Saturday, July 28, 2007

Thursday, July 26, 2007

Webcasters Promote Indie Music & Diversity

Here's some hard numbers from Live365 on the value of Internet Radio to Independent labels and musicians.

July 25, 2007

CONTACT:
Rod Hsiao
650-345-7400 x122
Rod[at]Live365.com

Webcasters Amp Up Independent Musicians

Foster City, CA—Live365 Inc. recently completed a study of its 2006 Internet radio broadcasts which revealed that nearly 56% of its broadcast music comes from independent artists and labels and not major record labels. This statistic underscores how Internet radio helps promote new, emerging artists while also expanding musical diversity as the AM/FM radio industry consolidates station ownership and play formats.

Mark Lam, CEO of Live365 pointed out: “Only 10-13% of AM/FM music is from independent artists and labels so we spin FIVE times as much Indie music as AM/FM. Our 10,000 DJ’s are opening up the diverse spectrum of musical genres and artists while AM/FM program formats narrow it. I see this statistic as a genuine reflection of what music DJ’s will play when the choice is driven by what people like rather than profits.”

% of Songs Broadcast on AM/FM in 2006 by Major Label Groups
Universal 31%
Sony-BMG 27%
Warner 19%
EMI 11%
Independent Labels 13%

% of Songs Broadcast on Live365 in 2006 by Major Label Groups
Universal 13%
Sony-BMG 12%
Warner 11%
EMI 8%
Independent Labels 56%

The Live365 study further showed that well over 70% of all the unique songs played were from independent artists and labels versus the four major music labels.

“Clearly, Internet radio clears away a major hurdle for musicians to be heard. With the continued double-digit growth in Internet radio listenership, hopefully more and more songwriters and musicians will be able to use Internet radio to promote their creative works and generate income. That is what Internet radio is all about: bringing together artists and fans using a ubiquitous radio medium.”

Background on Live365

Established in 1997, Live365 (www.live365.com) is the world’s largest Internet radio network that hosts nearly 10,000 stations and streams music and talk to more than 5 million listeners a month. Its mission is to make it affordable and easy for individuals to start their own radio stations and share their love for music to listeners around the world. Live365 has gone to great lengths to provide a legal and equitable means to stream music to listeners while paying royalties for the right to do so.

On March 2nd, 2007 the U.S. Copyright Royalty Board (CRB) increased sound recording royalty rates which now threaten to bankrupt Internet radio stations. Live365 has joined other Internet radio companies to protest the high and inequitable royalty rates which are significantly higher than the rates levied on other radio media such as satellite or AM/FM radio. Live365 has always paid royalties to songwriters, copyright holders, and musicians and adheres to all applicable laws.

Please go to Live365.com/choice or Savenetradio.org to help keep Independent Internet Radio alive.

Love & Peace, Clarence

Saturday, July 21, 2007

OlioRadio Top 25 for June: late but good

The OlioRadio Top 25 for June is now up for your perusal at olioradio.net/top25.
Yep, it's almost August. Yep, I just haven't been able to get it posted until now. Yep, I'm sorry. I also apologize.
Love & Peace, Clarence

Thursday, July 19, 2007

Remodel your listening habits with OlioRadio

If Candice Olson heard the new playlist on OlioRadio, she'd say,"How Divine.". This big update includes all of these Artistes:
Arturo Toscanini and the NBC Symphony - Barbara Cook - Billy Joe Shaver - Black Oak Arkansas - Bob Dylan - Box Tops - Bumble Bee Slim - Capt. Glenn Miller and the Army Air Corps Training Command Orchestra - Chris Rock - Clint Black - Dan Castelleta - Elvis Costello and Glenn Tilbrook - Emmylou Harris - Gil Scott-Heron - Gram Parsons - Harry Belafonte - Hoyt Curtin and His Orchestra - Human League - Jack Lord - James Carr - James Rado, Lynn Kellogg, Melba Moore and Cast - Joe South - John Prine - Louis Prima and His New Orleans Gang - Lucinda Williams - Margaret Dumont - Meat Puppets - Michael Nesmith - Mother Jones - MRDC - Murray Head - Pale Jesus - Patti Smith - Peggy Lee with Les Paul Trio - Petula Clark - Platters - Pretty Things - Robert Johnson - Sandra Black - Shirley Bassey - Sidney Bechet and His New Orleans Foot Warmers - Sister Rosetta Tharp with Lucky Millander and his Orchestra - SONIA and Disappear Fear - The Gants - The Go! Team - The New York Dolls - The Only Ones - The Replacements - The Sundays - The Tornados - Vince Guaraldi Trio - War - Willie Nelson - Woody Allen - and Wreckless Eric. Whew! what a crowd!
Remember, that's only on OlioRadio - the Home of a dozen decades of Cool Music.
Love & Peace, Clarence



Friday, July 13, 2007

Tomorrow (Saturday July 14th) OlioRadio will air a tribute program dedicated to Live365 Broadcaster Nancy McClarty, who passed away July 1. Nancy created and ran "Dimensions in Jazz", a wonderful station devoted to Jazz Artists of the 50's & 60's. Working for the Canadian Broadcasting Co. from the 60's through the 80's, Nancy retired to the western Canadian coast, where she served as Mayor of her town. She was passionate about Jazz, and poured her love for the music into "Dimensions in Jazz". Nancy was 70 when Cancer took her away too soon.
The twelve minute Tribute to Nancy McClarty program, put together by Rick, Buzz & Bryan of "Sonic Sedition" Radio, will air on OlioRadio at 2am, 6am, 10am, 2pm, 6pm, and 10pm US CDT. It will also run every hour from 5 am to 9 pm US PST on Nancy's station, "Dimensions in Jazz", and on a number of other Live365 stations.
Love & Peace, Clarence

SoundExchange and Webcasters in Talks

Figured you should be kept up-to-date on this, especially since you've heard so much about it lately.
As of today, Thursday July 12, a group of Internet Radio Broadcasters (including Live365) have begun negotiations with SoundExchange to lower the new royalty rates that threatened to shut down all U.S.-based Webcasters on July 15th. It's been reported that in a closed-door Congressional-led session today, SoundExchange promised not to begin collecting under the new rates, rates too high for any Webcaster to afford. SoundExchange said that they would continue to collect royalties at the old rates until a new agreement is "hammered out".
Link:
http://blog.wired.com/music/2007/07/breaking-news-o.html
(much thanks to Live365 broadcaster & All-Time Good Person Betty J for alerting us to this story)

So we can all breathe again. Thanks to the hundreds of thousands of emails, calls, & letters you sent to Congress over the past few months. There is now great hope that Musicians can continue to recieve a fair Royalty for their work & Webcasters can afford to continue to play that work. This isn't an ending. No deal is finalized, nothing is set in stone. We can still use your help to keep the heat turned up on SoundExchange until a settlement is signed, sealed, & delivered. If you haven't worn your typing finger(s) out Laughing , check out
live365.com/choice for more info & addresses & phone numbers for your Senators & Representative.
Again, a huge Thank You to all you folks for your hard work & support. Hopefully, we'll all be able to get back to playing & listening to the great variety of recordings here at OlioRadio and on stations all over the 'net!
Love & Peace, Clarence

Wednesday, July 11, 2007

SoundExchange: The Lies Continue...

SoundExchange sent out a letter to their members on June 20, 2007. It is availible in full here: http://www.kurthanson.com/myths/soundex_letter.shtml.
Here are just a few of their lies, followed by the facts:

"14 of the 20 largest webcasters, some who comprise DiMA and
SaveNetRadio, have market capitalization ranging from one billion to
several hundred billion dollars."

Count the over $1 billion Webcasting companies with me: AOL (one), Clear Channel (two), MTV Networks (three), Real Networks (four), Yahoo! (five)...oops! an F in Arithmetic for SoundExchange. And there are 4 companies (Sony/BMG, Warner Music, Universal Music Group, EMI) with over $1 billion in market cap which each have a seat on the SoundExchange Board of Directors.

"Recently lastfm.com-which had
enjoyed significant subsidies through its small webcaster status was
sold to CBS Corporation for $280 million, none of which went to
artists or copyright holders"

...One, last.fm was not subject to any U.S.royalties because they are located in London, UK. They Are subject to royalties under UK laws paid to a UK organization. Two, this week Sony/BMG, a company with a seat on the SoundExchange Board of Directors,
signed a licensing deal with last.fm. Under this deal last.fm will pay a flat fee to Sony/BMG and Sony/BMG waives all royalties to be owed to them by last.fm. So Artists, instead of getting a percentage of those royalties, get Nothing.

"The Bridge Report says that the
average internet user listens to approximately 40 hours of music per
month. So in 2007 the cost of royalties per month for the average
user would be approximately 65 cents per month. In 2010 the cost of
royalties per month for that user would be approximately $1.12 per month, a little over 12 dollars a year. (Yes, that's all)".

Let's see, $12/year times Live365's 4.5 million listeners equals $54 million/year (plus an additional $5 million in new 'administrative fees' not shared with Artists), as opposed to the $1 million Live365 paid in royalties for 2006 (under the old rates). Let's see...Revenues in 2010 up 54 times above 2006...nice work if you can get it. Of course under the new rates Live365 will go bankrupt, so there will be Zero going to Artists.

Live365.com/choice. July 15th the new rates go into effect. Please act now!
Clarence Jones
OlioRadio.net

Tuesday, July 10, 2007

Monday, July 9, 2007

Why We Fight...

Here's what you will not hear after July 15th if, as expected, thousands of Internet Radio Stations in the U.S. have to shut down.

Lost Music.mp3

Check out Live365.com/choice. You are the Last Hope.
Love & Peace, Clarence

None for Artists, All for Big Labels!!

last.fm, recently bought by CBS, announced a deal to license all of Sony/BMG's recordings. It allows last.fm listeners to hear Sony/BMG artists. And, it insures that NONE of those artists will see one dime of this money.
BBC Story
You see, under a statutory license (such as the copyright royalty in the U.S.) an amount of money (usually a percentage of the royalties) is paid to artists. Under a direct licensing deal (which includes a blanket release from all copyright payments) NO money is directed to artists. So they get nothing.
This is what the Big Labels want, rather than getting Only Half of all copyright royalties generated by playing their artist's recordings on Satellite & Internet Radio. They set the cost per year (easier budgeting that way), and keep every penny.
Live365.com/choice. It's not too late. Keep artists alive: Keep Internet Radio alive.
Love & Peace, Clarence

Mini-Update to OlioRadio's Playlist...Thousands Cheer!

On T minus 6 days and Counting, a mini-update to OlioRadio. Artistes added to the fun & merriment are: Country Joe and the Fish - Frank Shaw and Co. - Fred Ardath and Earl Hal - Inca Son - Lila Lee - Melodi Light Orchestra - Otis Redding - Ray Starita and His Ambassadors - Suburb Songs - and Tom Jones & Tanya Tucker.

There are (hopefully) negoiations taking place between SoundExchange and Webcasters over the new Copyright Royalty Rates. Nobody knows what will happen to thousands of Internet Radio stations in the U.S., including this one, after July 15th. If you haven't, Please Please go to Live365.com/choice for info on what's going awn.
Stay cool and enjoy the variety of OlioRadio. Thanks.
Love & Peace, Clarence

Thursday, July 5, 2007

What SoundExchange doesn't want you to know, #712

KCRW reporter Celia Hirschman tells us what we didn't know about SoundExchange's most recent offer: http://www.kcrw.com/etc/programs/ob/ob070704cloudy_issues_surrou.
They issued a press release stating that they would cap the $500 per channel per year "administrative fee" for Webcasters at a maximum of $2500 per service per year. Nice idea, eh? Well, what they Did Not say was that they'd cap the fee IF:
Webcasters would agree to drop all push for a legislative solution (aka the Internet Radio Equality Act) now And Anytime in the future.

Gee, how kind.

Especially since the cap is only for 3 years, retroactive to Jan. 2006. Which means that in 2009 this mess starts again.

To quote that great judge of character, Bugs Bunny, "What a Maroon!"
Love & Peace, Clarence


Bunny Rabbit and Den Watts: Yin & Yang?

Now appearing on my MySpace page:
Captain Kangaroo's opening w/theme, and Eastenders' closing w/long theme.
Click this link, scroll down a little, & look on the right side:
http://www.myspace.com/olioradio
I still hope I can grow up to be Mr.Green Jeans (As IF I was gonna grow up!!)

Not a promo for my page, just saves you having to click on 2 different links to YouTube.

Enjoy!
Love & Peace, Clarence

Wednesday, July 4, 2007

'bye Nancy

Today I read that Nancy McLarty, aka ellacurry, internet broadcaster, passed away July 1 after a brave fight with cancer. Nancy's station, Dimensions in Jazz, showed her knowledge & love of 50's and 60's Jazz. I know that she is watching some of the Jazz immortals play, and she is smiling.
My thoughts go out to her family & friends. She is missed.
Love & Peace, Clarence

Tuesday, July 3, 2007

A living archive of U.S. tv history

If you are already interested in the history of Television in the U.S. (or would like to know something about it), here is the place for you: the Archive of American Television blog. Here is a regularly updated listing of interviews on (the site formerly known as) Google Video by the organization that runs the Emmy Awards. From directors ( James Burrows, Jay Sandrich) to writers (Bob Schiller & Bob Weiskopf, Lucille Kallen) to actors (Ron Howard, Alan Alda, Dennis Weaver, James Arness) to...well, almost Everybody (Jim McKay, Bob McGrath, Dick Wolf, Sid Caesar), it's an incredible resource & a helluva lot of fun.

There are over 500 interviews of from 2 to 6 hours in length which, since they were all done using cameras utilizing 30 minute long tape, are in 28-30 minute segments.
It's an interviewer (who also runs the one camera, set on a tripod & primarily motionless) and the interviewee in a room in the interviewees home. Period. No mementos, no stills, no production: just someone asking basic questions (albeit someone who has done some research) of another person who has lived an extraordinary life. The interviewees range in age from young (well, Ron Howard IS less than a year older than me :lol) to their 90's. They worked as Stage Managers, Makeup Artists, & Producers. Their work in TV spanned the pre-WWII era (didja Know there was TV in the U.S. back then?) through today.

Their stories are entertaining & enlightening. The interview series began in the mid-90's (and continues today), so a number of these folks have passed away. This isn't old-style talk show banter ("but I wanna tell ya..."). It's the stories of their lives in and around Television. And it's very cool.

(Btw, you can, of course, stream the interviews through Google Video online, or download the Google Video client & then d/l the interviews in Google's DRM'd format...OR , if you use the Firefox browser, you can install UnPlug, a Firefox extension that allows you to, once the video starts streaming, click a button & d/l the video as a Flash (.flv) file. You then use a Flash player (I use FLV Player - free, open source, & simple to use) to play the video whenever you want! Of course, this could be used on other sites that use Flash video to d/l material, & it could lead to the possibility of some sort of copyright infringement, so you should not do such a thing. Nope, shouldn't do it at all.)
UnPlug - http://unplug.mozdev.org
FLV Player - http://www.martijndevisser.com/blog/flv-player/
Love and Peace, Clarence