Streaming Radio outside the US?

[annettehala]

As some of you know I live in Japan. We get most of our radio, music, and news over the internet. Beethoven has been my classical radio station for 4~5 years now! Anyway, last week we went to Newsradio 805 KOA out of Denver to listen to the Broncos football game. A box came up that said, "We are sorry but due to licensing restrictions we are not able to allow access to the content you are requesting outside of the United States." We wrote the station and received the following e-mail.
"Clear Channel Communications had recently blocked content to overseas locations because licensing regulations do not allow music content to be broadcast outside the United States. Unfortunately, streaming on 850 KOA will be blocked overseas while we investigate whether these regulations apply to our News/Talk station formats."

What do you think about this?

Annette

[Shapley]

Hi, Annette, and welcome back from your long silence.

I think it's a bad deal, but one we'll probably see more and more of. Governments are looking at the freedom of the internet, and they don't like it. They see it as being ripe for regulation. The UN wants that control, as do local governments.

We had a discussion on the internet gambling issue recently, and some of see it as the 'foot in the door' that the US government will use to impose regulation (and taxes) on internet commerce. Broadcast licensing will be a similar ploy. Right now, sports broadcasting enjoys a monopoloy on many sports programmes, usually through pay-per-view broadcasts. Internet radio and streaming video threaten that monopoly, and they aren't happy about it.

I look for major changes in the years to come.

V/R
Shapley

[dai bread]

There's a big hunt for music & video pirates going on here. Nobody's suggested yet that streaming be stopped, presumably because the stations operate with a broadcast licence and nobody has yet suggested that net streaming isn't broadcasting.

I would think that what a station does with its own material (mainly news & sport) is entirely its own affair. Perhaps the Broncos' licence to the station was specifically for that station's local area.

[DavidS]

It would be sad if access to Internet streaming were blocked - I do know of it happening in other cases.
I just wonder if operating on some kind of subscription basis might solve the licensing or whatever problem?

[barfle]

My wife and I spent most of our lives in the Los Angeles area, and some of the stations we listened to there stream, but some do not because of licensing issues, according to them.

What's funny about that is the licensing seems to be more for the commercials than for the programming. One station plays music on the stream while some commercials are playing, but lets others through. Other stations simply have given up streaming completely. I'm sure some lawyers are picking up fees for figuring this out (or at least saying they have figured it out).

[annettehala]

I hate to see government involved in the internet. We have enjoyed access to so many things being over here. Up until now our greatest annoyance has been companies who will ship overseas, but don't have their system programmed to accept an overseas billing address.
Is there any chance that "The World's Classical Radio Station" will be limited to the U.S.A. in the future?

At this point none of this really matters too much since I am moving to the States in a month anyway.

[Shapley]

Annette,

Welcome to the States, in that case. Maybe you can catch a ride with Presenter. I received an e-mail from Mrs. Presenter saying they were coming to the States in September. I wonder if they'll make it in time for 'Guitar under the Stars'.

V/R
Shapley

[annettehala]

I have no idea what you're talking about Shapley. Congratulations! That was your 4444th post.

[Shapley]

Annette,

Presenter is a Japanese guitarist sometimes played on Beethoven.com. He plays classical music on electric guitar. Dan Masseli first introduced us to him, and I like his music. I have all five of his CD's, which I've bought directly from his website.

His wife is his business manager, and is probably the nicest person in the business. She frequently sends me an e-mail to let me know how they are doing. They will be coming to America in September, which is why I joked that you could catch a ride with them.

V/R
Shapley

[Selma in Sandy Eggo]

... I am moving to the States in a month anyway.

Excellent! Where will you be settling? School? Work? Plans? Judging from the vacation photos you've posted, you are already familiar with most areas.

If you come through Sandy Eggo, OT will want to drag you out to Fat Ivor's, and feed you beef ribs. Be warned.

[barfle]

Fat Ivors... Yum!

[piqaboo]

Hi Annette!
Good to hear from you again!

Yes, to where are you moving, and for why?
Is your sister coming too? Your parents?
Or are you launching from the family nest?

Will you document your adventures in pix as in times past?
I really enjoy your travelogues.

[Serenity]

Does Fat Ivors have a website where I can fly some ribs over here?

[BenODen]

Allo annette. So, you've been over there for 5 years, since the trip you documented here, huh? That was indeed fun to read about and see picures of it. I'm with Selma though, watch out for the food ambushes, I get the distinct feeling that most folk around here have food on the brain more often than can be counted.

[piqaboo]

Night of the Living Dead....
food on the brain.

[DavidS]

"Food, glorious food..."

[BenODen]

mmmm Gelato. Ya know, there's a place in Boulder that has some pretty good Gelato.. Maybe that'll my B.Com visitor outing, at least till someone tells me that it's just no comparison and to give it up.

[Catmando]

Mmmm, Gelati!

I'm within a 2 minute walk of 2 great gelati places here in The Peg.

My favorite is a scoop of super dark chocolate and a scoop of mandarin orange!

[DavidS]

For me - either vanilla or passion fruit or lemon sorbet with frozen yogourt.

[barfle]

One of the Smithsonians has a gelato bar, but it's not the same.