Pandora is to block users in the United Kingdom from January 15 after failing to obtain a reasonable licensing agreement.
Pandora first started blocking users outside the United States in May 2007 due to licensing issues, but had continued streaming into the UK under the belief that they would be able to obtain an affordable license to continue doing so.
UK Pandora users received an email that included the following:
.As you probably know, in July of 2007 we had to block usage of Pandora outside the U.S. because of the lack of a viable license structure for Internet radio streaming in other countries. It was a terrible day. We did however hold out some hope that a solution might exist for the UK, so we left it unblocked as we worked diligently with the rights organizations to negotiate an economically workable license fee….Pandora will stop streaming to the UK as of January 15th, 2008
The stupidity of the RIAA continues to have little bounds, particularly when a decision like this forces a US company to stop streaming outside of the United States, and yet American owned companies based in the United Kingdom (like Last.fm) are free to stream music anywhere. The RIAA is costing the United States jobs and investment by regulations that will force innovative companies like Pandora in the future to only set up overseas, or never set up at all.
Readers in the United Kingdom (or anywhere outside of the US) looking for ways of continuing to listen to Pandora can read this article on how it can be done.
(via Download Squad)
