In what I choose to see as a vindication of the ASCAP model a global deal appears to have been struck between Web radio stations and content owners. The deal is formally with the Radio Music License Committee, which represents about 12,000 big Web music streamers. So this deal is not a final solution, nor does it solve the problem for the little guys. But at least it appears to give a framework that lets Webcasters separate online royalties from fees paid to ASCAP for stuff that goes out over the airwaves.

The deal itself is huge, at over US$1.7b and covers about 7.5 million titles for which ASCAP and more than 60 affiliated foreign performing rights organizations handle copyrights. Unfortunately it's not revenue-based, which means it's not going to work for small not profitable Webcasters, but it's still a big step forward on the road to overall licensing.

http://shorl.com/didovugabave (CNET)