Progressive rock is the same thing Carl. And not only that but as you mentioned things R going to start getting crazy for small webcasters. The fact that nobody was there to argue the point that in agreement needs to be made for small and hobby webcasters amazes me. However when someone like myself wants to start a petition we're told to hold are horses and see what happens. This is crazy and zould hurt all small and hobby Internet radio broadcasters. I think more people need to step up to the plate and stop depending on someone else to do the leg work for you. When I get back from my vacation I will be talking to the staff at stream licensing and see if there is a group working on this matter. The only other alternative is to find I'm off shore server in Czechoslovakia and Broadcast with it. From my research there is no copyright laws there. In fact I do know a free SHOUTcast server in Czechoslovakia. But problem is its first come first serve and when you stop broadcasting someone else can take it over. So what you would have to do is find a free static website in that country and store your. Pls files where which contain your stations stream URL. But when you advertise on any us-based Radio directories would then bring you back to US law. So you could only be on offshore Radio directories. I'm hoping it doesn't come to that point. But I will save my station at almost any cost.
This recent commentary was linked for us by Johny C. of Ragland FM:
the powers that be, politicians and the 1%, don't want the free flow of communications because it is tantamount to free speech and they abhor freedom of speech because it often goes against their political an fiancial interests.
this is why the putsh to lock down the internet and regulate and meter connections.
here is a petition i signed,,,
http://www.gopetition.com/petitions/opposition-to-copyright-royalty-boards-decision-on-hr-1733.html
also posted to FB and tweeted
i'm not good at petition writing but maybe someone should do a whitehouse.gov petition through the whitehouse website. might gain more steam and hold more weight with the administration.
Here is the 2-page Stautory License Fact Sheet PDF from SoundExchange.
For me it didn't print right, many alphabets are little blue squares, and even at that I find it to be confusing and not bery helpful:
If we who stream want to be taken seriously, we have to avoid using language that makes us sound like three-cornered-hat-wearing zealots ready to occupy a government building.
Let's be real. The new royalty rates have nothing to do with "free speech". Speech is still free. Say what you want and stream it.
It has everything to do with paying artists what (someone thinks) they are worth.
I agree that the rates are too high for small webcasters -- who are really doing no harm playing and promoting the music of many of these artists. But to say it quelches free speech is going to be received by our lawmakers with a roll of the eye and a loud "oh, come on".
Let's keep the arguments real.
For those who think that Canada is a mecca for hobbyist or small broadcasters, here are some things I just found out.
Our former Prime Minister, just before he was booted out of office, RETROACTIVELY increased the copyright on performances from 50 years to 70 years with absolutely no public consultation (it was part of his party's final budget).
And the TPP (Trans Pacific Partnership) free trade agreement, which Harper also negotiated, will extend all copyrights on all songs themselves, I believe retroactively, from 50 years to 70 years (it already is 70 years for songs written after some date which I can't recall). Canada caved on this one due to pressure from the U.S., while New Zealand managed to get implementation delayed 8 years.
Plus, in another legal article I just read, there are up to 6 regulatory bodies in Canada that have a hand in broadcast licensing (over-the-air and webcasting) - in addition to SOCAN and ReSound, there is at least the CMRRA and apparently another 3 lurking about.
Bah. Humbug.
Here's the thing. If you're a "small hobby webcaster" you still have the same POTENTIAL audience as a mega giant corporation. Every single person who has access to the big guy has access to you. The playing field is exactly the same. Once it's on the web, it's available worldwide. Many here talk about how their programming is so much better than the "crap" that the big corporate guys are churning out. So, theoretically, you're doing it because you expect to draw an audience because your programming, comentary, music selection, etc is so much better than the repetitious pop crap churned on on so many stations. But then you turn around and say "but I'm just a little guy who shouldn't have to pay as much". Same potential audience, and you're insisting your product is better. Yet you're the little guy looking for a break in the rate.
There's the big difference. At least when you're broadcasting with a Part 15 station your audience is quite limited compared to even a puny 250 watt AM daytime station. So the argument for a break in music licensing makes sense.
When you're on the web, you have the same potential as a commercial broadcaster. It levels the playing field. Just like a small business can reach the world with their product on the internet. A small webcaster can also reach the world. Is your pitch really "I'm a small hobby webcaster. My music and programming skills suck so bad that no one is really going to be listening so I should get a lower rate"?
There's the problem.
TIB
You're right in one sense, Tim.
Webcasters do have the POTENTIAL to reach the world. But the big problem is having listeners find you. There are just so many internet streaming stations 'out there'. There's probably a better chance to have someone pick your station up over-the-air as they drive by in their car.
I actually don't mind the fees as a whole. What I do mind is the continuous changing of the rules regarding copyright to appease the big boys. It's common knowledge that the copyright rules were changed in the U.S. regarding films to keep the early Disney movies from falling into the public domain. And as I posted earlier, Canada has now changed the rules retroactively, making it that much more difficult and complicated (and expensive) to broadcast BOTH over the air and stream.
It's funny. What the FCC has failed to do with technical requirements (i.e., keep Part 15 broadcasting range limited to 200 feet, essentially your household), the various copyright regulatory bodies will succeed with, due to economics. Unless you're running a Part 15 station as a business, it just isn't worth it anymore to attempt to broadcast to others as a hobbyist.
Humor me. Can those who stream (or streamed) tell me what you cost per month was prior to the first of the year, and what it is (or would have been) after the first of the year?
I've never streamed, and may never. But I'm curious. At the two commercial stations I work for the rate has not changed and it's not prohibitive.
I see Stream Licensing is offering streaming, legally, for $39.50 a month. To me this would not be prohibitive.
I exchanged emails with one Part 15 broadcaster (who is not on this forum) and he said his cost would have gone from $24.95 a month to "$3500.00 a month depending on how many songs I playand how many listeners I have" which I suspect to be a bit overblown unless he's planning on thousands and thousands of listeners.
But Stream Licensing is saying $39.50 And of course it goes up from there depending on listenership I'm sure. I doubt that any of us would have so many listeners that it would go to much more.
So, anyone have actual hard numbers for THEIR stream?
TIB
While Tim is correct in saying internet radio has worldwide reach, there IS a limiting factor. That limit is simply how many connections the server can support at one time. The Big guys can have thousands at one time on one server, versus my servers for example which max out at 25 and 10.
To be totally honest, I think a LOT of this is knee-jerk reaction. The costs don't seem that high to me.
Remember that people screamed murder when gas went up to 25 cents.
It all depends on where your income comes from. For most people that don't have the drive or the personality to really crush it, they're not going to do well. It's not impossible to make money streaming, but your competition is stiff (Pandora, Spotify, Apple Music). You have to ask yourself why people would listen to you when there are so many other solutions out there.
Or maybe this will usher in an era of pirate internet radio. Then you'll see the board fix those royalty rates pretty fast.
Let me try and clear the air for you on the rates. $39 from $22.50 for the Basic tier is a HUGE JUMP. I had to up my license because I got more than 10 simultaneous listeners per hour. It all goes by ATH. The next old level was $40 and now I have to pay $80+ per month just for a royalty license. Now you add the cost of a server and your on your way to a very expensive hobby. A good server can cost you $25/mo for a premium server that is a server that isn't shared with other stations like a value pack server is. Djc Media can help you in the cost of royalties, but you'll have to play 2 minutes of commercials every 4th song like I do to survive. I'll expect a huge gathering of Pirate Internet Radio stations in the future with servers outside the USA as a backlash from their decision to snub small webcasters. Already I have seen in the Internet Radio discussions on LinkedIn talking about this. So if you have only 8 simultaneous listeners it may not effect you, but a station like The Legacy it surely does and therefore I have to ask for donations every 4th song to support my station. It makes you sound like a street beggar so I have to sort of make it sound professional at the same time. If I want to be on all the Radio directories I have to be legal or I can't be listed in many of them.
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Percentage-wise that's a big jump. Even more so jumping to the next level at $80 a month.
It may be time to sell ads on your station. I get .30 per spot (less for people who buy a large package). 300 ads a month would cover your cost. That's only 10 spots per day. That's nothing. I'm running more than 400 spots a day, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. This is FAR less than commercial radio does. Probably 15-20% of those are not paid for -- they're freebies for local merchants and PSA's. I still get 3-4 songs in a set, and you'd need FAR less to cover your costs. (My songs are probably shorter than yours LOL)
I don't stream so I don't have those costs. My regular expenses are $15 a month for Feature Story News, $5 a month for a station phone, about $300 or so (yearly) for BMI, rent on the store front on main street, a weekly ad in the paper, I also advertise/support the local high school by advertising on their sports posters, I sponsor posters for the local Farmers Day Festival in September, plus random doodads I buy for the station, including adding to the music library regularly. That plus whatever power it takes to run the Procaster and an iMac (which isn't much).
I'm quite happy to run commercials. Most of the ads I run that are paid for are from internet based businesses, book authors, mail order stuff, heck even some psychics! They're all quirky enough that they're entertaining and they change often enough that they don't get old.
You could also seek "memberships" like public radio does. Come up with some perks for those who join. Hit up some locals for freebies you can give as gifts to supporters. Make up an email newsletter and send it out. I could think of basically free promotions forever. it's a lot of $$ when you have to pay it, but that's not a lot to drum up from listeners and businesses in the area.
TIB
TIB
Being that Deltaville, VA is small I might get some folks who want to pay to advertise for them or they may Donate to the station. Maybe the LandLored at Fishing Bay estates will like my idea of the close range station for the complex and want to announce up coming events at the complex. She may see the value in the hobby station and take money off the rent lol. Even if not it could be a great way to make friends in the neighborhood. How many complex's have a community Radio station in them? So on top of Djc Media's AdsWizz I can throw a local ad or two or a PSA. I run my station small from my Laptop. When I get moved in I'll need to invest in a y adapter and a 2nd patch cord going from 1/8th inch to 1/8th inch mail so I can run the Talking House 5.0 along with the Whole House FM 3.0. Later I will buy an EQ for the AM transmitter to make it more in line with the Album Rock quality sound. As far as length of songs? Some Progressive Rock songs can be 20 minutes long such as Genesis – Supper's Ready or King Krimson – In the cort of the crimson King.