You want my opinion? Webcasters should pay EXACTLY THE SAME amount that traditional broadcasters pay for over-the-air radio. What is this amount? Zero. And why? Because radio has "proven promotional value" for the artists and the labels. Is webcasting any different? They have commercials, DJs, etc. They ARE radio stations, just delivered to the user in a slightly different fashion. Why should they be treated any differently? They also provide promotional value to the labels.

Of course, there ARE rules, about what songs the radio station can play, and when. You're not typically allowed, for example, to play an album end-to-end. The same rules should apply to webcasters.

What's next? Is digitial satellite radio also going to be required to pay a fee for the songs they broadcast?

What the RIAA is doing is taking advantage of a new technology to impose new rules on an old game. They can't force royalty payments on FM broadcasters, so they're trying to change the rules with the new guys, in the hopes that people will eventually forget what the old status quo was.

Just burns me up...

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Matthew J. Hill
matt@idsi.net