Petteri Pyyny
9 May 2002 12:41
Group of webcasting companies, more than twenty of them, are going to speak to the members of the U.S. Congress today and tomorrow trying to make their point of view heard in the dispute over webcasting royalties.
Webcasters' have raised their opinions earlier as well, last time was in last week when numerous net radio stations turned their streaming off for 24 hours to protest against U.S. Copyright Office's proposed royalty rates for webcasts.
Webcasters say that the proposed rate of $0.0014/listener/song would kill most of the webcasters immediately, because for most, that rate is appx. 2 times higher than their revenues are from one song/listener.
Librarian of Congress is required to set the royalty rates for webcasters by 21st of May.