...and the rest of the world is probably next. The United States Copyright Royalty Board has basically accepted the big business position, and raised internet radio royalty rates to punitive, indeed destructive levels. Some major details are at http://www.broadcastlawblog.com/archives/internet-radio-copyright-royalty-board-releases-decision-rates-are-going-up-significantly.html

The rates set by the Board for commercial webcasters, including broadcasters retransmitting their over-the-air signals on the Internet, are as follows:

2006 - $.0008 per performance

2007 - $.0011 per performance

2008 - $.0014 per performance

2009 - $.0018 per performance

2010 - $.0019 per performance

The minimum fee is $500 per channel per year. There is no clear definition of what a "channel" is for services that make up individualized playlists for listeners.

For noncommercial webcasters, the fee will be $500 per channel, for up to 159,140 Aggregate Tuning Hours (one listener listening for an hour) per month. Noncommercial webcasters who exceed that level pay at the commercial rate for all listening in excess of that limit.
The decision also removes most reductions for non-commercial webcasters.

A discussion of the implications is at http://www.save-internet-radio.com/2007/03/02/save-internet-radio/

The RIAA has been trying to put non-commercial radio station out of business for years. This has been done, so far, with restrictive rules that prevented the playing of music in traditional ways by used by alternative, independent radio stations, including PBS and university stations. The RIAA wants to dictate what music listeners can hear and how they are allowed to hear it. The end of internet radio? Maybe not. The end of free internet radio free of corporate interference? Definitely. Internet radio will go the way of FM and be nothing but "Top 40" dreg that record companies want to force on the public. How sick is that? Get ready for "big brother" top forty to arrive at an internet service near you. :rolleyes: