Music Radio on the Internet Faces Thorny Royalty Issues

MUSIC RADIO ON THE INTERNET FACES THORNY ROYALTY ISSUES
[SOURCE: New York Times, AUTHOR: Doreen Carvajal]
Internet radio sites are global by nature, streaming musical programs digitally to users all over the world. But there is no one-stop global shopping for royalty collections, which means that sites have had to negotiate separate agreements with institutions from each territory or directly with music labels. Global demand, though, respects no boundaries. The American Internet radio audience climbed to 34.5 million in March, and the share of listeners in Europe is even higher at 49.5 million, according to comScore, a marketing research company that tracks Internet traffic. The expanding market has overwhelmed the existing royalty structure. But the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry in London has just completed an international agreement to develop a more manageable way to stream across competing territories and collect royalties.
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/05/14/technology/14radio.html
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