WEBCASTER ADVOCACY GROUP CALLS BROWNBACK AMENDMENT “A COMEBACK IN THE SENATE”: The Internet Radio Equality Act (IREA) was introduced in both chambers of Congress last year to bring webcasting royalties to a level closer to those paid by satellite and cable radio. And while attracting an impressive amount of support, it has yet to become the law webcasters feel is necessary to save their industry. Now, grassroots webcaster group SaveNetRadio is calling Sen. Sam Brownback’s (R-KS and IREA sponsor) move to attach the IREA as an amendment to another copyright bill [see yesterday’s RAIN coverage here] “a reminder to other Members that Internet radio and its tens of millions of supporters are not going away quietly.” Brownback offered the IREA as an amendment to the Orphan Works Act of 2008 (S. 2913) during a scheduled mark-up of the intellectual property legislation yesterday. The Internet Radio Equality Act would set the rate for all digital radio – cable, satellite and internet radio – at 7.5% of revenue. While SoundExchange proposed that cable radio services pay royalties between 7.25% and 7.5%, and the CRB reduced the royalty rate for satellite radio to 6% of broadcaster revenue (increased incrementally to 8% over the next five years), copyright owners remain insistent that webcasters pay royalties that can amount to 300-1,200% of revenue. “This is unacceptable and hardly the good faith negotiations the House Commerce committee directed SoundExchange to participate in more than nine months ago,” said SaveNetRadio spokesman Jake Ward.

CBS’s CNET PICKUP BRINGS “DISBELIEF, CHEERS AND CHAGRIN” TO BUSINESS WRITER: “Does CBS really believe that CNET is worth more than YouTube?“ asks Michael Malone, writing for ABC News (here). “Is there anything in the CNET business model that can justify half-again the current stock price?“ And he loves the idea that another Bay Area tech firm is getting a big pay day (“You’ve given the rest of us in Silicon Valley and the entire tech world a good reason again to get up in the morning and go to work.”). What worries Malone is his belief that big media’s “fear of Google” was the main impetus behind the buy, and that CBS’s old-fashioned style will eventually “smother” the CNet brand.

VOTE FOR RADIO’S TOP INNOVATORS: The website Radio-Info.com, which publishes journalist Tom Taylor’s daily newsletter “Taylor on Radio-Info,” is conducting a poll this week that asks “Who are radio’s top innovators?” Candidates include Triton Media’s Mike Agovino, CBS Radio’s David Goodman, RAIN/AccuRadio’s Kurt Hanson, Clear Channel’s Evan Harrison, Apple’s Steve Jobs, CBS Radio’s Dan Mason, and RadioTime’s Bill Moore. Cast your vote here (simple registration required).

COMSCORE ARBITRON TO MEASURE TARGETSPOT NETWORK: Online radio ad network TargetSpot (in which CBS owns a stake) has signed up for audience measurement with Arbitron to be ranked in the comScore Arbitron Online Radio Ratings (here). TargetSpot’s national network of 600 online radio stations, which includes CBS Radio and Entercom stations, will measured monthly.

ROYALTY LOGIC: CRB IS UNCONSTITUTIONAL: Royalty Logic motioned to the federal Appeals Court on Tuesday that the Court hear further complaints against the U.S. Copyright Royalty Board’s webcaster rates decision from March of 2007. Royalty Logic was denied sharing royalty licensing and collecting powers with SoundExchange (the only company currently allowed to do so) by the CRB. The Appeals Court’s deadline for hearing arguments against the CRB’s rate decision has passed, but if heard Royalty Logic will argue that the CRB is unconstitutional based on the the appointments clause. Read the full Billboard article here.

FLYTUNES ADDS VIDEO STREAMING: FlyTunes, which ports Internet radio streams to the Apple iPhone and iPod Touch, today expanded its service to include free video streaming of news and entertainment content from Comedy Central, NBC, CBS and others, plus podcasts from various sources. Eliot Van Buskirk tested the service, and writes in his “Listening Post” blog (here), “In my initial tests, videos played flawlessly over a Wi-Fi connection, although when I disabled Wi-Fi and tried to watch them over AT&T Edge network, they wouldn’t load. Audio webcasts and podcasts, however, play just fine over the Edge connection.” (The image is from Listening Post.)

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