An agreement has been reached between internet radio broadcaster
MusicMatch and the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA)
in order to alleviate any threat of court action between the
parties. The agreement reportedly involves a licensing deal
allowing MusicMatch to broadcast music over the internet, although
the actual terms of the deal have not been disclosed.
Announcing the deal, CEO of MusicMatch Dennis Mudd
commented:
"MusicMatch's agreement with the RIAA allows
us to offer a uniquely compelling music experience to our users and
provides fair compensation for artists and labels... This agreement
ensures that MusicMatch Radio will continue to evolve as an
exciting music discovery experience for consumers and a powerful
promotional vehicle for the music industry."
The president and CEO of RIAA Hilary Rosen said:
"This license agreement confirms that the
needs of on-line music lovers do not have to come at the expense of
artists and copyright holders... Our license agreement with
MusicMatch also shows that the business of music distribution on
the internet is moving in a positive direction... "
MusicMatch Radio claims that it streams more than four million
"aggregate tuning hours" of music programming to 828,000 unique
listeners each month.
