Pandora Forced To Abandon UK Streaming

After failing to negotiate an acceptable royalty rate, Pandora will close off its music streaming to UK listeners on January 15.

Pandora, the Internet service that creates personal streaming radio stations around the tastes of individual listeners, will be forced to cut of users in the UKafter January 15, the BBC has reported.   It’s all due to the company being able to negotiate a reasonable royalty rate with British music rightsgroups.   Last May Pandora cut off listeners in all countries except the US and UK – and only kept on the UK as it negotiated a licensing deal. At home the amount it pays is stipulatedunder the Digital Millennium Copyright Act.   However, the company has finally been forced to admit that it’s been unable to work out a reasonable deal in Britain. In an e-mail tolisteners, Pandora Westergren apologized and said,   "We have been told to sign these totally unworkable license rates or switch off, non-negotiable…so that is what we aredoing…We’re going to keep fighting for a fair and workable rate structure that will allow us to bring Pandora back to you."