I saw this on ORG & got the email yesterday, it's a huge blow to music
innovation and will only serve to put reliance on music sharing
networks to discover new music. On a personal note I am unsurprised at
the attitude of the music licensing industry in this country. The PRS
have a weighted algorithm and if they had it their way every company
in the UK would be paying exact fee's for radios in the workplace.
On 08/01/2008, Tim <xendistar@???> wrote:
>
> I have just received this e-mail from Pandora, it seems that due to the unfair
> demands being made by the PPL and MCPS\PRS, they intend to stop streaming to
> the UK on the 15th of this month. They also state that they are fighting for
> there survival in the US for similar reason.
>
> Below is the e-mail in full
>
> If you have never used\knew what Pandora is check out
>
> www.pandora.com
>
> Tim
>
> ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> This is an email I hoped I would never have to send.
>
> As you probably know, in July of 2007 we had to block usage of Pandora outside
> the U.S. because of the lack of a viable license structure for Internet radio
> streaming in other countries. It was a terrible day. We did however hold out
> some hope that a solution might exist for the UK, so we left it unblocked as
> we worked diligently with the rights organizations to negotiate an
> economically workable license fee. After over a year of trying, this has
> proved impossible. Both the PPL (which represents the record labels) and the
> MCPS/PRS Alliance (which represents music publishers) have demanded per track
> performance minima rates which are far too high to allow ad supported radio
> to operate and so, hugely disappointing and depressing to us as it is, we
> have to block the last territory outside of the US.
>
> Based on your email address, we believe you may be listening from the UK. If
> you are in fact listening from the U.S., please disregard this email.
>
> It continues to astound me and the rest of the team here that the industry is
> not working more constructively to support the growth of services that
> introduce listeners to new music and that are totally supportive of paying
> fair royalties to the creators of music. I don't often say such things, but
> the course being charted by the labels and publishers and their
> representative organizations is nothing short of disastrous for artists whom
> they purport to represent - and by that I mean both well known and indie
> artists. The only consequence of failing to support companies like Pandora
> that are attempting to build a sustainable radio business for the future will
> be the continued explosion of piracy, the continued constriction of
> opportunities for working musicians, and a worsening drought of new music for
> fans. As a former working musician myself, I find it very troubling.
>
> We have been told to sign these totally unworkable license rates or switch
> off, non-negotiable...so that is what we are doing. Streaming illegally is
> just not in our DNA, and we have to take the threats of legal action
> seriously. Lest you think this is solely an international problem, you should
> know that we are also fighting for our survival here in the US, in the face
> of a crushing increase in web radio royalty rates, which if left unchanged,
> would mean the end of Pandora.
>
> We know what an epicenter of musical creativity and fan support the UK has
> always been, which makes the prospect of not being able to launch there and
> having to block our first listeners all the more upsetting for us.
>
> We know there is a lot of support from listeners and artists in the UK for
> Pandora and remain hopeful that at some point we'll get beyond this. We're
> going to keep fighting for a fair and workable rate structure that will allow
> us to bring Pandora back to you. We'll be sure to let you know if Pandora
> becomes available in the UK. There may well come a day when we need to make a
> direct appeal for your support to move for governmental intervention as we
> have in the US. In the meantime, we have no choice but to turn off service to
> the UK.
>
> Pandora will stop streaming to the UK as of January 15th, 2008.
>
> Again, on behalf of all of us at Pandora, I'm very, very sorry.
>
> -Tim Westergren (Pandora founder)
>
> --
> Please post to: Hampshire@???
> Web Interface: https://mailman.lug.org.uk/mailman/listinfo/hampshire
> LUG URL: http://www.hantslug.org.uk
> --------------------------------------------------------------
>
--
Peter Brooks
KUBEradio.com - Lead Technical
Winner 'Best Online Radio' - New York Festivals 2007
Winner 'Best Internet Only Radio Station' - European Radio Awards 2007
