Long Story Short, the RIAA lobbied the Copyright Review Board to make a ruling last month that would increase the royalty burden paid by internet radio stations by as much as 1,200%, and force a minimum payment of $500 a month to play music on the internet regardless of profit. This ruling is unfair to internet radio providers, and will outright destroy any nonprofit or independant radio providers such as Live365, Pandora and NPR. Without action, the internet will fall silent, and May 15 will mark the day the music dies for thousands of Internet Radio stations and more than 50 Million listeners.

However, all hope is not lost. A new bill has been introduced that is being called the Internet Radio Equality Act, which would overturn the CRB's ruling and force the Recording Industry to charge the same royalties for Internet Radio as they do for XM and Satellite Radio. This would be a good thing, as Internet Radio royalties are already double those of Satellite Radio.

In order for this bill to pass and Internet Radio to be saved, it needs support in Congress. By calling, e-mailing, snail-mailing and/or petitioning your congress representatives and urging them to support the Internet Radio Equality Act, you can make a difference. Please visit SaveNetRadio.org for access to forms, petitions, and contact information for your local representatives, and other information about what You can do.

This is Your chance to save the music. Don't let it go to waste - Act Now.

Please share this with your friends and pass it on. Spread the Word.

EDIT: Got Home and had time to write a better version

Thanks Cunjo, I've been meaning to post this but haven't had time.

Basically what has happened is the RIAA has imposed royalty rates for internet broadcasters that will increase their rates 300 - 1100 %. If it is a small webcaster who won't generate them $500 in royalties then they will be charged a minimu $500 fee. This will end most webcasters including the many many great metal stations on the internet.

Please visit http://www.savenetradio.org/ For there it will let you send an email to your Congressman or tell you how to write snail mail or call them. Please ask them to sponsor the Internet Radio Equality Act which will set the same rate for Webcasters that Satelite Radio Providers enjoy. The proposed internet royalty rates are much higher than Satelite Radio and thus extremely unfair.

Even if you do not listen to internet radio please still contact your representatives as internet radio does much to promote good heavy metal as well as other types of music.

May 15th is Doomsday for internet radio unless Congress acts to impose fair royalty rates. Live 365, Pandora, Yahoo Radio, AOL Radio and others have banded together to fight these unfair rates.

Thanks DRoC, I've edited first post with some of that and more info.... sorry for implicit redundancy, but it had to be said.

PLEASE... this is VERY Important, only 13 days left to voice your opinion... that day maybe the last day for all of us Internet Radio Stations. So please send your thoughts and make your voice be heard!!!


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...*sigh* The RIAA has once again proven that drastic reform needs to be made in regards to the music industry. Whenever something revolutionary and innovative comes along that promises freedom to not only artists and bands, but also to the fans of that music, they have to step in with their whiny little dictates that ruins it for everybody. I'm all for giving the artists their fair share of what they produce (i.e.- buying the CDs and paying for legal downloads, purchasing their merch, etc.), but let's face it- the RIAA is NOT about protecting the bands and artist's work. It is about making more money for themselves. The percentage that the bands and artists get back from their sales is woefully less than what they truely deserve...

...in regards to Internet Radio, what the bloody heck is going on here? Wouldn't having your song played in any public format be considered good advertising? Why is the internet being treated differently than, say, regular and satellite radio? These ideas that they come up with is completely mind-boggling...it's like they're punishing us for being fans...it really, really sucks...

In other industries, it's good publicity, free advertising and easy promotion. To the RIAA, it's piracy, theft and grand larceny.

It's a well established fact that the RIAA are not only greedy bastards and an unecessary evil, but bloody stupid. After all, Internet Radio is the reason that I and millions of other consumers decide to buy their CDs.

OMG, this idiocy knows no bounds! Did you know they're making the ruling retroactive to Jan 1 2006?? That means every internet radio station will immediately owe them from thousands to billions of dollars depending on their popularity, and if they don't get it, they'll sue them into the ground. Talk about greed run amok! D:

The *retroactive* thingie......that's just BS IMO.

Points:

1. I love Islam.

And in a similar vein.....

2. I love the RIAA.

Music Video from Independant artists FSR about the *IAA.

WARNING: EXPLICIT LANGUAGE
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SnLB8wysMbY

This would ruin my life if they ask us to pay it all back!

Thats why we ask you to please send them a message by visiting the site to save Internet Radio!!!

I know it's a real concern... wow... what a mess...

Hey--how about this... Everybody post your tunes on SOUNDCLICK and set up your own "station" ... bypass the whole thing! Or will they shut that kind of thing down too??? I've had a station with tons of great metal tunes playing on SOUNDCLICK for a while now...

I know SOUNDCLICK stations don't take the place of a good radio station... and i'm not trying to oversimplify things... just thinking "out loud".

The RIAA is trying to make themselves out to be the good guy in this whole thing which is a complete joke. Hopefully their disingenuity and dishonesty will come back to haunt them.

Here is a link to Live 365's reply to Sound Exchange (The RIAA's henchman organization in recovering royalties):

http://www.live365.com/choice/sxreply.live

Here is RAIN's (Radio and Internet Newsletter) reply to Sound Exchange's latest press release:

http://www.kurthanson.com/archive/news/043007/index.shtml

Both RAIN and Live365 completely tear apart Sound Exchange's arguments.

Good news. The deadline has been pushed back to July 15th from May 15th. The problem is that these new royalty rates are still going to take effect. So we need to keep contacting our representatives and making others aware.

What about MySpace, where bands put up thier OWN music?

*bump

Here's some more info if you are interested:

http://www.live365.com/broadcast/choice/

The Senate is introducing a counterpart to The Internet Radio Equality Act. Please call or write your senator to let them know you want them to support it.

Just emailed my Senator....