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Internet Radio On The Rocks


I was a strong supporter of Pandora when they came out, so I'm a know proponent of internet radio. So, obviously, the recent problems facing them all is very troubling to me. I think I am even more troubled by the revealing of the RIAA's SoundExchange organization and their policy and terrible legal right to collect royalties for non-members, and force them to join the RIAA and pay fees to collect those royalties. No musician is legally allowed to opt out of this, meaning no musician has the right to make direct deals with internet radio organizations or to allow their works to be used for free. According to these laws, even royalties on public domain works would be collected, and SoundExchange would just pocket the cash. If it were just bad policies it would be one thing, but their lobbyist have made this our law.

Organizations like the RIAA are effectively allowing monopolies. They and SoundExchange might be supposedly independent, but its far from reality.
These laws effectively forbid any competing or alternative organization of recording artists and labels to form, because they would be forced to just be members of the RIAA to collect on royalties. Such organizations are just what we need. When we have them, there is a front face to fight against the RIAA's tactics.

Many artists have shown a growing disdain against the RIAA. Days are numbered.
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