Tomorrow in a RAIN exclusive, RAIN publisher Kurt Hanson reveals what he believes to be Internet radio's best webcast!

From CNet News.com: "Federal copyright authorities have blocked a deal between the record industry and broadcasters that would have set royalty terms for radio-station broadcasts put online.

"Broadcasters, such as radio giant Clear Channel, had agreed with the Recording Industry Association of America in late December to pay for music used online. Terms of the settlement had been kept secret, however. The Copyright Office released its decision rejecting the deal Wednesday, potentially sending the two sides back to the drawing board...

"By mid-2001, many radio stations started pulling their broadcasts offline, citing in part the confusion over these royalty payments. Internet-only Webcasters are in the middle of a long-running federal proceeding that should set their royalty payment rates by mid-March."

Read the article here.

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Clear Channel News Talk WLW-AM/Cincinnati is back streaming on the web. Recall that Clear Channel pulled all of its streams last spring in the wake of demands from AFTRA union ad talent be paid 300-percent scale for radio ads that are streamed (in RAIN here).

The station is using Hiwire technology to remove the AFTRA ads. As of yet, there is no ad-replacement/insertion, so the stream goes silent during broadcast commercial breaks. The "Listen Here" section of the site explains this phenomenon, and the fact that listening excludes Windows NT 4 and Mac users.

Clear Channel recently shuttered its CC Interactive division, and returned web initiatives to the control of individual stations.

Thanks to RAIN reader Jeff Dunn for the tip on this story.

From USA Today: "Napster, which revolutionized digital music and rocked the record industry by allowing computer users worldwide to swap songs for free, is back online starting today, for the first time since July. The catch: There's virtually no music available that you've ever heard of, and it's a test run of its new subscription service, with 100,000 songs available to only 20,000 volunteers.

"Napster, which closed after a series of setbacks in lawsuits brought by record labels and artists, plans to offer 50 downloadable songs for $5 to $10 a month from independent labels such as Vitaminic, Matador and Beggars Banquet. It goes up today 'to show the record companies that the technology works and the downloads are secure,' said Napster CEO Konrad Hilbers at a Digital Hollywood conference here [CES in Las Vegas]...

"Napster had agreed to license the MusicNet service, but has changed its mind, Hilbers says, because the labels have been receptive to settlement and licensing discussions: 'Why run their system when we have our own?'"

Read the article here.