Shaken Internet Radio Stations Face Specter of New Fees... will be forced to close down?

The D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals has refused to stop an increase in royalty and broadcasting fees, jeopardizing the future of some stations. As a result of the decision, handed down Wednesday, fee increases will take effect in two days.

The Copyright Royalty Board , which is part of the Library of Congress , decided in March to almost triple royalty rates by 2010 and impose an annual $500 fee per station or channel. The decision was urged by SoundExchange, an organization created by the recording industry.

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In recent months, some smaller Web stations shut down in anticipation of the higher fees. More say they will close as a result of the court decision.

Web radio stations and their listeners have been lobbying Congress to pass legislation that would void the Copyright Royalty Board's decision and use a system that would assess royalties based on a station's revenue. But there has not been any legislative action on the proposal.

The four largest Internet-radio providers -- Pandora, Yahoo , Rhapsody and Live365 -- have tens of millions of channels among them. Pandora can afford to pay fees on Sunday but will continue to lobby Congress for changes, said founder Tim Westergren.

"This is just about the artists getting paid fairly," said Richard Ades, spokesman for SoundExchange. "Artists and labels just want a fair share of the pie."

"Nobody wins when Internet radio gets shut down, including artists who ostensibly are being represented by SoundExchange, the organization pushing for high rates," Westergren said. "It's ironic. If SoundExchange gets their way, it means less money for musicians because people will cease to pay royalties all together."

Today about 70 million people a month listen to Internet radio and thousands of unknown artists depend on webcasts to promote their music, according to the SaveNetRadio, a coalition of artists, labels, listeners and webcasters lobbying Congress.

Jun Mayol , 40, a web designer in Kuwait, doing DJ as a hobby, from Cebu, Philippines, faces the big decision to shut down his Philippine Love Radio station his operation when he found out it would cost him $2,000 a month to operate. Jun had 20,000 listeners a month.

"I never made a cent," he said. "It was a labor of love. Everything has to be paid from my pocket. It is about a Filipino love song geek playing music for the Filipinos in the Philippines and abroad." He is broadcasting from Kuwait.

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KissYa Radio Celebrates its 7th Anniversary

The charismatic Filipino web designer, Jun Mayol , for whom time has little significance, still hunts down the guest book and emails from those happy Filipino listeners from around the world.

"It's been KissYa's Radio 7th Anniversary, more and more Filipinos are coming to listen this philippine radio station" Jun Mayol said. "Kabayans are finding their way to the website, the more the happier and excited I get, but bad for my pocket ..." jokingly he added. KissYa Radio is the No.1 most listened Philippine radio in Live365-Filipino.

Running an online streaming is a very expensive business. The more listeners on the stream, the more bandwidth is needed to accomodate the demand and somebody has to pay for it! Since enception in 2000, Jun Mayol is viewed as the stations figure head having spent years of effort and much of his own money trying to sustain the unsustainable keeping the Philippine radio online.

On the one hand he clearly made various decisions in steering his Pinoy radio station and some even created damaging situations. But conversely, he remains true to his ideals. While he could at any time in the last 7 years, sold the website and achieved a lucrative amount for it, he could not allow the radio station be swallowed up by big business.

Certainly there ought to be room in the whole range and spectrum in the world of Philippine internet radios for just one station to have the delightful eccentricity of presenting excellent all Filipino Artist music programmes simply because he enjoy doing so, whilst promoting the feeling of home even if you are away from it.

Since gaining our Live365.com listing in February 14, 2000 KissYa Radio , the Philippine Love Radio has continued to received a flow of e-mails from past listeners who have rediscovered this online pinoy radio. Some haven't heard the radio station, while others were vaguely aware the station still broadcasts, but didn't know where to find us. We thought it would be fun to dedicate a page of our web site to these 'returnees' and give them a big warm welcome back!
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Guest Book : Sign and post messages to fellow working kabayans all over the world over the Best Philippines Radio Station... California, New York, Sydney, Tokyo, Hongkong... KissYa Radio!