Like the music industry needs anything else throwing at it and like record companies need any more of an excuse to overcharge for CDs and tour tickets, now Pandora have hit the headlines to bring more impending bad news to the world of music.

According to The Boot, Pandora Radio is “currently urging Congress to pass the Internet Radio Fairness Act. The act attempts to lower the amount artists are paid when Pandora plays their music and, according to MusicFIRST Coalition -- which represents artists in an effort to ensure fair pay -- could slash by 85 percent royalties paid to musicians when their songs are played over Internet radio”.

Not exactly the kind of thing anyone wanted to hear, least of all the artists. 125 of them have taken to adding their names to a letter to Congress asking why, now that they have supported Pandora into becoming a Wall Street company with skyrocketing revenues, they should now earn an even tinier fraction of a cent every time a song is played. A number of country artists have joined this cause, including Jana Kramer, Alabama, Vince Gill, Darius Rucker, Zac Brown Band and Easton Corbin, although I’m surprised that more haven’t because of the huge impact this kind of legislation will have upon their royalties. 85% is a huge percentage, and I think it’s shocking and ridiculous that internet radio should get away with paying far less than real radio and stores and other public spaces for playing copyrighted material. It’s the reason performance royalties organisations exist, in order to collect those royalties that rightfully belong to the artists and songwriters.

(Story Courtesy of NashvilleGab)