Washington Post: Higher Music Royalties Create Static on the Net

From the Washington Post, starting out with the doom and gloom:

Royalty payments are about to go up as the result of a decision this year by the Copyright Royalty Board, a three-judge oversight panel that is part of the Library of Congress. At the urging of SoundExchange, the board decided in March to raise fees, which will eventually triple from their current rates. The previous rates had expired.

Simson disputes the assertion that the new fees will have a destructive impact on the diversity of music available from Web-based broadcasters. Over the past three years, the online audience listening to Internet radio stations has doubled, he said.

Towards the end of the article, they shed some hope on the situation:

The Digital Media Association, a tech industry trade group, is trying to get the new royalty fees overturned under a bill called the Internet Radio Equality Act of 2007, sponsored by Reps. Jay Inslee (D-Wash.) and Donald Manzullo (R-Ill.). A similar bill was introduced in the Senate a little over a week ago, sponsored by Sam Brownback (R-Kan.) and Ron Wyden (D-Ore.).

"It's always hard to pass legislation," said Jonathan Potter, the group's executive director. But, he said, "we've gone from one sponsor to 82 sponsors [in the House] in two weeks. The energy around this issue is everywhere."

It looks like Elise and I will need to go back to Washington to do even more lobbying as well. We have to get these bills passed. Soon.