Rescue Internet Radio!

[MonteLukast]

We need to pay attention to a dangerous new development for internet radio.

Emphases are mine.

Aren't you glad we have a good Senator who makes it a duty to care about this stuff?

Anyone who calls Kerry "elitist" has their head firmly and inextricably up their ass. If supporting Internet radio integrity isn't "of the people", I don't know what is.

Kerry must be framed as a hero to Internet dwellers everywhere.

Dear MonteLukast,

Rescue Internet Radio:
Sign the Petition

Online music is in danger. A recent ruling by an obscure regulatory board threatens to put independent and public radio on the Internet out of business.

The "Copyright Royalty Board" is dramatically increasing the royalties "webcasters" must pay every time they stream a song online. Public Internet radio like NPR is especially at risk.

The rules could shut down nonprofit and smaller commercial Internet radio outlets and force larger webcasters to play the same cookie-cutter music as Clear Channel. So much for new online alternatives.
The fees would be unsustainable for public radio webcasters who would be forced to significantly reduce the alternative and cultural programming they offer.

This is not just another petition. The Copyright Royalty Board isn't used to hearing from the public, so your action can really make a difference. And we need to stop them before the new charges go into effect.

Artists must be compensated for their work. But the new regulations don't even differentiate between public outlets, small upstarts, and the largest commercial companies. The proposed increase would silence many outlets that play independent artists and musical genres you can't find anymore on the radio dial.

As soon as smaller webcasters start to attract a sizable audience, the royalty costs would be astronomical -- and likely fatal. And nonprofit stations like NPR should not be forced to pay so much money that they actually fear an increase in their listeners.

Industry-wide consolidation has destroyed musical diversity and shut out independent and local artists on broadcast radio. We can't let the same thing happen on the Internet.

The Copyright Royalty Board -- or if necessary, Congress -- needs to fix the rules so that artist and musicians thrive alongside a new generation of Internet radio webcasters. Send them a message by adding your name to our petition.

Petition Text:
Internet radio provides an outlet for new artists, independent performers and endless variety of musical genres that aren't available anywhere else. The recent decision by the Copyright Royalty Board to massively increase royalty rates for nonprofit and commercial "webcasters" is a mistake. We need fair rules that compensate artists and allow a wide range of noncommercial and independent outlets to flourish online.

As Internet radio listeners, we ask you to craft rules that:

*Make a clear distinction in rates paid by noncommercial, smaller commercial, and larger commercial webcasters, recognizing in particular the unique mission of public radio webcasters.
*Reinstate a reasonable flat rate for noncommercial and smaller commercial webcasters -- the proposed rates would cripple their operations.
*Establish a fee that is reasonable for larger commercial providers -- this rate hike would be disastrous for the diversity of their programming.

We urge you to act quickly to fix these rules and protect Internet radio.

Click here to sign petition to Rescue Internet Radio.






The ruling may be recent. But its foundation is in outdated modes of the music industry that were more applicable to the 1990s than to today. The CRB's decision makes no concessions to the change of time and trends.

Guys, as far as I can tell, nobody supports this decision, except for SoundExchange. Even Clear Channel wants a rehearing of the CRB's decision.

It's not too late. But we'd better act QUICKLY. The new rules are supposed to go into effect on May 15th.

Remember: the CRB is a division of the Library Of Congress. Some senators and congressmen need to be reminded of this association. Others need no reminding at all.

(Check out the wordsmithing on the part of SoundExchange, too: "Webcasters like AOL, Clear Channel, and others want to impose low rates on artists." Wanna bet on how many of their execs are "loyal Bushies"?)

Supporting freedom of speech doesn't just mean protecting it from government abuses.
It also means do not make exercising it too expensive.

[cadmium]

1. Thanks This is very important in

these days of media consolidation. We saw how easily the country was whipped up into war fever with no dissenting voices on big outlets.

I signed. I am tapped out for donations for the next few months.