Billy Bragg says: Internet Music needs to be licensed like... Radio

I like Billy ;) Interview: Billy Bragg.

"Much more clever would be to find another revenue stream other than the consumer," he said, citing the possibility of seeking payment from advertisers or Internet Service Providers. "It's the basic principle on which radio operates," he said. "Radio is free to you as a consumer, but when my song gets played on the radio, I get paid for it."

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Comments

[jim McDermott]

Great concept, but until someone starts waterboarding Ascap, BMI and Soundexchange to lower their performance fees, very few sites in the USA will be able to generate enough ad revenue to break even, let alone make a profit. And there is zero chance of the rates being lowered by these rights administrators anytime soon.

When it comes to the perceived value of music, the gulf has never been wider between consumers and rights holders. Yet they still value music as though they are selling CDs.