RED ALERT to Avian

[Avian(Admin)]

Whoa, Whoa, whoa everyone. I'm just used broadcast as a general term to distinguish between what we are and what Napster is. In today's terms, we are a webcast. Napster is not. This decision has nothing to do with the earlier reference someone was making to the RIAA clamping down on Napster and its clones.

Never mind the American legal system's definition of a broadcast and a webcast. They certainly aren't the gold standard defining what it is, what you can do with it, and why, especially considering their double-standard when it comes to sex and violence contained in such broadcasts.

Just because it goes through your walls, it's still just as pervasive as internet broadcasts. You still need electricity (which most of the world does not have) - which is almost always provided by a battery (you need to go out and buy those), or a -cable- routed to your home, and a special electronic device to receive and translate those radio signals into sound. As far as I know, Howard Stern has been coursing through my body for years, although I've never heard him without my "special box" that's powered by a chemical reaction or the cable that's strung into my home.

With internet radio, you don't necessarily need a cable (satellite internet, for instance), and you need an electronic device to translate the signal. Sounds pretty similar to me when you look at the basics. With the new internet radios they have now, you just plug it in the wall, and plug it into your internet connection. That's it - just like plugging in a radio and extending the antenna. In a few short years, at least in the developed world, I think the internet will be like running water. Something everyone has.


The RIAA already has a broadcast agreement regarding royalties. This CARP decision has to do with both traditional radio and webcasters using the internet to disseminate their signals. A few years ago, the technology was so new, the RIAA didn't know what to do with it, or what strategy they should pursue. They said to us back then "Okay, pay this small fee schedule for now, until we can figure out what to do in the near future." That time has come, and they want to take over. Witha big business-friendly White House, they probably have a good chance, too.

Avian