Shoutcast broadcasting legally?

[DJ Impact]

Hi,

I've just started broadcasting on shoutcast and am concerned over the legal side of things!

obviously i currently have no listener base and am broadcasting from the UK from my own server

i guessing there is thousands of small stations out there with very small listener bases in the same situation as me?

are these stations paying royalties and licenses? is it just a matter of time until they get a letter through the post demanding fees?

surely its impossible to keep track of whats playing? we have a playlist on constant playback but not specific songs just recorded mixes from fellow dj's. we will then in the future have dj's connecting to mix live and songs can not be kept a record of there also

where do we stand on this in the uk?

[ServerRoom]

Your best bet is to get a paid server, which you will probably need anyway once your listener base increases. We provide royalty reports for shoutcast servers.

[Museter]

I don't think you should start out with a dedicated server. That will run you a lot money that you do not have to spend in the beginning. We offer very affordable plans to get you started. We also provide royalty reports for shoutcast servers.

If you have any questions let me know.

Dennis

[HamsterWheel]

for legal live broadcast from UK, you'll have to deal with PRS for publishers' royalties and PPL for performance royalties.

and tracking tracks plays is not impossible, it's required.

[Nick@ss]

Guys Who mentioned anything about needing a server?

If the thread starter needs a server then he can check thru www.radiotoolbox.com/hosts or http://www.broadcastingworld.net/reviews/hosts/ to see who does and who doesn't offer royalty reporting.

Broadcasting world even offer an area for royalty paid hosts.

@ impact,
if you wish to be legal then it really isn't that expensive and both mcprs and ppl do offer reasonable rates for small broadcasters and are quite approachable.

However to be legal you will need to submit the following criterea which cannot be done with dj mixes therefore you cannot maintain legal.

Track name / Track artist / Track Time / total time listened

Some hosts offer text logging to go alongside the dj mixes and can be displayed in the player but a full tracklist will need to be submitted in the report to comply with the agencies.

See these sites for more information.
http://www.prsformusic.com/users/bro...rnetradio.aspx
http://www.ppluk.com/en/music-users/...-mobile-radio/

These would be the best people to chat with in this instance as we have attempted to organize a blanket licence for this particular kind of situation and failed on all counts.