Music

The Corporate Music Industry Is Still Trying to Kill Independent Internet Radio

Not a conspiracy, simply corporatism in action

The music industry has received permission from the U.S. government to double the special tax they place on Internet radio stations, retroactive to the beginning of 2021. It is the latest salvo in the corporate music industry’s long war to kill off non-corporate Internet radio stations. I’ve run an Internet radio station since 2003. There is no money to be made in doing so (I do it for the love of music), and I’ve always been one step ahead of the corporate music industry’s attempts to kill my independent station with their insane tax assessments.

Even now that the tax has been doubled, I wouldn’t mind it if this money went to the artists who I play. But it doesn’t. The money goes to music label corporate balance sheets and the personal pocket of SoundExchange’s CEO, who makes over a million dollars a year off of Internet radio stations.

This special tax is assessed only on independent Internet radio stations. Terrestrial radio stations and subscription corporate music sites like Spotify and iTunes don’t have to pay this tax, and they aren’t subject to the huge new increase. It is a tax on independent radio stations to make it increasingly costly…