Internet Radio Stations are Saved! (Until 2009)

Popular internet music sites like Pandora and Last.FM have been granted a stay of execution by our elders in Congress. Yesterday, Congress passed the Webcaster Settlement Act, which, according to Consumerist:

Gives Internet radio stations like Pandora until February 2009 to reach a new royalty agreement with copyright holders; if they meet the deadline, the government will not interfere, which is great news since it was the gov’s Copyright Royalty Board (CRB) that set the current market-killing fees in the first place.

Now, President Bush has to sign it, and then the websites and the nightmarish RIAA have to play nice to eek out a deal. So for now, take a deep breath, kick back, and enjoy some free streaming music through your internet’s tubes. If you’re new to this, try these, for starters: Pandora, Last FM.
Story via Consumerist

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