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We’ve already heard about the problems Pandora has been having with the upcoming RIAA royalty structure.  But we’re already starting to see the effects on smaller internet radio sites.  Muxtape’s main page hold’s a sad message reading;

“Muxtape will be unavailable for a brief period while we sort out a problem with the RIAA.“

While Muxtape insists it’s not closed for good, this can start to get scary for many people fairly soon.  As the RIAA starts tightening its grip, more services may be forced to shut down or start charging people to use the service.  It’s hard not to think that the RIAA is basically shooting itself in the foot with these new rules.  Online radio, while not exactly all that profitable, is a great way to find new music you may like but never heard before.  That could potentially lead to more record sales.  It’d be nice if maybe instead of basically trying to shut down internet radio, the RIAA tried working with it.  Or maybe the RIAA should hire some younger consultants on the matter, maybe some people just out of college that know how people like listening to their music in the internet age.

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Sections: Audio, Web, Web 2.0, Online Music/Video

Pandora, the ad-supported internet radio service that builds stations off of your personal taste, sounds it may shut down in the near future.  Due to high royalty costs from the labels, that may be their only option.  According to the Washington Post, Pandora founder Tim Westergren doesn’t seem too confident the company will survive.

“We’re approaching a pull-the-plug kind of decision…This is like a last stand for webcasting.“

Read on for more.

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Sections: Tech News, Web, Web 2.0, Online Music/Video

As a die-hard Pandora fan I am not sure if the folks at Slacker were seeking me out to try and convert me, or they just didn’t know what they were getting themselves into. Here are my thoughts after using Slacker.com’s streaming internet radio for a little over 2 months.

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Sections: Audio, Reviews, Web, Web Apps, Online Music/Video, Features