http://news.com.com/2100-1023-946642.html
update A trio of federal lawmakers introduced a bill Friday that would eliminate potentially steep royalty payments for small Internet radio stations, many of which have said the fees would force them to close.
The bill, which had been expected for several weeks, follows a controversial June decision on rules for Webcasting in which stations were ordered to pay about .07 cent per song, per listener for the rights to play music online. Although record labels criticized the sum as too low, small Webcasters said the fees would quickly add up to thousands of dollars, driving many out of business.
Dubbed "The Internet Radio Fairness Act," the bill would exempt from royalties any business that makes less than $6 million in annual revenue, a group that would include the vast majority of online radio stations unaffiliated with a larger Internet or broadcasting company.
update A trio of federal lawmakers introduced a bill Friday that would eliminate potentially steep royalty payments for small Internet radio stations, many of which have said the fees would force them to close.
The bill, which had been expected for several weeks, follows a controversial June decision on rules for Webcasting in which stations were ordered to pay about .07 cent per song, per listener for the rights to play music online. Although record labels criticized the sum as too low, small Webcasters said the fees would quickly add up to thousands of dollars, driving many out of business.
Dubbed "The Internet Radio Fairness Act," the bill would exempt from royalties any business that makes less than $6 million in annual revenue, a group that would include the vast majority of online radio stations unaffiliated with a larger Internet or broadcasting company.
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