Record Labels Sue Radionomy Over DIY ‘Pirate’ Internet Radio

[sankt]

This is not good at all!

A group of prominent U.S. record labels have filed a lawsuit against the DIY online radio platform Radionomy, which also owns Winamp and Shoutcast. In their complaint the labels accuse Radionomy of promoting and facilitating mass copyright infringement by hosting 'pirate' radio stations of its users.

While many users and listeners enjoy the service, the record labels point out that Radionomy fails to pay the proper licenses. As such, they argue that it’s promoting and facilitating widespread copyright infringement.

http://torrentfreak.com/record-label...-radio-160301/

BTW - Shoutcast site is down . . . .

[Warrior of the Light]

shoutcast.com is running fine for me though...

But Radionomy is in Belgium right? Then who cares about any US claims?

[edit: yay, 4k posts]

[Sabine Klare]

I have given my pepper in the other thread already...
http://forums.winamp.com/showthread.php?t=389978
And I think, I don't need to repeat the same words again and again...

BTW, congratulations, Warrior of the Light...

Edit:
I have read the text in the link, sankt, and it looks very bad...

[sankt]

Warrior of light, Radionomy stated that their service covered * ALL * streaming license royalty payments - including the United States. According to the article previously listed - Radionomy has not paid for stream royalties in the United States since 2014.

Irregardless of where Radionomy is headquartered - or where the servers are - IF a resident of the United States is capable of listening to a song that requires royalty payment - then the company / individual streaming the music must pay the required royalty assessment.

In another article - Sony is planning on seeking the maximum amount allowed per "infringement" - which is 150,000 per track.

http://www.musicbusinessworldwide.co...any-radionomy/

According to the lawsuit - Radionomy is liable for each track streamed and no royalties paid.

The record companies smell blood - and they will get every ambulance chasing lawyer they can get their hands on. * IF * the record companies are successful in getting money from Radionomy - streaming in the United States will be permanently doomed to failure - unless you do talk radio.

[Warrior of the Light]

In short terms: they're fucked

[gaekwad2]

They should sell shoutcast to Greg Ginn. He's successfully avoided paying royalties for over 30 years now.

[Sabine Klare]

I have read also the text in the second link.

If they kill all the internet radio, then little artists like me never will be played in a radio anymore. I was so happy about the internet radio, because also those musicians got a chance, who never would have got a chance to make a contract with a bigger record label. Such record labels always dictate, how should the music sound, and I don't want to have my music sounding like the "Top Ten Pop".

Also I am a free artist. I am not a member of the GEMA (or one of their partner-institutions). I have learned to know many other free artists, Creative Commons Artists and Netlabels, who would be sad, too, if the internet radio would disappear totally. I love their music, and I don't want to hear only the annoying "Top Ten Pop" by the very big commercial broadcasters.

What will happen to YouTube, SoundCloud, Mixcloud etc. some day? We free artists need these music-websites. Many YouTube-Users, who had uploaded music of well-known commercial artists (works of others, not their own works), had lost their accounts, especially big record labels had reported them again and again (one of them is mentioned in "Sony Music sues Universal sister company Radionomy"). These users had simply not thought about it before, and suddenly their accounts and their video-uploads had been deleted by YouTube. But there are also users in YouTube, who have 100% copyrights for their uploads: the free artists themselves.

Now I have to worry also about Winamp, because I have to worry about Radionomy...

[sankt]

Sabine Klare, I know a Internet radio station that supports and plays creative commons - free artists. They would be very interested in talking to you and the people that you know

[DJ-Garybaldy]

Originally Posted by sankt

In another article - Sony is planning on seeking the maximum amount allowed per "infringement" - which is 150,000 per track.

http://www.musicbusinessworldwide.co...any-radionomy/

Double OUCH! What next are they going to go after radio software companies for "Aiding and abetting" users to run a pirate stream with their software?

I'm of the opinion that record labels are trying their hardest to shut down Internet radio as an entity ... Live365 already gone because of the new CRB rulings & now it seems they want to close Radionomy down by suing their arses...

ITS JUST GREED ON THE PART OF THE MUSIC INDUSTRY!

So glad I don't run a station on radionomy... Internet radio is going to DIE one way or another if it carries on like this. It's going to mean lots of casualties in the stream hosting business.

Internet radio is in turmoil enough as it is... Pirate radio anyone?

[Sabine Klare]

That sounds very good, sankt. Maybe You can contact some of them. Currently I myself am not able to do that, and that's a long story...

[mattauckland]

Internet radio in the U.S is finished, for the most part, thanks to CRB. Now only the well funded operations in the states can survive, well legally at least.

David Lowery is has filed against Radionomy and Spotify. Tidal is facing a class-action by American Dollar, and I think Pandora faced one last year, but has since gone quiet. Although they signed a deal with Sony recently as well which could be the reason.

As Radionomy is now 64.4% owned by Vivendi, the parent company of Universal Music Group, it could be a swipe by Sony Music. Wouldn't surprise me, does happen in the music bizz.

Needless to say, the two might legal armies of Vivendi and Sony will do battle, and no-one will win. It'll all go quiet, and after a year or so, will be forgotten.

Or...I could be wrong, and we're all f*cked. Either way, not much we can do about.

[Sabine Klare]

David Lowery is fighting also against Spotify? Ignoring the fact, that I saw Spotify a little bit as rival for Winamp in the past, I myself say now, that Spotify should be left alone, also the other music-streaming-services and of course Winamp, Radionomy and Vivendi.

I will keep my eyes open for YouTube, SoundCloud, Bandcamp etc., and Sony should leave these platforms alone...

[BLCR]

For what it's worth, I just got this from NOBEX this morning:

"Following Radionomy’s announcement yesterday that the streams are not available for now in the U.S., we will be implementing a similar change in our mobile apps, that will become effective shortly.

If your station uses Radionomy for your stream your custom app will still be active and available for download, with any connected content account intact, but listeners using your app within the U.S. will not be able to connect to the audio stream once this change comes into effect.

Thank you for your understanding.

~ Nobex Partners Team"

[sankt]

RAIN News has learned that Radionomy has pulled its stations from TuneIn’s U.S. listening audience, over the cost of music licensing under the new Copyright Royalty Board (CRB) royalty rates. Radionomy told RAIN News that the company asked TuneIn to geo-block the U.S. from Radionomy streams. In an email exchange, Radionomy emphasized that the blocking action is for the U.S. only, and that its streaming business is not challenged by licensing costs in other territories.

Radionomy indicated that its shut-off on the TuneIn platform was a “temporary measure,” and said that it is engaged in discussions with music rights-holders about the value of small webcasting. The company’s formal statement expressed confidence in a resumption of U.S. streams via TuneIn “when a positive change with the U.S. rates is applied.”

http://rainnews.com/radionomy-blocks...-of-crb-rates/