Turn the Tables on the Music Industry

Kudos to Tabled Turned, an all-volunteer organization which has organized in response to licencing concerns with podcasts.

For those who haven't considered the nuances of podcast licencing, (including myself until very recently) I will give a quick idiot's description of licencing law.

Radio stations are able to broadcast recorded materials because they have a broadcasting licence, which protects them from being sued to death by record labels who claim they are illegally distributing their materials. Now, I don't know whether some albums are labelled legal for brodcast or what. I imagine a lot of college radio stations cut corners when it comes to this kind of thing. A lot of songs at college radio stations are most likely downloaded.

Podcasters are not protected because they are run by amateurs (mostly) and thus don't have the means to get licenced. Even moreso (which affects me specifically), college radio stations, while legally being able to broadcast stuff, cannot save their radio shows as MP3 podcasts for public consumption.

Tables Turned is an all-volunteer organization which is appealing to labels and artists to give permission for their music to be podcasted. Anyone who supports independent music or college radio should definately sign the petition. To quote TT's manifesto:

College radio is the only platform that gives the independent record industry broadcast access to the public. The internet has finally given us the ability to increase our broadcast scope beyond the tiny local distances afforded by our University-subsidized, low wattage radio towers.

If college radio began podcasting (sending our radio shows over the internet in an mp3 format), it would finally be able to be heard in living rooms, buses, and subways across the whole world. But we can't expand beyond the tiny world of terrestrial radio until we have the support of the bands and record labels that we currently promote on our shows.

Here is a list of labels that have shown support to Tables Turned.