Webcaster Settlement Act - 35 Days and Counting...

2009 is here, and under the Webcaster Settlement Act, webcasters and SoundExchange have just 38 days left (until February 15) to reach a voluntary agreement setting webcasting royalty rates payable to labels and recording artists for the period 2006-2010. The parties also have authority to extend any agreement through 2016.

Here's hoping they can finally get it done. Millions have thus far been spent in litigating the rates before the Copyright Royalty Board, whose 2007 opinion is still under appeal (thus the continued negotiations). Ironically, the CRB has now initiated a new proceeding to set the rates for 2011-2016, so if no agreement is reached, the current rates will remain in limbo, even as millions more are spent litigating the very same issues for the new time period.

In recent weeks there have been glimmers of hope expressed, but no concrete information on whether an agreement is forthcoming.