Pandora - being blocked for the UK properly.
Discussion
Bit annoyed about this and how 
ing short sighted music companies are being.
Pandora seems to be such a fantastic site I've ended up listening to it a lot at work and have bought at least 5 cd's as a result of new music I've heard in the last two months.
If anyone doesn't know what it is, it's a web based radio station that plays music that's similar to a band or song you request and it works really well.
I just find it really shocking that the music industry don't support sites like this rather than basically trying to stop them.
Just thought I'd share my annoyance, I feel like writing to someone important at a music company but doubt it'd even get read or they'd care / see my point.
Here's the message I got the other day.
wits.
ing short sighted music companies are being.Pandora seems to be such a fantastic site I've ended up listening to it a lot at work and have bought at least 5 cd's as a result of new music I've heard in the last two months.
If anyone doesn't know what it is, it's a web based radio station that plays music that's similar to a band or song you request and it works really well.
I just find it really shocking that the music industry don't support sites like this rather than basically trying to stop them.
Just thought I'd share my annoyance, I feel like writing to someone important at a music company but doubt it'd even get read or they'd care / see my point.
Here's the message I got the other day.
Tim from Pandora said:
hi, it's Tim,
This is an email I hoped I would never have to send.
As you probably know, in July of 2007 we had to block usage of Pandora outside the U.S. because of the lack of a viable license structure for Internet radio streaming in other countries. It was a terrible day. We did however hold out some hope that a solution might exist for the UK, so we left it unblocked as we worked diligently with the rights organizations to negotiate an economically workable license fee. After over a year of trying, this has proved impossible. Both the PPL (which represents the record labels) and the MCPS/PRS Alliance (which represents music publishers) have demanded per track performance minima rates which are far too high to allow ad supported radio to operate and so, hugely disappointing and depressing to us as it is, we have to block the last territory outside of the US.
Based upon the IP address from which you recently visited Pandora, it appears that you are listening from the UK. If you are, in fact, listening from the US, please contact Pandora Support: pandora-support@pandora.com.
It continues to astound me and the rest of the team here that the industry is not working more constructively to support the growth of services that introduce listeners to new music and that are totally supportive of paying fair royalties to the creators of music. I don't often say such things, but the course being charted by the labels and publishers and their representative organizations is nothing short of disastrous for artists whom they purport to represent - and by that I mean both well known and indie artists. The only consequence of failing to support companies like Pandora that are attempting to build a sustainable radio business for the future will be the continued explosion of piracy, the continued constriction of opportunities for working musicians, and a worsening drought of new music for fans. As a former working musician myself, I find it very troubling.
We have been told to sign these totally unworkable license rates or switch off, non-negotiable...so that is what we are doing. Streaming illegally is just not in our DNA, and we have to take the threats of legal action seriously. Lest you think this is solely an international problem, you should know that we are also fighting for our survival here in the US, in the face of a crushing increase in web radio royalty rates, which if left unchanged, would mean the end of Pandora.
We know what an epicenter of musical creativity and fan support the UK has always been, which makes the prospect of not being able to launch there and having to block our first listeners all the more upsetting for us.
We know there is a lot of support from listeners and artists in the UK for Pandora and remain hopeful that at some point we'll get beyond this. We're going to keep fighting for a fair and workable rate structure that will allow us to bring Pandora back to you. We'll be sure to let you know if Pandora becomes available in the UK. There may well come a day when we need to make a direct appeal for your support to move for governmental intervention as we have in the US. In the meantime, we have no choice but to turn off service to the UK.
Pandora will stop streaming to the UK as of January 15th, 2008.
Again, on behalf of all of us at Pandora, I'm very, very sorry.
-Tim Westergren
(Pandora founder)
Cheers you shortsighted This is an email I hoped I would never have to send.
As you probably know, in July of 2007 we had to block usage of Pandora outside the U.S. because of the lack of a viable license structure for Internet radio streaming in other countries. It was a terrible day. We did however hold out some hope that a solution might exist for the UK, so we left it unblocked as we worked diligently with the rights organizations to negotiate an economically workable license fee. After over a year of trying, this has proved impossible. Both the PPL (which represents the record labels) and the MCPS/PRS Alliance (which represents music publishers) have demanded per track performance minima rates which are far too high to allow ad supported radio to operate and so, hugely disappointing and depressing to us as it is, we have to block the last territory outside of the US.
Based upon the IP address from which you recently visited Pandora, it appears that you are listening from the UK. If you are, in fact, listening from the US, please contact Pandora Support: pandora-support@pandora.com.
It continues to astound me and the rest of the team here that the industry is not working more constructively to support the growth of services that introduce listeners to new music and that are totally supportive of paying fair royalties to the creators of music. I don't often say such things, but the course being charted by the labels and publishers and their representative organizations is nothing short of disastrous for artists whom they purport to represent - and by that I mean both well known and indie artists. The only consequence of failing to support companies like Pandora that are attempting to build a sustainable radio business for the future will be the continued explosion of piracy, the continued constriction of opportunities for working musicians, and a worsening drought of new music for fans. As a former working musician myself, I find it very troubling.
We have been told to sign these totally unworkable license rates or switch off, non-negotiable...so that is what we are doing. Streaming illegally is just not in our DNA, and we have to take the threats of legal action seriously. Lest you think this is solely an international problem, you should know that we are also fighting for our survival here in the US, in the face of a crushing increase in web radio royalty rates, which if left unchanged, would mean the end of Pandora.
We know what an epicenter of musical creativity and fan support the UK has always been, which makes the prospect of not being able to launch there and having to block our first listeners all the more upsetting for us.
We know there is a lot of support from listeners and artists in the UK for Pandora and remain hopeful that at some point we'll get beyond this. We're going to keep fighting for a fair and workable rate structure that will allow us to bring Pandora back to you. We'll be sure to let you know if Pandora becomes available in the UK. There may well come a day when we need to make a direct appeal for your support to move for governmental intervention as we have in the US. In the meantime, we have no choice but to turn off service to the UK.
Pandora will stop streaming to the UK as of January 15th, 2008.
Again, on behalf of all of us at Pandora, I'm very, very sorry.
-Tim Westergren
(Pandora founder)
wits.You might be upset, but that doesn't excuse a 
REPOST
http://pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&t...
REPOSThttp://pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&t...
That'll see a nice little decline in sales then, almost all the records I bought last year were courtesy of Pandora.
Then again Pandora benefits tiny independent labels and even self-publishing bands just as much as it benefits the big boys with huge advertising budgets, I wonder if that's got owt to do with things?
I don't get why they seem to go so far out of their way to annoy and frustrate people who would potentially buy 50+ albums per year, if only they could actually find stuff they liked.
Then again Pandora benefits tiny independent labels and even self-publishing bands just as much as it benefits the big boys with huge advertising budgets, I wonder if that's got owt to do with things?
I don't get why they seem to go so far out of their way to annoy and frustrate people who would potentially buy 50+ albums per year, if only they could actually find stuff they liked.
Puggit said:
You might be upset, but that doesn't excuse a REPOST
http://pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&t...
Oops REPOSThttp://pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&t...
blonde driver said:
All this goes to show why the US are SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO Up SH*T Creak, with the deficit and in Debt to the rest of the F88king world.
Er, you do realise that the issue is with the record companies and their representatives in the UK right?The US are now the only country that can use Pandora as the record companies seem to have realistic pricing for the way Pandora works over there.
I think they are still under threat in the US - there was something recently to do with the royalties that meant they will increase a lot.
In the meantime I found this: http://globalpandora.com/
In the meantime I found this: http://globalpandora.com/
Puggit said:
You might be upset, but that doesn't excuse a REPOST
http://pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&t...
Get a life REPOSThttp://pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&t...
Pat H said:
Was a great source of new music and a fantastic marketing tool for the record companies.
The thing is it's good marketing if you are prepared to have a lot of signed bands playing a wide variety of musical styles and are geared towards smaller production runs - as such it very much favoured independent labels, at least in terms of the stuff I bought after using it.I get the impression that the big boys (EMI/Sony/etc.) are very resistant to any of this kind of demand-based marketing and large band rosters; they only "like" things which follow the model of pick one thing, promote it everywhere, and ensure the records are in a big dump bin at the front of every record shop in the country.
(Hence they've been very eager to push mobile phone ringtones, as these work on a similar kind of one-to-many principle.)
I reckon in years to come the record industry's failure to completely and wholeheartedly embrace the Internet from the start as a form of heavily targeted and effective marketing, particularly to frequent customers, will be seen as an absolutely enormous mistake borne of arrogance and stupidity.
tank slapper said:
In the meantime I found this: http://globalpandora.com/
That's great! How is it possible?V-spec said:
tank slapper said:
In the meantime I found this: http://globalpandora.com/
That's great! How is it possible?Nothing the recording industry does surprises me any more - EMI probably have a little man in a basement somewhere working on a copy protection that links CDs to human DNA
tank slapper said:
I think they are still under threat in the US - there was something recently to do with the royalties that meant they will increase a lot.
In the meantime I found this: http://globalpandora.com/
Excellent!In the meantime I found this: http://globalpandora.com/
Have jsut been trying some proxy sites with no joy!
Thanks for that
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