I’ve been a little occupied with a lot of things in the last few days, so forgive the lateness of this link, as I catch up with what others are saying.

Ted Leibowitz of BAGeL Radio ponders whether the left hand at the record labels knows what its right hand is doing. Ted also brings us back a few decades to remind us we’ve all been here before.

BAGel Radio: It’s Hollywood vs. The VCR All Over Again

SoundExchange, arguing for the rate increase, says that internet radio provides no promotional benefit to artists. SoundExchange is made up of record label executives.

If internet radio provides no promotional benefit to artists, why do record labels, radio promo companies (hired by record labels), and bands send 30-50 CDs a week for airplay consideration on BAGeL Radio?

One industry hand clearly doesn’t know what the other is doing, and despite this obvious inconsistency, a government entity called the Copyright Royalty Board adopted the rates and payment structure recommended by SoundExchange . . . almost to the letter.

Some of you will remember that industry has tried to kill/regulate new technology in the past: the music industry freaked out about CD-burning computers in the 1990s, the film & television industries freaked out about VCRs in the 1980s, the music industry freaked out about cassette recording in the 1970s…well, here we go again, only this time the medium is so new and far-reaching, the industry remains Mr. Magoo-like in it’s inability to see the big picture, and the government is so comfortably seated deep in the warm, lush pockets of big business, that the music industry is getting it’s short-sighted, ultimately self-defeating way.

Independent internet radio will die if this decision is not reversed.

I wonder if some of the ‘brilliant minds’ at the RIAA are taking a verbal motif from Battlestar Galactica just a little too seriously: All of this has happened before, and all of it will happen again.

Well, the first part we can certainly agree on. And when we get this crazy situation resolved, can we ever trust it won’t happen again? Only time will tell.

Ted also notes some interesting statistics here:

Did you know that 1 in 5 U.S. consumers 12 and over listen to internet radio?

The new semi-annual study from Bridge Ratings & Research indicates the number of monthly Internet radio* listeners nationwide has jumped 26% over last year and has increased to 72 million monthly listeners from 45 million at the end of 2005.

Do you think any ClearChannel money/muscle might be involved in this push to eliminate independent broadcasters?

Now that kind of information does make one pause and think a bit.
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Some SOIR site news: I’ll be adding a new page to the site in the next day or so, to link to selected media reporting on the ongoing events as they happen.

Also, watch for our first posting of a submitted story from an Internet radio listener shortly. We hope to make your stories on how Internet radio has affected you a regular feature.