GEMA and GVL are killing internet-radio
Internet-radio in Germany might not survive the next step of bureaucracy
The internet has changed many things. Making a radio-program has become quite easy as Winamp and a steaming program and a bit of knowledge of the p2p.technology are enough to reach an incredibly large audience.
So, many small, independent web-radios were founded in a short period of time, many of them are nowadays included in the Radioring.
And many of these radios are doing very well, producing programs for elderly or disabled people, pupils or any other small group of listeners. Also non-pop music has found their platforms as these music-styles are normally not played in mainstream-media but there are still many people who are fed-up with all the time the same music form the traditional radio-stations.
P2p internet-radio made it possible to create, without having to pay too much, a personalized and interesting program.
Or, at least, that what it was supposed to be – but now our beloved authorities are about to destroy all of this.
Non-commercial, independent hobby-radio…that can’t be so easy, GEMA and GVL must have thought und made up their minds, how they could spoil it all…
Most private internet-radios are willing to pay a fair price for their hobby to GEMA an GVL, and about two years ago, after long and hard negotiations between the Radioring and the authorities, a price found was found that was affordable for the users und satisfying for GEMA and GVL…everything seemed to be OK.
But suddenly, in summer 2003, GEMA decided to demand more money from, and now, GVL did the same.
Starting in April 2005, GVL is planning a new scale of charges and new conditions for web-radio.
These changes will lead to enormously higher costs for web-radios. While a station today has to pay 26,75€ per month to GVL, this amount will be increased to more than 350€ for the same period of time.
For 90% of the existing (about 15.000) radios that will mean the end, as these projects are working without any advertisements or other financial help, and so are not able to pay this extreme amount of money.
But the immense costs aren’t the only problems, on top there are the much stricter new conditions, as the radios don’t only have to pay for sending the music protected by the GVL, but also for saving it digitally on their PCs. And as if this wasn’t enough already, the web-radios also have to keep their audience from recording their programs.
More limitations are to the arrangement of the music played. These limitations will, for example, make specials about a particular artist as they prohibit to play more than three songs form one album or more than 4 songs by one artist or compilation in the course of three hours.
So, again, internet-radio is supposed to be the scapegoat for the failures the music industy has made concerning illegal copying of music on the internet.
These plans mean, that smaller stations will have to give up or to work illegally, when they do not have a license anymore.
This means, that the multi-facetted won’t exist any longer by the means to support bigger, commercial projects that bring much more money to the GVL, without creating as much work as the many small stations.
We’re not saying, that we want to do anything without paying anything…as long as it’s a fair an affordable price, we are willing to pay so that we can use protected music. But a small, non-commercial station with about 25 people to listen to it just isn’t able, to pay 350 € a month.
Some short backgroundinfo:
The members of radioring had an agreement with gema and gvl for paying a fair fee. I was paying for my webradio arround 25 Euros for 3 Month. (50h a week with 0-5 Listeners)
This agreement ended last summer. GEMA wanted more money and now I would pay arround 25 Euros a month, which is too much for me with no regular income.
Normally GEMA and GVL share the Fee 50/50. Now GVL was presenting the new prices for 2005 and the fee is growing from 25 Euros to 350 Eu - this will kill about 99 Percent of the Webradios in Germany.
Its not possible for a hobby-webradio to pay 350 Bucks a month.
Its not possible for a hobby-webradio to drive complete songlists and listener per song stats
Sounds like the webradios will have to pay the price for loosing money with music downloads.
GEMA and GVL kill a bit of Democracy. They will kill all webradios and drive them to illegality.
Goodbye German Webradios - Welcome international Pirate Stations.
