February 3, 2014
A copyright dispute is threatening live streaming of content by regional radio stations on smart phones and across the Internet.
Many regional radio stations pulled the plug on their live internet streams at midnight on Friday after a court ruling that would force them to pay an extra fee for simulcasting their broadcast audio online.
A deadline for stations to sign up to an interim agreement with the Phonographic Performance Company of Australia Ltd (PPCA) expired on Friday.
Many stations refused to sign up for the extra cost, choosing instead to turn off their streams.
This means stations previously accessible via the popular TuneIn phone app are now no longer available.
PPCA is a non-profit organisation that provides licences to Australian businesses to play recorded music in public. The fees are then distributed to record labels.
Regional radio stations say they have already paid for the right to broadcast the content, and that the internet is simply another method of distribution.
A statement released by the PPCA yesterday said it was “disappointed” by Commercial Radio Australia’s decision to impact regional radio listeners and “regrets that CRA has chosen to deprive regional listeners of local programming”.
The dispute has affected local broadcasters.
HOT-FM has a note on its website: “Unfortunately our broadcast license no longer covers the right to stream digitally so we have removed our stream from the website, app and TuneIn radio.”
