[cma-l] The Cost Of The DAB Trials

[tlr at gairloch.co.uk]

> Alex, I guess they’ve done it on streaming capacity rather than per stream to
> make it easier to verify. Although I bet they would have to seriously consider
> the value of pursuing a station for the money given the small difference to
> them.
> 

It makes it easier to verify an incorrect number!

When we used to be assesed for streaming separately we have to send in an annual
figure for total listener hours, which was no great hassle as the streaming
servers log all that. It's a damn site easier to measure stream listener numbers
than for off-air listeners.

>   
>  It seems to me that PRS/PPL/MCPS are all stuck between a rock and a hard
> place. On the one hand they are obliged to seek fees for use of member’s
> material, but on the other they often appear petty and money grabbing. 
> 

I have no problem at all with paying a reasonable sum for performance rights.
What I object to is the overall level for small operators especially, PPL
operates a completely regressive scheme through minimum charges wherby the
smallest stations are charged the highest percentage of revenue.

When the Copyright Tribunal set the current scale it didn't envisage such small
stations being feasible, it also didn't authorise minimum fees. What it did do
was set a principle that smaller stations should actually a smaller percentage
of revenue than big ones. I think that should be recognized and adapted to the
current landscape by removing minimum fees (apart perhaps from a nominal
processing fee of say £30), and bringing in a new bottom tier of percentage of
1% below the existing 2% and 3% bands.


Alex
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