Terrestrial Radio vs The Internet
A few minutes ago, I tweeted ArsTechnic’s story on radio broadcasters wanting congress to require mobile device carriers to include FM chips. This desire is ostensibly in response to musicFIRST & the RIAA’s attempts to get congress to repeal broadcast’s long standing royalty exemption, costing them a couple hundred million dollars.
Maybe this is radio’s chance to finally reinvent themselves. The real way around this is to stop providing free promotions for music lables, much less PAY for the privledge of doing so. Heck, the labels have been engaging in payola for forever through independent record promoters whose sole job is to pay radio stations to play the label’s music without disclosing the fact to the public, as required by law.
If radio took this chance to define themselves and play some real, creative & independent music for the people instead of the label’s “Top 40” drivel, they could avoid paying the tax altogether and maybe we’d have a reason to listen to the radio again. Personally, it’s been a decade since I’ve turned on the dial except to provide company for my puppy when we leave her home alone.
As for me, I’ll stick to my underground web radio, as played through my jesusPhone.
Easy, Ben
