PROs take aim at Pandora

DON'T MESS WITH THE PROS: Remember when we told you streaming-radio firm Pandora had bought a tiny terrestrial station in Rapid City, SD, hoping to apply the streaming rates broadcasters get to its whole business? Yeah, not so fast with that. Performance-rights orgs have come out in force to counter what they're calling Pandora's deceptive practice. BMI, as we mentioned earlier, has filed suit in Federal Court, asking that a "reasonable" rate be set and decrying this "stunt." "Songwriters and composers are struggling in the digital economy to be paid fairly for their creative work," reads a statement from ASCAP President (and guest on the new Daft Punk album) Paul Williams. "Pandora is trying every trick in the book to brazenly and unconscionably underpay and take advantage of the creative labor that produces the core offering of their business – music written by individual songwriters and composers." Stay tuned for more tussling. (6/14p)