Pandora goes 'old skool' to reduce royalties

Pandora, the US based digital innovator which has spearheaded the development of online radio services stateside and led the 'interactive radio' side of the expanding streaming music market, has bought a good old fashioned FM radio station in South Dakota. The acquisition of KXMZ-FM in Rapid City gives Pandora a seat at the table of the Radio Music Licensing Committee and seemingly would enable it to reduce the royalties it pays to the American music publishers via the music collecting societies, in particular ASCAP, in an escalating row over the 'favourable' treatment given to the major US terrestrial broadcasters such as Clear Channel.

In parallel news,  at the World Creators Summit in Washington, DC, the US Register of Copyrights, Maria Pallante, confirmed that she's looking to "provide a full public performance right for sound recordings" in the USA in a move which would see terrestrial radio stations pay to use sound recordings - internet and satellite stations already do -  which will cheer record labels and recording artistes.