Well, it looks like the funding for my favorite online radio stations WOXY.com and the WOXY Vintage channel has run out again.
When this happened before several years ago, it was really sad, but this time it feels worse. WOXY has been played in my store since our grand opening, and the music played on their station has gotten me many a compliment.
There is talk on their forums about possible sponsoring deals that had been in the works possibly coming through, but I'm not counting on another miracle.
Long live WOXY.
BAM!
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Interesting. I guess by the time Internet radio had come along, the recording industry (may they rot in Hell, which seems likely pretty soon) had seen the writing on the wall, and they're trying to grab any revenue stream they can get their rotten, filthy, money-grubbing hands on. But I'll stop before the rant, too.
Interesting. I guess by the time Internet radio had come along, the recording industry (may they rot in Hell, which seems likely pretty soon) had seen the writing on the wall, and they're trying to grab any revenue stream they can get their rotten, filthy, money-grubbing hands on. But I'll stop before the rant, too.
I emphasized my favorite part. ;)
Mark, you're absolutely right. It's not that I don't want to pay royalties to the performers, but the current rates are, IMO, the equivalent of highway robbery. If I had to negotiate licensing agreements on my own with BMI, ASCAP and SoundExchange (who represents the labels), I would have had to put up $5000 every year, then pay an additional fee for each "performance" of a song (and how that's determined seems a bit arcane to me as well.) It gets more expensive if I wanted to air commericals. It gets even more expensive when you get the number of listeners that WOXY.com had. Never mind that most of those royalties internet broadcasters pay are never seen by the artist. The licensing agencies and record labels suck up most of that money.
The DMCA also tells me how often I can play X number of tracks from a particular album, how many times I can play a single artist per hour, and even how often I can broadcast "archived' programs. (No playing side 2 of "Abbey Road" in its entirety, or you might get sued! ) If someone requests a song through the Project 42 website, I'm not allowed to play it for one stinkin' hour. Why? Because someone thought that someone there might record it, and then share copies.
Excuse me? Has anyone with the RIAA even listened to internet streams? My stations sound good, but not as good as a CD or a high-quality MP3. Anyone remember when the RIAA wanted to ban home taping? Or when ASCAP reps were going to small businesses and demanding fees for having a radio turned on in the office? Same thing, different decade. The current efforts all just a last-gasp grab for money and power. If I didn't enjoy the music so much, I wouldn't even bother.
I'm done now. Anyone else need this soapbox?