INTERNET RADIO FAIRNESS ACT

An important piece of legislation has been introduced in Congress to help end the long-standing discrimination against internet radio. We're asking that you contact your representative today to urge them to support the Internet Radio Fairness Act.

This bipartisan bill will end royalty rate discrimination against internet radio and bring greater fairness to our industry. Today, the discrimination is extraordinary. In 2011, Pandora paid over 50% of revenues in performance royalties, while SiriusXM paid less than 10%.

Internet radio brings millions of listeners back to music, plays the songs of tens of thousands of promising working artists, enabling them to build their audience while receiving fair compensation.

It's crucial that Congress hears from fans of internet radio now. Please read below to learn more about this important issue and how you can easily help support the Internet Radio Fairness Act.

WHAT IS THE ISSUE?
WHY IS THIS IMPORTANT TO ME?
WHAT DOES THIS MEAN FOR ARTISTS?
WHAT CAN I DO TO SHOW MY SUPPORT?
WHERE CAN I LEARN MORE ABOUT THE INTERNET RADIO FAIRNESS ACT?
CONTACT US

WHAT IS THE ISSUE?
The issue is long-standing royalty rate discrimination against internet radio. As each new form of radio was invented (including cable and satellite radio), new legislation was passed but only addressed the new form. The result is dramatically different royalty rates: satellite pays about 7.5% of revenues and cable pays about 15%, while Pandora pays more than 50% of revenue in royalties. The inequity in how different digital radio formats are treated under the law when it comes to setting royalties is a clear case of legislation falling behind advances in technology. The current law penalizes new media and is astonishingly unfair to internet radio.

We are asking for our listeners' support to help end the discrimination against internet radio. It's time for Congress to stop picking winners, level the playing field and establish a technology-neutral standard.

WHY IS THIS IMPORTANT TO ME?
Pandora is personalized radio made just for you. Much of the music we play does not get played anywhere else; in fact, Pandora plays the songs of more than 100,000 artists and more than 95% of the songs in our catalog play every month. The Internet Radio Fairness Act will level the playing field for internet radio and help fuel more innovation, ultimately allowing more music choices for you as the listener and enabling greater exposure and compensation for thousands of artists who would otherwise never be heard. Internet radio should be given a fair chance to succeed and we need support from loyal listeners like you to end the discrimination.

WHAT DOES THIS MEAN FOR ARTISTS?
Our goal is to continue to nurture a far more inclusive and artist-friendly medium. Radio is undergoing a profound transition with internet-delivered radio, which offers some incredible benefits to both artists and listeners. A more reasonable rate standard will drive greater investment and growth in internet radio, which is the one medium that truly plays a broad catalogue and can enable a vibrant "middle class" in the music industry. Internet radio plays songs from both major record labels and the nation's rising independent musicians. For tens of thousands of artists, particularly those that are not in heavy rotation on commercial radio, internet radio is the only promotional avenue they have to reach a larger audience.

WHAT CAN I DO TO SHOW MY SUPPORT?
If you love the music you discover and listen to on Pandora, please contact your representative today to urge them to support the Internet Radio Fairness Act. More information on how to easily do this can be found here.

It's crucial that Congress hears from fans of internet radio now. Phone calls, emails and tweets from loyal listeners like you really do make a difference. We are deeply grateful and appreciative of your support.

WHERE CAN I LEARN MORE ABOUT THE INTERNET RADIO FAIRNESS ACT?
The Internet Radio Fairness Act is a bipartisan bill designed to finally end royalty rate discrimination against internet radio and is being sponsored by Representatives Jason Chaffetz (R-UT) and Jared Polis (D-CO) along with Senator Ron Wyden (D-OR).

Still have questions? Feel free to contact us here.