
process. As the consequences of this decision continue to be analyzed
and discussed, rest assured that I will keep your heartfelt concerns in
mind.

For generations, the United States has been home to men and
women of diverse opinions and differing views. Please be assured that I
will continue working to ensure that America's time-honored tradition of
free speech will continue unabated. Again, thank you for contacting me.
I hope you will remain in touch in the future on other issues of
importance to you.


Sincerely,
Gary G. Miller
Member of Congress
 

dklsplace

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A Day of Silence

This can't be good.....


A Day of Silence

Hi, it's Tim from Pandora,

I'm sorry to say that today Pandora, along with most Internet radio sites, is going off the air in observance of a Day Of Silence. We are doing this to bring to your attention a disastrous turn of events that threatens the existence of Pandora and all of internet radio. We need your help.

Ignoring all rationality and responding only to the lobbying of the RIAA, an arbitration committee in Washington DC has drastically increased the licensing fees Internet radio sites must pay to stream songs. Pandora's fees will triple, and are retroactive for eighteen months! Left unchanged by Congress, every day will be like today as internet radio sites start shutting down and the music dies.

A bill called the "Internet Radio Equality Act" has already been introduced in both the Senate (S. 1353) and House of Representatives (H.R. 2060) to fix the problem and save Internet radio--and Pandora--from obliteration.

I'd like to ask you to call your Congressional representatives today and ask them to become co-sponsors of the bill. It will only take a few minutes and you can find your Congresspersons and their phone numbers by entering your zip code here.

Your opinion matters to your representatives - so please take just a minute to call.

Visit http://www.savenetradio.org to continue following the fight to Save Internet Radio.

As always, and now more than ever, thank you for your support.


-Tim Westergren
(Pandora founder)
about pandora | privacy & terms |
 

Guildmark

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Well, last time I got a response from one senator and my congressman. This time I got a response from the other senator:

Dear Mr. Hermann:

Thank you for writing to me regarding proposed changes to the assessment of royalty fees that Internet radio broadcasters pay to musicians and record labels. I appreciate hearing from you on this issue.

As you may know, the federal Copyright Royalty Board (CRB) has released its plan for charging online radio broadcasters for royalties. The Internet Radio Equality Act of 2007 (S.1353), which was recently introduced in the Senate, would nullify the CRB's proposal and prevent the new royalties assessment plan from taking effect.

S.1353 is currently being considered by the Senate Judiciary Committee. Please be assured that I will keep your views in mind should this legislation come before the full Senate.

Again, thank you for writing to me. Please keep in touch with me about this and any other issue of concern to you.


Barbara Boxer
United States Senator

Please visit my website at http://boxer.senate.gov


I guess we wait.
 

Jeff

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Recording industry has been challenged of late, CD sales are off by a whopping 40 to 60%. Have you seen a "Tower Records" store lately.

Watched a 60 minutes type interview with one of the major bigwigs of the recording industry last night, internet has delivered the Major Recording companies the big weenie.

Along with the problem of free music sharing, Recording artists don't need the major labels nearly as much & internet is allowing Artist to make good money with less brouhaa & keep it.

Here's a quote from a back Wall St Journal Article, Boo Hoo says I:

" Selling enough records to reach gold or platinum status (500,000 and one million, respectively) is one of the music industry's most coveted accomplishments. But with sales slowing, the Recording Industry Association of America last year certified just 407 albums and singles as gold or platinum -- down from 976 in 1999. "
 

Guildmark

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Jeff said:
... the Recording Industry Association of America last year certified just 407 albums and singles as gold or platinum -- down from 976 in 1999. "
The Recording Industry is dead but doesn't know it yet. They have been too far behind the curve in embracing the internet and new technologies. Their reputation for protecting, supporting, and maintaining loyalty to their artists is abominable. Their attempts to intrude on internet radio are sad. The paradigm is shifting from buying albums to buying what one wants, one song at a time. (Can you say, "iTunes"?) The last actual CDs I bought were a couple by Smithfield Fair, on http://www.cdbaby.com. Most of the music I listen to is anthologies of selections from mostly internet sources, recorded to CD by myself. The music industry will eventually learn that our economy is market driven and that, eventually, you need to give the people what they want.
 
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