Oh Boy! RIAA, I mean the Senate, Wants Higher Royalties for Satellite Radio
A bill has been introduced to Congress which would set new rules for satellite radio, creating new rates and content protection standards similar to those of Internet radio. The legislation was sponsored by Sens. Dianne Feinstein (D-CA), Lindsey Graham (R-SC), Joseph Biden (D-DE) and Lamar Alexander (R-TN).
The bill is part of the ongoing debate over the ability of satellite radio subscribers to record high-quality, digital copies of songs directly from broadcasts. The RIAA and other organizations have spoken out against the possibility of recording directly from satellite broadcasts, and has asked for similar rules to be put into play that are in effect for Internet radio broadcasters.
The RIAA has hailed the bill, with Chairman/CEO Mitch Bainwol stating, “This early play by Sen. Feinstein and her colleagues should leave no doubt that policymakers continue to view parity among digital music services as a top priority. And a top priority it should be. Under the current system, satellite radio has been allowed to morph into a digital distribution service – shorting the creators of music, displacing licensed sales and threatening the integrity of the digital music marketplace in the process. We love satellite radio. But this is simply no way to do business. It’s in everyone’s best interest to ensure a marketplace where fair competition can thrive.â€
Update: Senator Feinstein has a press release about it. They basically want to unify the rates for different mediums, including radio on cable, satellite, and internet, but they are not going to do it with terrestrial radio. Feinstein calls it “fair market value”, and wants the broadcast hard to ’steal’, which I find hard to do with Sirius already. It’s much easier to log onto Limewire and download a song in 160 or higher bit rate, than record a song on your S50 or Stiletto at less than half the bit rate and with fades, parts of liners, or DJs talking at the beginning and end.
Thanks KTMC!