Mike Carreon - Internet Radio Royalties

Today in class, I will be discussing Internet radio royalty policies and how the current standards have used previous legislation as a template. First I will take you though to the initial legislation regarding sound recording that was arranged because increases in technology demanded a means of protection of phonorecord piracy. With this, it set up an ideology of protection through copyrights. Although composition artists were dealt their royalties it wasn’t until the 1990’s that members of the sound recording side of the industry started to receive theirs. SoundExchange, a Performance Right Organization, was involved in the development and advocacy of the sound recording side of the industry. Coming closer to us in the timeline, we will see the Webcaster Settlement Acts come through due to the intensified royalty systems that the two acts passed in the ‘90’s had set into place. The royalties required had become outrageous, ranging from 80% to over 100% of the revenue a company was generating. Yes! I said it…over 100% of a company’s revenue was asked as of what the acts demanded for royalties. The Webcaster Settlement Acts took place in order to lock down prices over a period of time that were agreeable and fiscally responsible for both parties. Although they are “temporary” and considered “discounted” prices, they are still in the range of 50% to 75% of some companies’ revenues. The Pureplay Agreement definitely contributed to the, so far, success of the Webcaster Settlement Acts. It separates the royalty rates for the different potential webcasters: small, commercial, & subscription based webcasters. Making it maintainable for companies to survive despite the annual increase the Webcaster Agreement Acts call for. Since the Webcaster Agreement Acts were only through 2010, there is current negotiation for royalty rates, so if rates aren’t agreed upon we may see an end to internet radio.

Pandora Radio

Today, October 18, 2011 I will be discussing the different aspects of Pandora radio and how they appeal to the wireless culture. I will be looking at the different devices you can access Pandora from, how they generate income and the music genome project.
The beginning of my presentation will give a brief overview of the characteristics of terrestrial radio and Pandora internet radio. It will give the audience an idea of how the two radio forms are different and how Pandora has evolved from terrestrial radio.
Next I will discuss what Pandora is and how they got their name. This will give the audience a general break down of the structure of the company and the purpose the wish to fulfill. I will also look at the different mediums you can access Pandora on and how they appeal to the digital age. Smart Phone apps are one of the most common digital mediums that Pandora uses to reach their target listeners.
I will also discuss how Pandora generates revenue. Advertising is the predominant revenue sources for Pandora. The Advertisers take the information listeners give to Pandora to create ads that appeal to their information. There are also subscriptions available for purchase that allows Pandora to regulate go gains full access to their site. I will also address the fact that Pandora isn’t profitable because of royalty fees.
Lastly I will Define the Music Genome Project and how they are the key factor that makes Pandora so unique. This project has created a narrowcast by developing playlist to adhere to the listeners particular genre or artist interest.
To conclude I will state how Pandora is shaping the way for future radio and how the ability to personalize radio stations to the listeners musical interest will allow them to grow.
The discussion questions will relate the conformity of terrestrial radio and why listeners are attracted to internet radio.

Satellite Radio- Sirius XM merger

Today in class, October 20, I will be discussing the law and policy issues related to the Sirius and XM satellite radio merger of 2008. The question of the week is about older media serving as a template for a wireless culture. Satellite radio does this because it brings the older form of media, radio, into the wireless/digital culture by providing a way for listener’s to pick the stations of music they most enjoy. Radio has transformed greatly since its first existence in 1896 with Marconi’s wireless telegraph and Morse code. It then became popular as a form of entertainment and extended further into the creation of AM and FM stations. Like we discussed in class, radio turned into a money- making industry where competition is fierce. Then in the early 2000’s, satellite radio made its introduction into the radio industry. Sirius and XM were two satellite radio providers, but neither was doing particularly well. In 2007, they decided to begin the process to merge into one hopefully successful company. The merger brought issues of monopolies and lack of competition to the satellite radio industry. There were people on both sides, for and against the merger. Ultimately the merger was approved by the Department of Justice and later the FCC. It was proven that the merger would not result in a monopoly, because of the popularity of iTunes and Internet radio, there would still be competition in the market. The merger brought about profits for the now named Sirius XM Radio. The company did have to pay fees on violations and the merger had stipulations. Since the merger, the company has proved successful, much to the fact that they made headway into the automotive industry by having their service already installed in most vehicles.

News of the World

Today in class, October 13, I will be discussing the first amendment and ethical journalism. Those two important factors in journalism was disregarded by News of the World in the summer of 2o11. I will discuss the importance of the first amendment and ethics, and how the two elements were disregarded by News of the World.

The beginning of my presentation will define the first amendment. I want the audience to understand that the first amendment in journalism is basically a way we as the people are allowed to obtain different sources of news, through different outlets. The first amendment allows journalist to express their own opinions without government intervention. This makes it more accessible to create journalism, which holds thousands of opinions, to be shared and discussed amongst each other.

The second thing I will be defining is ethical journalism. Ethical journalism is one which ethical standards and codes are formed by the credibility for media organizations that can affect their success at all levels. Ethical journalism is the acknowledgment of creating stories by hard work and honesty which most journalist choose to follow. The main focus of ethical journalism I will be acknowledging in my presentation is not breaking the law to create a story the other competitors in the newspaper industry have not come up with.

I will then be discussing the case of News of the World. News of the World hacked into innocent civilians phones all throughout England. They damaged a missing persons case by hacking into the girl's phone who had been missing and deleting voicemails that could have helped the police solve the missing persons case. The unethical journalist was accused of hacking into other unlawful phones ranging from people of the government, celebrities, royalty, and innocent bystanders. The owner of the newspaper is a billionaire mogul Rupert Murdoch. He owns many news corporations in the UK and also in the United States. His involvement stemmed from not having control over the situation at hand, and willingly knowing what was going on.

I will show a clip of the crime accused by News of the World by the Washington post journalist. This clip will help me demonstrate the relevance this case holds in the newspaper industry. I will conclude with discussion questions which reflect the ways News of the World dishonored ethical journalism, and how it affects journalism in today's society. The presentation will be interesting to participate in because of how the violation of privacy was breached, and how it could easily be done in the media industry today.

In class on October 13, I will be discussing Twitter's affect on sport journalism and the varies controversies stemming from its incorporation to news. I will discuss Twitter's beginnings and its rise as a "news source."

The beginning of my presentation gives a brief overview of The First Amendment, definitions it placed and the history of newspapers. It is important to understand the structure of free speech and the formation of media in America before delving into issues with new media and Twitter.

Next I will discuss the history of Twitter and its development to the social media power that it is today. A case study broke down Twitter's humble beginnings and predicted it to surpass Facebook and Myspace in the near future. This is important to the topic as social media grows and eventually encompasses other industries, the sports news industry will undoubtedly shift toward utilizing the tool.

I will then give reasons why sports journalists are transitioning toward Twitter journalism, mainly because sports stars use the networking site as a personal branding tool. Shaq, Stewart Cink and Serena Williams all have a large amount of followers on their Twitter accounts. News outlets follow athletes and assume their tweets are factual without getting another source, creating a journalistic conundrum.

I will then describe Twitter journalism and show a youtube clip to better describe this new topic. This will show the other side of the argument as the clip gives a positive view of Twitter journalism.

Immediately following will be an example controversial issues involved with Twitter, regarding fake accounts. St. Louis Cardinals manager Tony LaRussa sued Twitter in 2009 because an imposter in San Francisco used his name to post demeaning comments of former and current players.

Discussion questions regarding Twitter's legitamacy as a news source will conclude the presentation.

See you there

Twitter: A New Form of News

In class tomorrow, on October 13, I will be discussing Twitter, and how it has affected the news industry in the last five years. I will look at three different uses of Twitter, and how each of those affects society and the news industry.

I will start out by explaining what Twitter actually is, and then work into the different ways that people use it. The first use of Twitter is for social networking, which is the most prevalent use in society. People use it to keep connected with others, especially influential figures in society, such as athletes, actors, and politicians. Then I look at how Twitter has affected the political realm in America. It has become a very popularly used tool for the politicians in our society, who can spread their ideas and beliefs through Twitter. I show how congress now uses it during speeches and meetings, and how even the president has a Twitter to post information. The third use for Twitter that I believe is important is the use of Twitter in journalism. This has become extremely popular recently, because it allows the journalist to deliver information to the follower much faster, giving the reader a feeling of interaction and involvement with the story (which is often happening in other parts of the world). I argue that Twitter has become important in the news industry because it saves production costs, and can be narrowcasted to a more specific audience, one that wants to hear the news being presented. Humans enjoy getting a more personal experience, and by posting personalized content on Twitter, journalists are satisfying those needs of the consumer (follower).

I believe that Twitter will change the way news is delivered for the rest of the future, just as radio and television did, many years ago. It allows for a more interactive and personal style of news delivery, which is what I believe society wants.

Disney and Globalization

In class on the 29th of September, a clear image of globalizations effects on The Walt Disney Company was shown and successfully discussed. The purpose of the study was to provide the class with an example of how globalization has shaped media or industry. Through Disney's use of content and mediums, the class was able to see how the company has responded to a continuously globalizing industry.

The class discussion on whether Disney was aiming towards global imperialism or just trying to appeal to a more extensive audience was interesting. Most of the students felt that Disney was just trying to appeal to a broader audience while keeping intone with American ideologies.

I was surprised more did not have something to say about the government using Disney as a source of propaganda. Here is a link I found very interesting. The scholarly article voices the opinions of a few critics of Disney, and it’s use of propaganda:

http://web.ebscohost.com.lib-ezproxy.tamu.edu:2048/ehost/detail?sid=ad63b7b3-2274-46c4-a89e-75a176792b7e%40sessionmgr14&vid=1&hid=9&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWhvc3QtbGl2ZQ%3d%3d#db=a9h&AN=37019251

I hope I successfully showed two key ways in which globalization has shaped Disney. Also, how the medium can be just as important as the content in these cases. As McLuhan famously said, “The medium is the message.”

As for the question of the week: “How does globalization shape media products and industry?” I believe there are a variety of ways in which this is obvious. Globalization forces companies to be more diverse in their media products and marketing techniques. They also need to be accessible to a larger audience. Having a diverse selection of media outlets is one way in which to do so. For example, radio station, print publications, TV shows, etc. Using new and old media because not everyone has access to the new.

Lastly, I would like to thank the class for their input in the class discussion and their attention during my presentation.