http://www.savenetradio.org/



Webcasters to Go Silent in Protest of Royalty Rate Increase

Millions of Internet Radio Listeners Urged to Defend the Future of Net Radio

WASHINGTON D.C. - Thousands of U.S. webcasters plan to turn off the music
and go silent this Tuesday, June 26, to draw attention to an impending royalty rate
increase that, if implemented, would lead to the virtual shutdown of this country's
Internet radio industry. "The arbitrary and drastic rate increases set by the Copyright Royalty Board on
March 2nd threaten the very livelihood of thousands of webcasters and their millions of
listeners throughout the country," said Jake Ward, a spokesperson for the SaveNetRadio
Coalition. "The campaign to save Internet radio - a genuine grassroots movement
comprised of hundreds of thousands of webcasters, artists and independent labels, and
Net radio listeners - has quickly brought this issue to the national forefront and the halls

of Congress, but there is still more to be done before the approaching deadline of July
15th. On Tuesday, thousands of webcasters will call on their millions of listeners to join
the fight to save Internet radio and contact their Congressional representatives to ask for
their support of the Internet Radio Equality Act."

Many webcasters are planning to shut off access to their streams entirely,
while other webcasters plan to replace their music streams with long periods of

silence (or static or ocean sounds or similar) interspersed with occasional brief
public service announcements on the subject.



Internet-only webcasters and broadcasters that simulcast online will alert their
listeners that "silence" is what Internet radio may be reduced to after July 15th, the day on
which 17 months' worth of retroactive royalty payments -- at new, exceedingly high rates
-- are due to the SoundExchange collection organization, following a recent Copyright
Royalty Board (CRB) decision.






WHAT:
National Day of Silence



WHEN:
Tuesday, June 26, 2007



WHO:
The following is a PARTIAL list of participants; it is not a complete list:




EmancipationRadio.com

Yahoo!

Live365 stations,

Rhapsody,

MTV Online,

AccuRadio,

KCRW (Santa Monica, CA),

Pandora,

Radioio,

DigitallyImported,

RadioParadise,

3WK,

myMVY,

Wizard Radio,

Born Again Radio,

Pearadio.com,

Ear.fm,

WGLI (Bablylon, NY),

WMUK (Kalamazoo, MI),

Head-On Radio Network,

Zecom/Gemz Radio,

monkeygrip music cafe,

KFCF (Fresno, CA),

LuckySevenRadio.com,

Blue Power/Guitar Speak,






WPNA (Oak Park, IL),

60's Chicks Radio/Seasons &

Celebrations Radio,

STAR 107.9,

WRPS/WebRadioPugetSound,

Puregold Rock 'N Roll,

NeverEndingWonder Radio,

RadioMilwaukee,

BAGeL Radio,

Gotradio/100hitz,

KDUN (Reedsport, OR),

GDRadio.net,

KQLZ (Los Angeles, CA),

KXPR/KXJZ (Sacramento, CA),

NiceNoise.Net,

BlackLight Radio,

Pure Pop 24/7,

Smooth Jazz and More,

Reggae Nostalgia,

WCH Radio/The Wave,

WYGS Southern Gospel Radio

Network,

BluegrassCountry.org/WAMU.org,

WRAJ Internet Radio




Beauty, FREEdom, truth, light, love & peace 2 U all ~ From Your Emancipation Radio Fam

www.emancipationradio.com

Eh hmm!! This is a sticky worthy thread if there ever was one!!!

Net radio is great alternative which has helped to break alot of new artist onto the scene. It's good that this issue is brought to light.
[Edited 6/25/07 23:51pm]

This thread needs a sticky- top of the page it should be. If it weren't for net radio I wouldn't be listening to any other music than what's played in my home.

No sticky yet, eh? Well, back to the first page it goes!

This is most DEFINITELY a sticky worthy thread!

Just another way our lawmakers are playing into the hands of big business fucks by not even allowing us to make our own choices.

I posted a similar message about this a couple of months ago. Word definitely needs to be loud and clear now that time is running out. It would be a real shame to lose internet radio.

I don't get it. I mean, I understand the point of protesting the rate hikes, but I don't understand the participants. I've been listening to my Yahoo radio stations all day (this is the first I've heard about it), and there have been no interruptions.

RipHer2Shreds said:

Yahoo, may have just punked out under obligations to advertisers. Who knows? Not everyone in Internet Radio has advertisers to rely on.

O.K., I've decided not to take sides on this--but I'm interested in what you guys think about the musician's take on this issue:

http://www.afm.org/public...icians.pdf

http://www.afm.org/public...052307.php

http://www.informationwee...queryText=
[Edited 6/26/07 14:32pm]

NuPwr319 said:

Personally and this is just MY opinion...I think what the AFM had to say is a strategic regurgitation of propaganda set forth by those that will gain the most from the silencing of Internet Radio and that's certainly NOT the musicians nor the artists that make the music.

A 19% rate for small webcasters, while charging satellite 7.5% and even less to mainstream broadcasters like Clear Channel is grossly unfair and reeks from the stench of a cowardice sneak attack on the competing ALTERNATIVES to those that gain the most from the silencing of Internet Radio and again that's NOT the musicians nor the artists!

RipHer2Shreds said:

yahoo radio has a huge music base equal to good ole school radio....internet radio tends to have a much smaller base (usually hundreds of listeners vs. millions) thus they have the revenue potential to pay the higher royalty rates.

fyi folks: my boss supports the bill

Well, you know, sometimes industry, directly or indirectly, loves to do things to cannibalize itself. What is being done with the royalty rates doesn't seem like good business in the long haul.

I haven't listened to radio in years. But this is a very bad situation.

sosgemini said:

I realized after I responded that I'm listening to the pay stations on yahoo. That's likely why I didn't get any interruptions.

Stickied!!!

What an interesting way to draw attention to something hardly anyone knows or cares about: completely shut down instead of talking about it. LOL.

Raze said:

NuPwr319 said:

I am a musician and I think one needs to get any exposure they can to succeed. Now if it was a normal radio station, sure musicians should get royalties. But how are they gonna get on that station if no one hears them? These are independent stations that simply can't afford these fees. I highly doubt anyone is losing money bvecause their song was played on the internet. Now in cases like Live365, I think perhaps they should pay something but not send the costs down to the broadcasters. We provide the "content" that drives people to their site. But even moreso...do the artists and musicians EVER get their fair share even if rates do go up...or is it the agencies that will reap the rewards.

Raze said:

Well that's not true. MANY people listen to online radio and have known about this for a while. There was a "dialogue" that consisted of advertisements asking people to write their congressmans about this.

superspaceboy said:

Musicians often get cut out of the profits even though we are the grease that makes the machine move.

I don't understand why they would want to charge the hell out of smaller internet stations that obviously aren't going to be pulling in as much money. But I guess the terrestrial stations are owned by friends of those in the government so of course they can't step on THOSE toes.

guitarslinger44 said:

I did notice that on LIVE365, if you were a paid subscriber, you got to listen to the radio.

superspaceboy said:

Yahoo/Launchcast may have did the same.
[Edited 6/28/07 8:10am]

Exactly.

superspaceboy said:

Paid subscribers get to listen without advertisements. You do not have to pay to listen if you don't mind the ads.

SexyBeautifulOne said:

Same with Yahoo Launchcast