:::Save Net Radio:::

[+Mirumir Subscriber¹]

http://www.savenetradio.org/

Help Internet Radio Avoid Extinction

Corporate interests are hard at working making sure you don't have a choice because they make more money when you have no choices.

Protect Your Right To Diversity

Protect your right to hear eclectic indepenent radio and discover new artists.You can save Internet radio with less than five minutes of your time. Write your congressional representative today. Pass the word to anyone you know that loves or makes music. Also, please bookmark this page and check back frequently for updates. We need your continued support and action as the situation further develops.

Tell your representative:

I do not support The Copyright Royalty Board's (CRB) March 2nd decision to substantially increase royalty rates. Not only will it impact my choices, but the Recording Industry Association of America's (RIAA) manipulation of these rates, and the CRB's indifference will hurt working artists, damage small record labels and force law abiding small webcasters, already paying a large portion of their revenue per month in royalties, out of business. This decision will also damage hundreds of small businesses providing goods and services to working artists, small record labels and small webcasters.

I respectfully ask that you evaluate the CRB decision and do whatever is necessary to establish a reasonable royalty rate for all the parties involved.

Who, What and When

On March 2, 2007, The CRB approved royalty rates that will bury any small webcaster, and create a heavy burden even for big broadcasters like Yahoo, AOL Music and Pandora. How high will these rates be? Around 100% of a small webcasters revenue, give or take a few points, in most cases. What?! That's impossible to pay! Yep, it sure is..

How did this happen? The RIAA told the CRB thats what they wanted, and the CRB just gave it to them.

Your're probably thinking, hey that's awful, but who are the the RIAA and CRB?

RIAA (Recording Industry Association of America) is a lobbying group formed by the five largest record labels. They are embedded in Washington D.C. They make sure laws are written to keep them rich, no matter what. They made headlines a few years ago opening lawsuits against elderly people, single mothers and children for trading music online, even though some of them didn't even have computers. Check out the latest RIAA headlines.

The CRB (Copyright Royalty Board) is part of the US Copyright Office. The Board is charged with determining the royalty rates that would be determined by a willing buyer and a willing seller in a marketplace transaction. They decided to jack the rates beyond a broadcasters means despite decades of royalty rates being 1 - 2% of broadcaster revenue. Raise your right hand if you want to take away consumer choice, hurt working artists, damage small record labels and put small webcasters out of business.

Take Action Now!

Write your congressional representative

Add your name to a petition

[+Mirumir Subscriber¹]

Bump!

[Matrix XII]

I'd sign if I was a US resident.

[entropyx]

No thanks, I have Sirius Satellite Radio and that's all I need.

Good luck, but I really hope you perish. More people will be driven to satellite radio.

[+Mirumir Subscriber¹]

No thanks, I have Sirius Satellite Radio and that's all I need.

Good luck, but I really hope you perish. More people will be driven to satellite radio.

Would you change your mind if I told you that "RIAA is lobbying for support of a bill that would restrict users from being able to locally store and record songs aired over satellite radio"?

[entropyx]

No, because any music I want I pirate anyhow.

[black_death]

I quote myself: https://www.neowin.net/index.php?act=view&a...&cid=548534

I think the RIAA should go **** themselves as usual since normal radio and performance royalties go to ASCAP or BMI which is then given directly to the Artist, NOT to the record company, the RIAA had no right to make htis law to begin with.

The artists are payed performance fees directly from whatever organization represents them (in the US its ASCAP or BMI, in Canada its SOCAN, etc.), the record company doesn't get anything because they didnt actually do anything. Performance fees are basically hwo artists make a living since record comapnies feel that their corporate executives, producers, market researchers, lawyers (for sueing file sharers), etc. each deserve more money than the actual artists who made the music and now the RIAA wants to take that away too. The RIAA has no right to make this law and the prices shouldnt be dropped, the law should be removed all together!

I'm so glad the US congress is filled with smart people who actually know what theyre voting on.

[Peppers30]

Already signed up and contacted my local representative. He still has not emailed me back even when it said that he emails everyone with a response. Our government is useless we should overthrow them. :rolleyes:

[SunnyB]

Already signed up and contacted my local representative. He still has not emailed me back even when it said that he emails everyone with a response. Our government is useless we should overthrow them. :rolleyes:

It's time to throw their tea in the harbor again.

This time throw them in also.

[Peppers30]

Well you know something that is the absolute truth. Someone in my clan mentioned it. When this country was formed the original founders made the statement "It should be the government that fears the people not the people who fear the government". Today I think it is the opposite way. Seriously who would have the balls to get together to try and overthrow the United States weither it is peaceful or with force.

[+Mirumir Subscriber¹]

Well you know something that is the absolute truth. Someone in my clan mentioned it. When this country was formed the original founders made the statement "It should be the government that fears the people not the people who fear the government". Today I think it is the opposite way. Seriously who would have the balls to get together to try and overthrow the United States weither it is peaceful or with force.

You have a chance every four years to overthrow your government, both the legislature and the executive body. It's called voting ;)

[jokeripa]

Is this only affecting the US radio?

[Peppers30]

You have a chance every four years to overthrow your government, both the legislature and the executive body. It's called voting ;)

Yea but do you think they actually care about us? They might pretend they do when election time comes up but after that they dont care worth of ****. I say we start a revolution. I'm tired of those politicians driving around in their BMW's, Escalades, and Corvettes. :whistle:

[Matrix XII]

Digitally Imported may be shut down, I CANT BELIEVE THIS!!!!! **** the RIAA, and **** THE CRB!!

I pay a premium subscription there, and they may get shut down, I even donated another $15 to them. If anyone cares about this please donate or at least do something! This is RIDICULOUS!

[ScottKin]

Current Netradio status info at http://www.kurthanson.com

Radio And Internet Newsletter

Dear Scott,

In a blow to worldwide webcast audiences, and a move that underscores another of the many licensing hurdles that Internet radio operations face, Pandora has announced that their service will no longer be available to listeners outside the U.S.

Webcast law expert David Oxenford comments on Pandora's decision to block out foreign audiences, and how many of the hang-ups in international webcasting licensing deals could possibly be solved in the future.

Also in today's issue, recording artist SONiA, who joined the "Hill walk" group last week in Washington D.C., reports on her experience on the Hill and the value of Internet radio to her own career.

Read full details in today's issue of RAIN, available now at http://www.kurthanson.com.

Sincerely,

Daniel McSwain

Assistant Editor

RAIN: Radio And Internet Newsletter

P.S. Comments? Questions? Let us know: feedback@kurthanson.com

As someone who has a "Netradio" show where the content is predominately music (and being a fairly new & smaller "station" with hopes of getting more listeners), this whole situation has been quicky entering into a death-spiral; however, there is a ray of hope in the IREA (Internet Radio Equality) bill and the House's version of the bill ( H.R. 2060) introduced in the House of Representatives on April 26th of this year. Both bills would vacate the CRB's rate-hike and leveling the playing-field between traditional broadcast radio and Webcasting.

RAIN's current info...

PLEASE SUPPORT YOUR FAVORITE WEBCASTER BY CONTACTING YOUR SENATOR AND/OR YOUR REPRESENTATIVE AND ASK THEM TO SUPPORT IREA (FOR THE SENATE) OR H.R. 2060 (FOR THE HOUSE).

(sorry about the all-caps, but this is VERY urgent!)

--ScottKin

[Skiver Veteran]

Is this only affecting the US radio?

yep america only... worry not my little scot... unless your fav radio stations are broadcast in the US that is :p

Thank god for radio 538 :)

[bayrider]

di.fm and some other stations are having a day of silence today. check out savenetradio and lend a helping hand because none of this is fair!

[ScottKin]

We ("We" being WebChat Radio) are definitely participating in "The Day Of Silence" today, and playing nothing but the PSA's and self-made music with the PSA's sprinkled throughout.

PLEASE support your favorite Webcast/Netcast provider by visiting http://www.savenetradio.org - especially if you're a listener in the US and have a moment or three to contact your Senator and Representative TODAY and show your support by asking them to please support Senate Bill 1353 and H.R. 2060 in the House of Representatives! H.R. 2060 went fine in the House, but S. 1353 is floundering with very limited support.

--ScottKin

[Popcorned1]

Hi, it's Tim from Pandora,

I'm sorry to say that today Pandora, along with most Internet radio sites, is going off the air in observance of a Day Of Silence. We are doing this to bring to your attention a disastrous turn of events that threatens the existence of Pandora and all of internet radio. We need your help.

Ignoring all rationality and responding only to the lobbying of the RIAA, an arbitration committee in Washington DC has drastically increased the licensing fees Internet radio sites must pay to stream songs. Pandora's fees will triple, and are retroactive for eighteen months! Left unchanged by Congress, every day will be like today as internet radio sites start shutting down and the music dies.

A bill called the "Internet Radio Equality Act" has already been introduced in both the Senate (S. 1353) and House of Representatives (H.R. 2060) to fix the problem and save Internet radio--and Pandora--from obliteration.

I'd like to ask you to call your Congressional representatives today and ask them to become co-sponsors of the bill. It will only take a few minutes and you can find your Congresspersons and their phone numbers by entering your zip code here.

Your opinion matters to your representatives - so please take just a minute to call.

Visit www.savenetradio.org to continue following the fight to Save Internet Radio.

As always, and now more than ever, thank you for your support.

Source

[PL_ Veteran]

I fully support this. Pandora is great, and it would be such a shame to see it go.

[dreamz Veteran]

threads merged

[null_]

This sucks, I love iPartyRadio and di.fm, I always listen to internet radio to discover new music and listen to something different that I may not have in my collection. I hope something gets done about this.