One of the delights of

One of the delights of my occasional days working at home is getting to stick an internet radio station on my computer's speakers (not possible in a busy newsroom, alas). I'm quite a fan of internet radio, even more so since I got broadband and iTunes 2 on my Mac, which comes with an eclectic range of preset radio stations already programmed in. I can switch from laid-back jazz to 80's pop to electronica to Christian rock (ahem) with just a few clicks, if I want to. So the decision yesterday by the Librarian of Congress to reject record industry proposals that would have closed many, if not most, of these little stations comes as quite a relief. The big labels wanted the radio stations to pay a per listener/per track fee which would have been financially ruinous. The stations want to offer a percentage of their annual revenues - a percentage that takes account of the fact that their broadcasts promote music. When the record industry seems desperate to do anything to halt the continuing digital revolution, it's good to see them lose from time to time. The fight goes on but, at least, so does the music, for now. (I was joking about the Christian rock, by the way).