Internet Radio Takes A Hit

Just when Internet radio was really beginning to take off, the US Copyright Royalty Board has announced a hike in playback fees. This seems like something of a knee-jerk reaction by the major publishers to new music consumption profiles sprouting up around the world – instead of embracing the changes and trying to adapt to them, they are attempting to directly quash a perceived threat to their burgeoning monopoly.

When Less Is Less

I really can’t see any benefit to anyone from such a decision, at least not in the long run – the old economic model of music production is effectively doomed, and attempting to preserve it in this manner is (at best) extremely short-sighted. Preventing Pandora from broadcasting outside the US is going to annoy a lot of people, and certainly won’t boost CD sales anywhere – in fact, it reduces people’s exposure to new artists, with a consequent reduction in the likelihood of them buying music by such new artists.

On a more positive note, Last.fm is still available to listeners in Europe, and is very user-friendly. If you are feeling the pinch of a Pandora-less existence, perhaps you should check it out.