Our support of this bill comes from a very simple place:
1) I, and we as a company, believe artists should be paid for the value they provide radio (in all of its forms). In spite of the rough negotiation we've been through, we've NEVER suggested Pandora shouldn't pay royalties - only that we should pay less than the rates established by the 2007 CRB ruling. Artists deserve compensation. It's fair and it's the right thing to do.
2) It's wrong that different forms of radio pay different amounts. The bill includes language establishing parity across all radio. We compete directly for listeners, and we provide all of the same benefits to artists that broadcast radio does. There's no justification for the inequity.
These are the reasons we are supporting this bill.
It is of course true that we compete with broadcast radio - so advocating for a royalty that negatively impacts their business can be seen as a competitive swipe. But that's not what this is about.
Tim (Founder, Pandora)
Techdirt has not posted any stories submitted by TimW.
from Pandora
Our support of this bill comes from a very simple place:
1) I, and we as a company, believe artists should be paid for the value they provide radio (in all of its forms). In spite of the rough negotiation we've been through, we've NEVER suggested Pandora shouldn't pay royalties - only that we should pay less than the rates established by the 2007 CRB ruling. Artists deserve compensation. It's fair and it's the right thing to do.
2) It's wrong that different forms of radio pay different amounts. The bill includes language establishing parity across all radio. We compete directly for listeners, and we provide all of the same benefits to artists that broadcast radio does. There's no justification for the inequity.
These are the reasons we are supporting this bill.
It is of course true that we compete with broadcast radio - so advocating for a royalty that negatively impacts their business can be seen as a competitive swipe. But that's not what this is about.
Tim (Founder, Pandora)
Techdirt has not posted any stories submitted by TimW.
Submit a story now.