from SaveNetRadio.org
April 17th 2007 -
The Copyright Royalty Board in Washington, DC has more than tripled the royalty rates for webcasters and left unchanged they will kill Internet radio. These exorbitant rates go into effect on May 15 (retroactive to Jan 1, 2006!).
"The CRB's ill informed decision to increase royalty fees to this unjustifiable level will quite simply bankrupt most webcasters and destroy Internet radio," says the Net radio stations' newly formed coalition, SaveNetRadio.org .
- do you like listening to online public radio stations like NPR while you work?
Not Anymore.
- do you ever get sick of the homogenous , vertically integrated crap forced down your throat by mainstream radio, and try to seek out new music?
Too bad.
Sorry, They're through.
Well kiss them goodbye.
As a matter of fact, say goodbye to a huge chunk of musical diversity.
Because If these fees are allowed to stand , it will be impossible for any indie internet radio stations to exist:
From ABC News's "Taxing Internet Radio to Death":
Congress may soon respond to a recent decision imposing high fees on webcasters, businesses that broadcast music over the Internet. Webcasters claim they will quickly go bankrupt as a result of the ruling by the Copyright Royalty Board, a federal panel that regulates Internet radio royalties.
Most Internet radio stations are independent from the major media companies that own the majority of traditional radio stations. As a result, webcasters play a far more diverse selection of music than broadcast or even satellite radio.
The whole point of this ruling is to kill internet radio which poses the greatest threat to the vertically-integrated, homogeneous pop music environment that is the lifeblood of the RIAA. Without alternative venues for independent artists, the major label combine gets to pick the winners in the market. (Nevermind the detriment to the market itself - this is about controlling the whole pie, not the size of the pie.)
The shuttering of the webcasting industry would be a loss for not only independent business owners, but also for musical artists, for copyright owners, and for listeners like me who enjoy the wide variety of choices available via Internet radio.
What to do about this:
#1) Please go here ( http://www.savenetradio.org/ ) and spend 30 seconds signing the petition.
#2) Contact your congressperson ( http://www.congress.org/... )