Small Internet Radio Platforms Hurt By New Royalty Rates - Pandora May Shut Down

[DudeAsInCool]

The Battle for the Web continues:

According to The Boston Globe, "Online broadcasters like Pandora and Live365 still serve millions of listeners. But the higher rates have driven away many small online broadcasters who say they can't afford to stay in business. And even industry leader Pandora says it's in trouble. "We're at the very end of our tether," founder Tim Westergren said. "There's a very good chance that we will shut down."

"Critics of the royalty system say the result is decreasing musical diversity on the Internet. They warn of an online music industry dominated by the same giant media companies that presently dominate traditional radio broadcasting. And they point to CBS Broadcasting Inc.'s recent takeover of the Internet radio operations of Time Warner Inc.'s AOL as a harbinger of an Internet radio market rendered bland and predictable."

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[vernarial]

I knew this was coming. We can't have media distribution in more than a handful of hands, now can we. /sarcasm

[rainbowdemon]

Pandora is awesome!! I'll really miss it if it goes.

And no, Vern. We can't have that at all!!