FC: Charles Platt replies to RIAA, SoundExchange on webcasting fees

From: Declan McCullagh (declanat_private)
Date: Wed May 22 2002 - 22:39:28 PDT

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    Previous Politech message:
    
    "RIAA, SoundExchange on Library of Congress webcasting decision"
    http://www.politechbot.com/p-03564.html
    
    ---
    
    Date: Tue, 21 May 2002 17:09:05 -0400 (EDT)
    From: Charles Platt <cpat_private>
    To: Declan McCullagh <declanat_private>
    Cc: politechat_private
    Subject: Re: FC: RIAA, SoundExchange on Library of Congress webcasting decision
    
    The reaction to the Librarian of Congress decision, from organizations
    that purport to represent the interests of musicians, is predictable and
    doctrinaire. Since they make no reference to the discussions and
    calculations that we have seen, demonstrating that the scale of demanded
    royalties was unreasonable and unworkable, I conclude they have no real
    interest in being reasonable. I believe the distrust of Web-based content
    distribution is so mindless and intense, the real desire is to eliminate
    it--somehow. Making it illegal is one way; making it uneconomic is
    another.
    
    Recently I became a subscriber to XM Radio, the satellite-based nationwide
    music broadcasting system. Since this service broadcasts 100 channels to a
    subscription base that is currently well below half a million listeners, I
    would guess that a channel has maybe 1000 listeners at any one time.
    This is comparable to a webcasting music service. Yet I have seen no
    reports of unreasonable demands for royalties for XM Radio, even though it
    broadcasts a wide range of music in better-than-web quality, without
    commercial interruptions (i.e. very easy to tape).
    
    I have to assume that because XM Radio is a system which seems familiar to
    the music industry (it is a centrally-controlled broadcasting system), it
    rouses less fear than the egalitarian web-based systems; and fear is the
    real issue, here. Fear of technology, and fear of consumers being allowed
    to control technology. A fair deal for musicians has nothing to do with
    it.
    
    
    
    
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