I just got a missive from Tim Westergren, founder of Pandora. It's the sort of thing that usually annoys me, but not in this case, because:
- Pandora is a very good example of technology that has improved my life (permit me to gush a bit. Lori and I just created an Asa channel Saturday, and we're enjoying the selections immensely)
- On this issue, from the limited awareness I've been able to muster, he is exactly right
Mr. Westergren says:
You may have recently heard that we reached a resolution to a long-standing issue around royalty rates. It is indeed true, and it’s a great relief to now have long-term rate stability that will allow Pandora to stream music for many years to come. We are very thankful.
On the heels of this resolution, there is a new effort in Congress to fix the broader issue of how musical artists are compensated across all forms of radio. The system as it stands today is fundamentally unfair both to Internet radio services like Pandora, which pay higher royalties than other forms of radio, and to musical artists, who receive no compensation at all when their music is played on AM/FM radio.
A bill has been introduced in congress to remedy this by establishing a level playing field. We, along with the artists whose music we play, strongly support this new legislation...
He's referring to the Performance Rights Act (H.R. 848). He mentions that my rep, Jared Polis, is a co-sponsor. Originally I supported Joan Fitzgerald over Jared Polis for the Obama coattails on that seat, but Mr. Polis keeps proving himself a worthy rep for CD2. The missive asks me to call and thank Polis, and I'm assuming others will be receiving versions asking them to harangue their rep. It's a smart touch to customize the notes by addresse's district, though I forget whether I ever gave Pandora enough personal info for them to have divined my district. Mr. Westergren concludes:
This issue is near and dear to me. Before founding Pandora, I spent ten years as a working musician. I’ve always believed performers should get fairly compensated for the value they provide to radio so I really appreciate your help.
Sounds good to me.