Zeno Radio has come a long way since they began. I reviewed it when it began https://part15lab.blogspot.com/2014/03/zenoradio-free-service-for-broadcasters.html?m=1
Now they call it ZenoFM, https://zeno.fm/ but what hasn't changed is that it's still a great free option instead of streaming. But now it also includes a cool automation software.
The free plan is still available
Free Plan:
Create up to 1 station
1,000 concurrent listeners
3 Podcasts/Show Recordings
200 AutoDJ Tracks
128 kbps of streaming
Basic Support
I find the site a little confusing to navigate, but heres a page that kind of spells out getting started
For future reference, also see this thread https://www.part15.org/community/postid/59260/ for more information concerning their excellent reputation.
I did a bit of research myself.
It appears that Zeno has agreements with BMI, Ascap, etc. in the U.S. No mention of any other countries.
There is also no mention of SoundExchange in the U.S., or anything similar in other countries.
They state explicitly on one of their help pages that you will need to obtain music licensing to cover your particular country. I assume that means SoundExchange in the U.S., SOCAN and others in Canada, and who knows what everywhere else (although SoundExchange might not apply in the U.S. if listeners are only going through the Zeno.fm website). It appears that they only take care of the music licensing fee and only in the U.S. from streaming via their site - not the performance fees.
They do provide what they call Royalty reports so that you can submit to your particular country's licensing body and pay the licensing fees yourself. They also provide Geo Blocking, so that if you are, say, in Britain, and only have a British copyright license, you can stop other countries from listening in. Although the law is gray on that particular problem.
This is pretty much what I thought. It would be too much to expect them to deal with every country's licensing bodies and the various copyright rules (including taking into account the Berne convention and its exceptions). It would also be too much to ask to have them take into consideration such things as Old Time radio shows (which may contain embedded music), book readings, or other, non traditional, material.
Zeno would be of no use to someone, say myself, in Canada, as I still would have to obtain a SOCAN license and pay it directly. Other than to provide a listening service, of course. Which I already have.
Maybe I've missed something. If I have, please let me know.
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I hope at least some of you had joined Zeno at some point in the last 13 years before today, because we fortunately are still grandfathered in the free plan.
For those who did snooze and lose, theres still the $15 a month option (after the 40% discount for non-profit broadcasters).
Who here took advantage of their free plan before today? Anyone?