 RAIN 10/7: MSNBC piece suggests Net radio as low-cost alternative to satellite ·Oct 7, 01:22 PM MSNBC: NET RADIO CAN “RECESSION-PROOF” YOUR MUSIC LISTENINGIn light of the economy, “if the Sirius XM subscription doesn’t seem like such a good idea anymore, you’re not alone,” begins an MSNBC article touting the vast variety of free Net radio options. While, like most such pieces, this one suggests a few hip options to hear the latest cutting-edge music, “what’s really surprising is the amount of older stuff that can be ferreted out if you take the time to search. The article links to cool webcasters like Beyond the Beat Generation, 1920s Radio Network, and the evenings-only Top Shelf Oldies. Read the MSNBC article online here.
PANDORA’S WESTERGREN ON ROYALTY NEGOTIATION: “NO ONE’S GONNA WALK AWAY HAPPY”Wired.com’s Eliot Van Buskirk (pictured below left) interviewed Pandora founder Tim Westergren (pictured right) last week at the Digital Music Forum West conference in L.A. Westergren spoke of his optimism that a royalty settlement with SoundExchange was close (even for small webcasters), but added, “I don’t think anybody’s gonna walk away from this negotiation happy… I’m tired of talking about our company going out of business.”
The settlement, he reasoned, will set a “minimum monetization” point for the industry, that is, a minimum revenue level companies will need to attain to afford royalties. This will “winnow out a fair number” of webcasters. “The next 12-18 our economic models will have He answered SoundExchange’s criticism of Pandora for not running audio ads (and thus leaving money on the table) by explaining that “interactive” (banner and other visual ads) is where the money is online, not in radio-style audio ads (though this may naturally change as users move to mobile platforms where visual advertising is at a disadvantage). Check out a video of the interview here. VP DEBATE COVERAGE NEARLY TRIPLES STREAMING AUDIENCE FOR CBS RADIO CBS Radio streamed the Vice Presidential Debate online last Thursday and experienced an increase of 189% in online listenership during the debate, compared to the previous Thursday. WCBS-AM in New York had a 376% increase. For more, read RBR’s coverage here.
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to get rationalized,” Westergren said. 
