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Visual radio allows for visual and text messages to be displayed
in synchronicity with the broadcast. For instance you can have maps
displayed with a weather forecast. It allows for a lot of interactivity.
Listeners can send text messages back to the station giving feedback
on a show. The station can also sell ringtones of songs on its playlist.
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The technical setup involves a central radio server which is connected
to the radio stations. Web development technology is used. Stations
can find out how many people are tuning in at a particular point
in time. Ruohomaki's company is making a production system.
The server reads the playlist and accordingly create content. For
instance if songs of Dr. Alban are playing then a contest can be
run. All listeners have to do is press buttons. In this way market
research can also be done to find out if a particular show's format
needs tweaking. In addition the central server is capable of handling
huge volumes of data. A case in point is the reality show Big
Brother. The normal phone lines got jammed when the elimination
time came.
"That will not happen with the server. Another huge advantage
for radio stations is in the advertising arena. Listeners can also
choose whether they want to find out more about a product being
advertised. They can press a button if they want to be on a company's
mailing list for ordering and received further information on products.
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Meanwhile Life Circle Productions' Ravi Khote talked about the
importance of content creators understanding their intellectual
Property Rights (IPR). He stated that performance and recording
artistes are losing money because they are unaware of the fact that
they are entitled to royalties everytime a piece of music that they
helped create is used.
"People do not know the difference between being paid one
time and a complete buyout. If it is not a complete buyout then
everytime a language version of a master product like a song is
made you should be paid. Every airplay has to be paid for. Abroad
music artistes make more money from royalties that from the one
time they were paid to record the material."
Khote added that he is forming an organisation Amfa which will
help performing and recording artistes get royalties everytime the
material is used. The first target is ad agencies which use music
tunes. "Once the work is seen as being sacrosanct in media
things will move fast. When an agency pays a sum of say Rs. 1 million
for a film tune they are only paying the producer. There are still
the rights of the music composer, the singer that have not been
taken into consideration.
"However it is important that you assert that you have played
a part in creating the content. The copyright owner does not have
to prove that an offender was unaware of the rights. It is the job
of the user to find out who owns the copyright. When a film producer
uses a performance for remix videos then the performance artiste
has to be paid royalty.
"Unfortunately performance artistes in our country are getting
squeezed because they are unaware of their rights. In the film industry
some of the contracts that are signed are unconstitutional. Artistes
signing contracts are being forced into conditions that they do
not they have recourse from."
On a positive note Khote added that in the past few months there
had been cases of people asserting themselves. For instance a patriotic
song had become embroiled in a royalty dispute. 40 years ago the
composer had signed a contract with Saregama saying that a portion
of proceeds from the recording would go towards the Indian Army.
The artistes grand daughter in August filed a case in the Mumbai
High Court stating that Saregama had not fulfilled its side of the
deal. The court then gave the music company one month to furnish
details of revenues earned from the song and how much had gone to
the Indian Army.
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