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Internet Radio Fairness Act would spur innovation

The following first appeared as a Billboard.biz Guest Post I wrote as founder/CEO of AccuRadio and a member of the Small Webcaster Alliance. It appeared on Tuesday, the eve of yesterday's subcommittee hearing.

As an Internet radio broadcaster and member of the Small Webcaster Alliance, I've been involved in the issue of copyright royalty rates for Internet radio for many years. And I've seen vividly that the current royalty rate system threatens to strangle the life out of an industry that is providing both choices for consumers and opportunities for musicians.

Both...

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New Idea: "Artist Support Button"

Speaking on a panel at the Future of Music Summit in Washington D.C. earlier this week, I was surprised at the ambivalence (at best!) of musicians towards Internet radio and the opportunities it offers them to build their fan bases and advance their careers.

After all, if you're a bluegrass artist in St. Louis or a cabaret singer in San Diego or a folk-rock act in Boston, which form of radio is going to offer the most opportunities to you -- AM/FM radio, satellite radio, or Internet radio? Obviously, I think, the latter. AM/FM and satellite radio will almost certainly give you no...

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Ad insertion isn't easy

If you're a webcaster struggling with issues involving ad insertion, you can be comforted by the fact that at least you're not alone -- the multi-billion dollar corporation NBC (owned by the multi-multi-billion corporation Comcast) is having issues too.

Just as my grandmother had what she called "her shows" (e.g., the noontime soap opera "The Edge of Night"), I have my shows too. In my case, they're primarily the Thursday-night comedies on NBC (e.g., "30 Rock," "Parks and Recreation," and "The Office").

And because I'm trying to be cutting-edge, I'm trying to "cut the cord...

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The perfect thing?

After dinner last night (at Bandera on N. Michigan Ave., by the way, which is a sister brand of Houston's, at which I've probably eaten 200+ times in my lifetime and had a near-perfect meal every time, which is the subject of another column entirely), I had the opportunity to stop by an Apple Store and take a look at the new iPad mini.

My two-word review: It's amazing.

To expand on that review slightly: It's like holding in your hand the most perfect electronic device ever. It's almost unbelievably compact and lightweight, yet because the screen takes up a bigger...

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RAIN is brought to you today by:

We're happy to announce our second-annual RAIN Summit Europe industry event, May 23 in gorgeous Brussels, Belgium. We'll gather with Internet radio leaders from across Europe and around the world at the Hotel Bloom for a full day of informative panels, presentations and networking.

Our growing list of speakers and panels, and Amiando and Eventbrite registration links, can be found on our RAIN Summit Europe page. Enjoy discounted accommodations at the Hotel Bloom here by using the code RAIN230513. 

For information on sponsorsing RAIN Summit Europe, please call Jennifer Lane at 860-572-1994.

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Upcoming conferences:

May 21-22 Streaming Media East: New York
May 23 RAIN Summit Europe: Brussels
May 28 SF MusicTech Summit: San Francisco
July 17-19 Conclave 38: The Learning Conference: Minneapolis
Sept. 17 RAIN Summit East: Orlando
Sept. 18-20 NAB/RAB Radio Show: Orlando
Sept. 28 Columbia College Radio/Webcast Conf.: Chicago
Oct. 26 IBS/CUNY Kingborough Community College Media Conf.: New York
Nov. 16 IBS/Simmons College Radio/Webcast Conf.: Boston

Kurt's blog:

Internet Radio Fairness Act would spur innovation

The following first appeared as a Billboard.biz Guest Post I wrote as founder/CEO of AccuRadio and a member of the Small Webcaster Alliance. It appeared on Tuesday, the eve of yesterday's subcommittee hearing.

As an Internet radio broadcaster and member of the Small Webcaster Alliance, I've been involved in the issue of copyright royalty rates for Internet...

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