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illusionofjoySavenetradio.org has been ever vigilant in their efforts to reverse a draconian decision by The Copyright Royalty Board to price-gouge Internet Radio out of exisitance. Sadly, the will of the people pales in comparison to the will of the wealthy. The following just arrived in my email in-box:
IMMEDIATE ACTION NEEDED FOR THURSDAY, JULY 12TH
Greetings,
Time and options are running out for Internet Radio. Late this afternoon, the court DENIED the emergency stay sought on behalf of webcasters, millions of listeners and the artists and music they support.
UNLESS CONGRESS ACTS BY JULY 15th, the new ruinous royalty rates will be going into effect on Sunday, threatening the future of all internet radio.
We are appealing to the millions of Internet radio listeners out there, the webcasters they support and the artists and labels we treasure to rise up and make your voices heard again before this vibrant medium is silenced. Even if you have already called, we need you to call again.
I plan on calling tomorrow afternoon, as the girlfriend is sleeping in the other room and wouldn't much appreciate my passionate ranting into the voice mail of my district representative. In the interim, I have written this:
I am a constituent writing to ask Congressman Tim Murphy to help save Internet radio by co-sponsoring the Internet Radio Equality Act (HR 2060).
The Copyright Royalty Board's decision to increase royalty rates for webcasters to outrageous levels on July 15th will silence Internet radio. Neither Satellite nor terrestrial radio are subject to such price-gouging, yet the Copyright Royalty Board seems intent on crushing a fledgling industry. I do not want this to happen. Please co-sponsor HR 2060.
While, I believe that artists should be fairly compensated for the music they make, for many independent musicians (including myself), exposure in of itself is worth far more than any licensing fees which may be gained from such exposure. While terrestrial, and to a lesser extent, Satellite radio wallow in the hands of a few major corporations where narrowcasting and increasingly homogenous playlists are the norm, Internet radio is a frontier where diversity reigns supreme. Obscure musicians and less popular genres have a chance for exposure - a chance to find an audience - on internet radio that they do not have elsewhere. Please co-sponsor HR 2060.
The Copyright Royalty Board has made a serious error in their decision. Furthermore, the refusal by the court to deny an emergency stay sought on behalf of webcasters means that it is up to Congress and the Senate to do the right thing. Please co-sponsor HR 2060. The Copyright Royalty Board's rate hike is nothing more than a short-sighted price gouging tactic which will kill an industry in its infancy. It is an affront to the First Amendment and the Free Market System and has no place in the America I know and love. Please co-sponsor and support HR 2060, the Internet Radio Equality Act.
Hopefully Tim Murphy's name will soon appear on this list of HR 2060 co-sponsors.
