Internet radio broadcasters have been in limbo while the battle over new copyright rates for streaming music has raged on for more than a year.

They were able to breathe a collective sigh of relief this week, when the Senate approved the Webcaster Settlement Act of 2008 on Sept. 30. The bill had passed in the House earlier this week and is now headed to the White House for President Bush to sign.

The bill enables Webcasters to negotiate a copyright payment rate with SoundExchange, the organization responsible for collecting the royalties for streaming music. They'll have until Feb. 15 to craft an agreement.

It scuttles the high royalty rates for Webcasters established by the Copyright Royalty Board, which would have driven many Internet broadcasters out of business. Last year, the CRB had set a per-song payment system that would have increased payments from 300 to 1,200 percent -- eating up the majority of the Webcasters' revenues.

"This legislation is not the final answer," said SaveNetRadio spokesperson Jake Ward in a statement issued after the vote. "But it is an essential step toward a lasting and much needed solution. ... Approval of the Webcaster Settlement Act has cleared the way for private negotiations that hopefully will confirm Internet radio's future."

www.house.gov/apps/list/press/wa01_inslee/radiobillhouse.shtml

The Halloween season is well under way at FEARnet, the horror and thriller Web site that offers on-demand content that's viewable online or on mobile devices.

This year's "Scare-a-Bration" features the 66.6 Second Film Festival and several short-form Halloween series, along with full-length horror films.

Seasonal cult faves that will be available for streaming and on-demand viewing: "A Nightmare on Elm Street Part 2," "House of 1,000 Corpses," "The Howling," "Jason Lives" and others.

FEARnet On Demand had the TV premiere of Clive Barker's "The Midnight Meat Train," a thriller about a serial killer in New York's subways. It moves online Oct. 30.

"Streets of Fear" is a short-form series showcasing America's scariest street names and the legends behind them, with visits to Shades of Death Row in New Jersey, Devil's Highway in Nevada and others. "Streets of Fear" airs on the FEARnet site Oct. 20-29.

In the Web-only 66.6 Second Film Festival, cult horror films like "The Howling," "Nightmare on Elm Street Part 2," Friday the 13th" and others are trimmed to 66.6 seconds by fast forwarding to key scenes. It premieres week of Oct. 13.

Two short series from last year's FEARnet lineup are back for an encore: "Route 666: America's Scariest Home Haunts," a short-form series showcasing the creativity behind haunted house venues across the country, with a new episode daily throughout the month; and "Tricks of the Trade: Halloween How-To," a series of short episodes with advice on costumes and makeup, decorating and party foods. Episodes premiere daily throughout the month.

The programming will also be available through FEARnet's Video on Demand service for Comcast and Verizon FioS subscribers.

Other programming includes "100 Years of Horror: FEARnet Celebrates Jekyll and Hyde," a 100th anniversary salute to one of the genre's originals: the first film version of "Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde."

www.Fearnet.com

Contemporary art museum the Mattress Factory will hold a benefit art auction Oct. 18 at 8 p.m. This year, people can also bid online for artworks, and view the auction items beforehand.

The auction will feature more than 100 works by local, regional and nationally known artists who have shown works at the Mattress Factory in the past three decades, including James Turrell, Kiki Smith, Ann Hamilton and others.

Artists donate their work, and the proceeds go to Mattress Factory programs, exhibitions and operations. The live online auction is being conducted in partnership with eBay Live Auctions.

Tickets for attending the auction at the Mattress Factory, 500 Sampsonia Way, North Side, are available through the Mattress Factory Web site or by calling 412-231-3169.

To view the works or register to bid online: www.liveauctioneers.com/catalog/16666/page1

www.mattress.org

Online and on-demand cable viewers can get a sneak preview of "Crash," the new drama series starring Dennis Hopper¸ which is set to premiere 10 p.m. Oct. 17 on Starz.

Full episodes are posted on Comcast's Fancast and Comcast On Demand service, along with trailers and behind-the-scenes features,

www.fancast.com/info/about

Travelers can make their own postcards while they're on the road by using HazelMail, a Web site that enables photographers to instantly turn their digital images into postcards -- and mail them.

The easy-to-use site creates unique, personalized postcards in a few simple steps: Upload the photo, write a message for the postcard and address it, and pay $1.50 for postage and mailing.

The site has a global network of printers in North and South America, Europe and Asia, enabling it to save mailing costs by printing the cards from the location closest to their destination.

www.hazelmail.com