For a minute there, it looked like Net radio was going offline. This summer, the US Copyright Office decreed that webcasters must pay record labels 70 cents a song per broadcast for every 1,000 listeners. Dozens of Net stations — from SomaFM to Pissmonkey — responded by calling it quits. In their wake, an alternate channel surfaced: peer-to-peer pirate radio. Using Gnutella-like technologies, such as Streamer and PeerCast, anyone with a PC and a 56-Kbps connection can become a radio jock. Here�s a sampling.
Station: CBR Live
Power rotation: Pop regulars Pat Benatar, Nu Shooz, Rolling Stones
Originating from: A nightclub in Flint, Michigan
Platform: Streamer
Station: Planet Texas
Power rotation: Classic rockers Allman, Creedence, Dylan, Frampton
Originating from: �My laptop,� says station guru Harold
Platform: Streamer
Station: Generation Zel!
Power rotation: Club favorites BT, Timo Maas, Paul Oakenfold, Orbital
Originating from: The home of Richard in Ontario, Canada
Platform: Streamer
Station: Pure 80s
Power rotation: New wavers ABC, New Order, Tears for Fears
Originating from: �An encrypted bunker, far away from the RIAA�
Platform: PeerCast
Station: Mixfreaks
Power rotation: Upbeat mixes from Janet Jackson, Eurohouse
Originating from: The Apeldoorn, Netherlands, studio of mixfreak Dennis
Platform: PeerCast
Station: Soma Tribute
Power rotation: Electrolounge standbys Fila Brazillia, Gus Gus, Moby
Originating from: SomaFM fans, who set up in �a clandestine location�
Platform: PeerCast
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signal : noise
The Transparent Corporation
Lose $6,000, Win a Vacation
jargon watch
Pssst — Pirate Radio, Pass It On
Only You Can Prevent Spam
Cleaning Up Clean Rooms
Smashing Pumpkins
Why Telemarketing Is Evil
Playing the Numbers
The Six Degrees of Six Degrees
The Daily Tribunal
The Future Is � Then
The End of TV — Again
Wired | Tired | Expired
Nuclear Anxiety
