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View Full Version : Sad Day for UK Music Fans - Pandora Ends



Bigbluecat
January 8th, 2008, 08:25 AM
Just got the below mail from Pandora. Priced out of business by the record labels and music publishers. We still have last.fm but this is a sad day. Pandora was a very good service.

:guitar:

Anyone have a version of this gif that is not playing any more?


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, and are denied access from Pandora on or after January 15th please contact Pandora Support: pandora-support@pandora.com at that time.
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.
http://www.pandora.com/static/images/tim_signature.jpg

-Tim Westergren
(Pandora founder)
This is a one-time account message

aimran
January 8th, 2008, 08:44 AM
Long time Pandora user here. Sigh. RIP

Spike-X
January 8th, 2008, 09:42 AM
Thank goodness the record companies and associated parasites managed to get rid of such an amazing source of free exposure for so many of their lesser-known artists.

Now they can get back to crying about how sales are down.

aimran
January 8th, 2008, 11:48 AM
Thank goodness the record companies and associated parasites managed to get rid of such an amazing source of free exposure for so many of their lesser-known artists.

Now they can get back to crying about how sales are down.

Best part: Pandora kept me from illegal downloads :P

bufsabre666
January 8th, 2008, 11:55 AM
BILL MAHER
nothing ever gets in the way of crony capitalism

he said it best, music industry is only out to make a buck and they make more money off pop music sales so small things like pandora must go

Dixon Bainbridge
January 8th, 2008, 12:08 PM
Always found it ironic that record companies called torrenters and p2p'ers thieves.

Mr Pot, meet Mr Kettle.