From the Washington Post: "A new royalty payment deal struck between record companies and big Internet radio operators does little to address the plight of many small webcasters, who said they will continue trying to change a payment structure that threatens to put them out of business.

"The deal made last week between the Recording Industry Association of America and the Digital Media Association (DiMA) [in RAIN here and here], would require large webcasters to pay a little more than $0.0007 per song per listener, or $0.012 per hour, per listener, whichever is less. It requires approval from the US Copyright Office, and would be valid for 2003 and 2004.

"Small webcasters operate under a separate, congressionally brokered agreement that makes them pay a fraction of their revenues to the entertainment industry [the Small Webcasters Settlement Act, in RAIN here]. Many of them complain that they still cannot afford to pay the royalties that they do owe...

"'It's clearly a step in the right direction for larger webcasters [but] I don't think it does anything for smaller webcasters,' said David LeGrand, who represents the Las Vegas-based Webcaster Alliance. 'We're going to keep fighting for a graduated payment that allows the smaller webcasters to continue [operating].'..

"The royalty rate that DiMA agreed to pay to the recording industry is costly, but the agreement goes straight to the Copyright Office for its consideration. A disagreement would have been more expensive and time-consuming. If the two sides had reached an impasse, the Copyright Office would have mandated a 'Copyright Arbitration Royalty Panel' -- or CARP -- to settle on a royalty rate that could have been even worse...

"Many experts close to the online radio royalty debate say that the arbitration process eventually will be scrapped in favor of another system, but they also say that the ranks of small commercial webcasters will thin out significantly by then."

Read this article from yesterday's Washington Post online here.

If you're in Las Vegas for NAB 2003 (details here), we hope you'll join us for our RAIN reader get-togther. We've reserved the patio of the Gordon Biersch Brewery Restaurant (about a $6 cab ride from the Convention Center) today, April 8th. This year, we've also reserved a private room for the U.S. debut of Kurt's "The Future of Radio" speech for those who'd like an advance look at it. (Please note we've moved the time up a bit from its original scheduling. The presentation will be today at 4:30pm, and cocktails at 5:00pm.) See you there! Feel free to call Kurt on his cell phone for more information: 773-354-KURT.

From About.com: "Today, we can get our Radio via satellite, the Internet, through cable, even in our PDAs and cell phones. Oh yeah and even through those old 'AM/FM radio things.'

"So, where is all this going? My gut tells me your cell phone is the vehicle of natural portability — and the heir to the transistor radio which revolutionized radio’s portability in the 1960’s.

"The convergence of wireless technology, content and size make the cell phone the perfect host for taking your favorite sounds to the beach, a doctor’s waiting room or the park near your home...

"Imagine the market opportunity for XM Satellite Radio or Sirius Satellite Radio if the technology were small enough to allow your cell phone to pick up their services? Or, imagine the marketing opportunities for cell phone providers if they could offer you streaming Internet radio on your phone as a bonus for committing to a service plan?"

Read this entire column in About.com's "Radio" section here.

...	... And this, of course, is just one element of Kurt's vision of "The Future of Radio," in his speech (and now, our five-part series in RAIN) of the same name. See the box below for information on hearing the speech. And read the series in RAIN beginning here. ...

The US debut of Kurt's "The Future of Radio" speech (in a slightly-condensed preview version) will take place next week in Las Vegas, immediately preceding the RAIN Reader Cocktail Party at Gordon Biersch Brewery Restaurant (today, April 7th, at the new time: 4:30 PM). Call Kurt on his cell for more info: 1-773-354-KURT or write kurt@kurthanson.com.