Pandora/Apple

A FRANK LOOK AT STREAMING MONEY: With so much swirling in the geek-o-sphere about licensing fees for iTunes Radio and Pandora, not to mention accusations of hardball tactics by Apple (feverish charges that they'll take you off the iTunes store if you don't take their indie-licensing radio deal!) and low-ball schemes by Pandora (Furious claims that they're shortchanging artists!), we gotta ask: Who's spinning here? Meanwhile, if you'd like a thoughtful, mathematically sound take on Pandora rates and the streaming pond in general, we commend you to DigSin founder and author Jay Frank's essay "Pandora Royalties: The Real Answer," which is already getting serious pickup online. It may not be as juicy as a Pink Floyd diatribe, but it gets down to the nitty-gritty. (7/2)