Copyright Royalty Board

Would You Pay $1 a Month for Pandora?

Marisa Taylor, Tech Reporter, The Wall Street Journal in News on July 13, 2009 at 10:44 am PT

Pandora has finally emerged from a two-year battle with the Copyright Royalty Board over royalty payments for the artists of songs streamed online. And for the first time in its history, the popular streaming-music service will charge its heaviest listeners a fee for using it.

Web Radio Darling Pandora Slips the Noose, But at a Cost: Heavy Users Have to Pay. Next Up: A Big Funding Round?

Peter Kafka in Media on July 7, 2009 at 2:01 pm PT

Web radio darling Pandora has good news for its users: We’re saved! And a slightly different message for its heaviest users: Pay up. And perhaps a third message for potential investors: Want to write us a check?

Fee Increase Coming for Sirius XM Subscribers [Internal Doc]

John Paczkowski in News on June 5, 2009 at 12:58 pm PT

Sirius XM fans will see their subscription rates rise by nearly $2 this summer. According to an employee training document, the company plans to pass on to subscribers the cost of increased performance royalty rates for satellite radio instituted by the Copyright Royalty Board in 2007. Sources say the increase will amount to about $1.98-per-month when it is implemented on July 29.

Digital Music Deal Nearly Done, but Web Radio Darling Pandora Not Out of the Woods

Peter Kafka in Media on November 6, 2008 at 3:23 pm PT

Web music site operators and the music industry have worked out the major points in a deal that will reduce the fees Web site operators will pay for music streaming rights. A final deal between the Digital Media Association, which is representing the Web sites, and SoundExchange, which collects royalties on behalf of the music labels and other copyright owners, isn’t expected until later this year. But “the hard stuff has been done,” says Pandora founder Tim Westergren, who has become the public face of Webcasters during negotiations.

Weekend Update, 10/03/08

Beth Callaghan in News on October 4, 2008 at 4:49 pm PT

The week ending Oct. 3, 2008 was a momentous one, and not solely because of ongoing McCain-Obama high jinks like Tina Fey’s encore as Sarah Palin on “Saturday Night Live” or the one and only Web site where you can decide the race in a Kung-Fu Election. First and foremost, this week’s big slide on Wall Street hit tech stocks with a vengeance, too, disproving Google CEO Eric Schmidt’s assertion a little more than a week ago: “My guess is that the drama is New York and not here.” Ouch. But don’t say BoomTown didn’t warn you. Ted Ullyot, Facebook’s new general counsel, has “strong ties to the Republican Party.” Including a stint in former U.S. Attorney General Alberto Gonzales’s office, where, as chief of staff, he handled the government’s response to the the leak of CIA operative Valerie Plame’s indentity. “Ted’s arrival demonstrates we’re a little more grown up.” No word on whether or not you need to change your status immediately.”

iTunes Lives to Sell Another 5 Billion Songs

John Paczkowski in News on October 3, 2008 at 7:24 am PT

Not that it would ever have happened anyway, but Apple will not be shutting down the iTunes Store in protest over increased royalty rates paid to songwriters and publishers for CDs and digital music downloads.