Internet radio Stream Licensing

Part 15 and ALPB member, Lefty Gomez, had informed us it is more cost effective to license your terrestrial radio station and run the stream as an add on.  For some reason it is supposed to be less expensive that way.

Perhaps Lefty can chime in on this thread.

I inquired with your stream licensing company regarding simulcasting on the web and an LPFM station.  Here is their response:

"Congratulations on obtaining a LPFM CP. Unfortunately our agreements with the PRO's won't include the LPFM station and since the agreements are for Internet Radio Only, they would only be helpful to you on the Internet stream if it was separately owned so that it was completely split off from your terrestrial station."

Perhaps they would consider a license free station differently.

I always like to post about the differences between Canadian and U.S. rules, for those here in Canada.

I run an unlicensed radio station, both over the air and internet streaming, under the BETS rules in Canada.

SOCAN here licenses the internet stream (I can't recall the exact license but I can look it up if anyone is interested) and when I inquired about the over-the-air component, they didn't care - they figured that the range was so short under the BETS rules that I only needed to worry about the streaming.

Good for me and Canadians.  Internet streaming licensing here is based on revenue, with a $100 minimum per year licensing fee.  If you don't have any revenue (like me, at least right now), then you just pay that $100.

Ok i am in the United states Alabama do i need any licens to run a part 15 radio station? and how far or how big can my fm transmitter go and what can i play on the radio

You do not need a license for a Part 15 AM or FM station in the United States.

You do need to comply with the Part 15 rules to be legal.

Part 15 FM is severly limited in range.  Perhaps a few hundred feet if the transmitter/antenna is mounted above the surrounding structures.  Ground mounted you may go a couple hundred feet.  Part 15 FM is regulated by field strength which measurment is normally beyond the average users means.

Part 15 AM using an antenna (Part 15.219) is regulated by transmitter final stage input power (100 milliwatts) and combined length of antenna, antenna lead wire and ground wire which is 3 meters (about 10 feet.)  Usable range to a car radio is about 3/4 to 1.5 miles for a good installation.  Typical range to a car radio is 1/4 to 3/4 miles.

There are other AM configurations such as carrier current and leaky cable but most choose to use an antenna.

Programming can be as you like but it is recommended you observe FCC rules about indecency.  Also, use common sense so as not to offend listeners which would lead to a visit.

You don't need a license for anything in Alabama. 🙂

You don't need a license to stream or

broadcast Indie (Indepenent) music, isn't that right?

Or is there something I don't know or

haven't heard lately?

There sure is a lot of indie music out there now.

Bruce

Probably everyone today understands the expression "indie music," but to be sure, here is what I understand it to be.

"Indie" stands for "independent," and more... I think it means "independent from the major record labels and music licensing organizations.

But I don't think all indie music is necesarilly open for use, it might have its own copyright conditions expressed on their CD or website.

A lot of it is CC (Creative Commons), making it available for noncommercial use and there are several flavors of CC... for example "With Attribution" means you must identify the source of the music, and "No Derivative Works" means you can't combine the indie track in your own mix tape or use it under a commercial.

Indie music is not from Indiana, India, nor any of the Indian Nations of America.

archive.org is one of many sources for tons of indie music.

Indie music by a musician named Bob Indie would be a whole other thing.

To setup and operate an internet radio station can be done for free other than paying for your internet connection unless you're mooching your neighbors WIFI.

There is free software available to play the audio, generate a stream and serve/host from your own PC.  There are even free hosting services which serve the stream to your listeners while you only send one stream to the hosting service.  Listen2MyRadio.com is one such free hosting service.

Most if not all INDIE music is royalty free however unless the source specifically states that it would be a good idea to inquire with the artist/owner of the music to be sure.

And of course producing your own, either music or talk, avoids that issue.  There are plenty of Talk format shows that are free for the asking also.  SETI's Big Picture Science, Planetary Society Planetary Radio, The Radio Dan Show and many others to name a few.

I still play piano a little, and I used to sing.

I can talk about almost anything.

Yup.  I could produce my own programming.

It wouldn't be very good...

HOWEVER, somebody could produce a few good

programs about almost anything and run them

over and over, or whatever.   

It would be original, anyway.

There was a streaming station called

Parumph Radio.  It was located in

Parumph, Somewhere and I heard it

a few times.  They were streaming, but

they might have had a Part 15 transmitter

running, too. 

Anyway, there were 2 guys on talking about

their town, and the local things that happened

there.  I had no idea what these guys were talking

about, but they were funny and entertaining anyway.

So I listened. 

Yup.  It can be done. 

Bruce

Wow, I checked "Indie Music" at Wikipedia and am blown away by how big the subject really is.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indie_music

The ALPB was organized to, among other things, network Member Stations to make programming produced by Member Stations available to each other.

So far our Top Producer Member Station is Carl Blare's KDX Worldround Radio.  Carl has a number of shows available for use by Member Stations, The Low Power Hour being one of his very popular shows.

The Low Power Hour, Blare On Air, Blair On Air Lite and others are available for the asking.

You know what? I just realized, our programs are INDIE productions, because Worldround Radio is independent! What with Independence Day coming up soon!

Yeah, there is a lot of good programming out there. 

It really is a good thing. 

I didn't even mention Carl's work in my original post

because it is so well known and is so useful to the cause.   

Bruce