Pandora Radio, sad news
A few months ago I discovered Pandora Radio…it was a fantastic site that allowed me to enjoy music that I hadn’t heard of before. But then something happened. New draconian license fees basically stopped Pandora and other internet radio stations streaming to outside of the USA, and even their US domestic market has suffered financially. However, Pandora hoped that discussions with PPL and the MCPS/PRS Alliance would allow a financially-sustainable service to the UK so Pandora did not block the UK.
But today I got an e-mail from Pandora with some really sad news. This is part of the text:
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.
So there it is. One of the most exciting and innovative companies has been forced to block streaming to everyone outside of the USA. I’m sure Pandora will continue fighting for what is right but they will need support from others. Remember, Pandora are a fully legal company and do not promote any forms of piracy. They do pay royalty fees. They’re the good guys.
Copyright © 2008 Kulvinder Singh Matharu - All Rights Reserved
