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June 21, 2007, 02:04 PM ET
Radio Silence, Just for a Day
Many college radio stations have already closed up shop for the summer, but even some of those that are still broadcasting might not make much noise on the Net next Tuesday. A group of Internet-radio operators are planning a “day of silence” to protest the increased royalty fees Webcasters are expected to start paying in July.
The protest has been spearheaded by commercial broadcasters and influential public-radio stations like KCRW, from Southern California. But thousands of stations are expected to participate, according to CNET’s News Blog, so it’s possible that a number of college stations will refrain from playing music online as well.
SoundExchange, the group that collects royalties for the recording industry, has argued that the fee hikes will not drive small-scale Webcasters — a group that includes many college stations — offline. But some college broadcasters say they may be forced to cap their stations’ online audiences to afford the new royalty rates. —Brock Read
Categories: Company-Watch, Student-Life
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