Turning Web Radio Lemons Into Lemonade
On Thursday morning, the House Small Business Committee held a hearing on the heated debate over a forthcoming Internet radio royalty hike and -- surprise -- the most interesting exchange revolved around lemonade. It's a hot, humid day in Washington and Rep. Hank Johnson, D-Ga., couldn't help but work in a tortured metaphor.
For the purposes of this blog post, record labels and artists produce the citrus-flavored beverage. Webcasters manufacture the bottles and packaging. So, here we go…
Johnson said everyone loves lemonade on a hot day but you can get that lemonade from a glass or bottle or jug (a variety of sources) -- it's the lemonade that matters. "Why shouldn’t a person who produced the lemonade get paid as opposed to those who put together the packaging the lemonade is in?" he asked.
Children's musician Cathy Fink, who supports the fee increase, said: "I want to get paid for my lemonade because it costs me something." Country artist Joey Allcorn, who sides with webcasters, retorted: "If you put the people who made the cup out of business, what are you going to put your lemonade in?" Fink snapped back that if she didn’t make the lemonade, the bottler wouldn’t exist.
Read more about the great lemonade… er… Internet radio debate in Technology Daily's PM Edition.
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