Rihanna, Missy Elliott Fighting Pandora Over Artist Pay

Music streaming service lobbying Congress for change in royalty regulations

A group of 125 notable musicians, including Rihanna and Missy Elliott, have signed an open letter written to online music streaming service Pandora Media Inc., opposing its push to change how artists are compensated. Pandora has lobbyists on Capitol Hill urging lawmakers to pass the “Internet Radio Fairness Act,” which would cut by 85 percent the amount of money artists receive when their songs are played online. "Why is the company asking Congress once again to step in and gut the royalties that thousands of musicians rely upon? That's not fair and that's not how partners work together," said a draft of the letter, which will be published online at Billboard.com this weekend. In October, Pandora’s share of total U.S. radio listening was said to be almost 7 percent, up from about 4 percent last year. The more customers Pandora gains, the more money it has to fork over to stream music. The rate it pays artists is set until 2015. (Reuters)

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