I've seen a new station pop up lately -Revolution Radio. It's a great little station and features bands who are not yet members of the PRS. So is this station legal?

I'm very unclear about which licenses are needed for both podcasters and internet radio DJs when playing independent music.

The shoutcast message-boards seem like a web of confusion!

As far as I'm aware you only need licenses with PRS/PPL if you're playing music on their books. As a an internet 'broadcaster' playing unsigned bands do you need anything else?

Good question, I would guess you only need the permission of the copyright owner which you would probably get without a problem as most unsigned acts are looking for any kind of exposure. But I would definately get permission first and not assume.

Officially you're more or less right -
If an artist/songwriter has assigned their works to
PRS/PPL or simular Performing Right/MEchanical Right
society then you have to obtain licenses if you wish to
broadcast music over the internet.

If a songwriter/artist has not assigned rights to their music to one of these societies then they can license directly to you to use their repertoire free of charge.

Radio Six is an example of this method

Radio Six International
www.radiosix.com/

Another approach is to set up a station
over an already existing library of works
and operate you station this way.

www.soundclick.com
www.radioseaspray.com

I strongly reccomend using SoundClick
because it costs you nothing and you have a very extensive and varied library of music works
to choose between for your station and all the material
has been cleared for use.

David

The last time I looked at Soundclick either the content was extremely poor or a cover (also very poor!).

Thanks for the feedback but would there need to be a license for being on the 'airwaves' so to speak?

I know you can't just set up an FM radio station that plays unsigned artists without some kind of permit, does this apply to the internet once you have one regular listener?

I had tried the PPL before this... Very slow at responding and I seem to be getting passed from person to person.

It is legal.
Sign up to www.live365.com Rolling Stones sponsor it. There are millions of radio stations, setting up takes alot of time and and fair bit of money and your computer has to be 100% clean you must have nothing on it.

There are many ways to "do radio".

You can go "over the airwaves" and rent airtime over European
mediumwave and shortwave transmitter stations.

KREBS TV in Latvia will rent you airtime on their 100 KW 31 metre band shortwave transmitter for under EU 60 per hour.

Or you could set up a clandestine pirate radio station on AM or FM
and broadcast into London and the south east of the UK
from abandoned woods and fields around Surrey or from Tower blocks
(if you're on FM) from the inner city.
Sunday afternoons has been a popular time to hit the airwaves.

Or you could set up an internet music station over Live 365 or SoundClick
and reach an international audience that way.

Actually it's not that difficult and not that costly to do any of these
means of broadcasting.

SoundClick is free and can be quite good ,, take my advise
and listen to the Beautiful Music service of Radio Seaspray

www.radioseaspray.com

and follow the links.

SoundClick has a lot of different music - some good, some great
and some questionable.

If you're into pop search the Euro section or the
electronica section ..

There are other ways to do Internet Radio .. search the internet
and you will find more answers.

David