Discrimination case claims that noncommercial religious broadcasters are paying far more than fellow stations to cover royalties for music played online.The website for 99.1 JOY FM in St. Louis features a scrolling playlist of its lineup of Christian pop music and a “listen now” button to tune in to the simulcast broadcast. But visitors may find that after a few hours of streaming artists like Lauren Daigle and Brandon Lake, the site may kick them off.Because of higher royalty costs, many noncommercial religious broadcasters are choosing to either limit the number of online listeners they allow at a time or simply not promote their online platforms at all. A new lawsuit from some of these broadcasters, including many Christian stations, claims that their royalty rate, which exceeds what other stations pay, is effectively a form of religious discrimination.“The government is charging religious broadcasters a significantly higher rate,” said Rory Gray, with the Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF). “It suppresses religious speech in the public sphere.”Noncommercial radio stations—which rely on listener support and grant funding rather than ad sales—have traditionally been able to negotiate lower royalty rates for the music they play. But religious broadcasters, like JOY FM’s owner, Gateway Creative Broadcasting, lost out on that deal during negotiations in 2016 with SoundExchange, the rights management company that distributes royalties to artists.Then streaming costs for religious radio increased in 2021, following a ruling from the US Copyright Royalty Board (CRB), and Christian stations were subject to the standard rates. A suit filed in February against the board claims that due to the discrepancy in rates set by the CRB and privately negotiated rates, noncommercial religious broadcasters are forced to restrict their streams ...Continue reading...

Radiant Church, host of the two-day Arise Shine Conference for pastors and leaders set for Kalamazoo, Michigan, next month, has scratched worship musician Jeremy Riddle from the annual event's lineup as he faces spiritual abuse allegations from his time at Dwelling Place Anaheim.

The Original W.B. NOWLIN “Battle of Songs” Concerts Return to Fort Worth, Texas for three days! May 30 – June 1, 2024. The iconic W.B. NOWLIN “Battle of Songs” is set to make a grand return to Fort Worth, Texas, from May 30 to June 1, 2024. This eagerly anticipated event announces a lineup of Read More

“Every person you see on the current Gold City stage is a longtime Gold City fan,” Danny Riley shares. “We all have our favorite songs the group has recorded down through the years.

An upcoming conference hosted by Andy Stanley's church for ministry leaders and parents of LGBTQ children is being called a “clear and tragic departure from Biblical Christianity” by a prominent evangelical leader, who says the lineup of speakers reveals the event's theological position.

Round 2 of the CCC:Iron Chef is complete. Both teams made a competitive bid to advance to the final round, but only one team’s food reigned competitive. The team known as Culinary Cooking Crescendo, led by Sarah (a temporary replacement for Helen), brought forth a competitive lineup of three competitive dishes. They were “Rafting [...]

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