Re: Pandora :-(

["Paul Bendall" <paul@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Utter greed from the record industry. Maybe it is time to stop
buying CDs and seek out artists that are publishing their music
direct on to the internet and side-step these monsters

Paul
--- In ukha_d@xxxxxxx, "Tim" <timsyahoo@...> wrote:
>
> Anyone else get this email from Pandora?
>
> :-(
>
>
>
> Tim.
>
>
>
>
>
>  ---
>
> Quote:
>
> 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 upon the IP address from which you recently visited Pandora,
it
> appears that you are listening from the UK. If you are, in fact,
listening
> from the US, please contact Pandora Support: pandora-support@...
>
> 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)
>
> End quote
>
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>
>
> [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
>