just a small tip for everyone. while webpages for your station are a nice addition the evil empire know as bmi, sesac and ascap use those websites to locate stations.
just a small tip for everyone. while webpages for your station are a nice addition the evil empire know as bmi, sesac and ascap use those websites to locate stations.
i still haven’t mine running yet but if/when i do my personal preference will be to not put up a website.
not criticizing it’s just a tip you all might not have been aware of.
if they do contact you…
tell them in a polite manner to basically go pound salt. if you are not a business and are running a single site transmitter from your private home it’s considered fair use and your little part 15 is nothing more than an extension of your stereo under the law.
also you all already realize the fcc cruises these forums don’t believe for one second that they don’t visit station websites as well.
it’s not paranoia or fear mongering just fact.
ask your self why create unnecessary aggravation for yourself if you can avoid it?
also adding a stream can expose you to the wrath of the evil empire as well.
so if you want a website be smart about it.
put a copy of 15.219 and/or 15.221 on your site and state you operate under these rules and a disclaimer that you are not subject to music rights fees under fair use.
make use of flash and images for text this keeps these agencies keyword crawlers at bay.
don’t be stupid and put any identifiable info on your site that gives a location or any personal details that can be used to id you or your location.
again this does not imply
again this does not imply illegal activity it is simply an added measure to keep your aggravation to a minimum. many of us have families who would not understand a federal agent knocking on the door asking to see your station or getting calls from bmi, sesac or ascap and it may cause domestic problems.
ultimately it’s your choice of what you want to do and how much of a possibility of aggravation you wish to expose yourself to.
i armed you with info you may not have known.
Fair Use?
In response to:
put a copy of 15.219 and/or 15.221 on your site and state you operate under these rules and a disclaimer that you are not subject to music rights fees under fair use.
if you are not a business and are running a single site transmitter from your private home it’s considered fair use and your little part 15 is nothing more than an extension of your stereo under the law.
I ask how do you know that this is accurate advice? It could be useful information but it would be helpful if there were some citations for the legal basis.
The idea that a part 15 transmitter is an “extension of one’s stereo” may well be valid but if the signal can be received by others, intended or not, this exemption may be questionable.
Neil
part 15 under the law is a mr
part 15 under the law is a mr microphone regardless of what range enhancements modern technology and design currently gives it. its still currently classified under the law as an extension of your stereo unless it is attached to or run as part of a business its fair use. when its run under a business its the business use and not the the use of a part 15 device that the fees are for. if this was the case than they could extort money from you for using an fm tx to send music from your ipod to stereo. its only common sense.
Mainstream Madness
This is why it is advisable to not run mainstream stuff, for various reasons other than what is noted in this blog.
For one, there are a gazillion net stations out there running mainstream stuff, some of which boast listener counts as high as 50,000 plus each day.
Second, your local stations are playing that mainstream junk.
Third, the range of Part 15 stuff is just not worth messing with airing mainstream music if your intention is to have an audience.
Best to just run independent material. No worries, no problems, none of the above.
RFB
If you are broadcasting,
If you are broadcasting, arguably have a radio station, and you want to avoid trouble, either with copyright holders or the FCC, then it’s fairly simple, in my opinion. Get a copyright license if the rights to the material you are putting on the air are not in the public domain – in North America, it’s easy and relatively inexpensive. And operate within the unlicensed rules of your country – in the U.S., Part 15, in Canada, BETS or RSS210, etc.
If you are operating within the laws of your country, then there’s no reason to hide. In fact, if you ARE hiding, then what’s the point of having that radio station – I thought that the purpose of all of this was alternative programming and wanting others in the community (and if you have an Internet stream, potentially around the world) to listen? If you just want to listen to your broadcasts yourself, there are much easier ways and cheaper ways to do it.
I’ve also found that others out there are very interested of what you are doing. Particularly other media, including community newspapers, even licensed radio stations. When it first started up, Artisan Radio was mentioned positively in a national radio show on the CBC, Canada’s public radio station. And we were featured prominently in one of the daily Vancouver newspapers. Guess what – the sky didn’t fall in! In fact, exactly the opposite.
But I think the most important thing is that if you are truly concerned, get some real legal advice from experts in the field.
200/yr per agency is fine and
200/yr per agency is fine and dandy if you are running it as a business and making a little money to offset the costs whole other game if its a hobby from home and you live off of a minimal fixed income.
i personally can not afford to pay these sharks extortion money to the tune of 600/yr – 50/mo total to all three. not for something that makes me no income and is a hobby and maybe if i am lucky will cover my small apartment complex and realistically no one operating these stations should have to unless there is income being generated to offset those costs. its not a matter of legal or illegal. its a matter of headache reduction. can you imagine having the wife on one side giving you an evil face with arms crossed while the fcc guy is on the other side asking you questions? i think that is part of why i am so slow in trying to get my station up and running. i do not want to have to deal with the headache of an fcc visit while the YL is home.