Help Internet Radio Avoid Extinction (reposted)

[jackshoegazer]

On March 2, 2007, The CRB approved royalty rates that will bury any small webcaster, and create a heavy burden even for big broadcasters like Yahoo, AOL Music and Pandora. How high will these rates be? Around 100% of a small webcasters revenue, give or take a few points, in most cases. What?! That's impossible to pay! Yep, it sure is..

How did this happen? The RIAA told the CRB thats what they wanted, and the CRB just gave it to them.

Your're probably thinking, hey that's awful, but who are the the RIAA and CRB?

RIAA (Recording Industry Association of America) is a lobbying group formed by the five largest record labels. They are embedded in Washington D.C. They make sure laws are written to keep them rich, no matter what. They made headlines a few years ago opening lawsuits against elderly people, single mothers and children for trading music online, even though some of them didn't even have computers. Check out the latest RIAA headlines.

The CRB (Copyright Royalty Board) is part of the US Copyright Office. The Board is charged with determining the royalty rates that would be determined by a willing buyer and a willing seller in a marketplace transaction. They decided to jack the rates beyond a broadcasters means despite decades of royalty rates being 1 - 2% of broadcaster revenue. Raise your right hand if you want to take away consumer choice, hurt working artists, damage small record labels and put small webcasters out of business.

Take Action Now

• Write your congressional representative
• Add your name to a petition

• Tell your representatives:

  I do not support The Copyright Royalty Board's (CRB) March 2nd decision to substantially increase royalty rates. Not only will it impact my choices, but the Recording Industry Association of America's (RIAA) manipulation of these rates, and the CRB's indifference will hurt working artists, damage small record labels and force law abiding small webcasters, already paying a large portion of their revenue per month in royalties, out of business. This decision will also damage hundreds of small businesses providing goods and services to working artists, small record labels and small webcasters.

  I respectfully ask that you evaluate the CRB decision and do whatever is necessary to establish a reasonable royalty rate for all the parties involved.

Protect your right to hear eclectic indepenent radio and discover new artists.You can save Internet radio with less than five minutes of your time. Write your congressional representative today. Pass the word to anyone you know that loves or makes music. Also, please bookmark this page and check back frequently for updates.

You do have time to do this.

Comments

[labelle77.livejournal.com]

I signed. Then I had to sit awhile and force myself not to vomit. This is the kind of thing that make me so upset, and feel like I really ought to move elsewhere. Not that moving elsewhere on the planet will allow me to escape the stranglehold that the wealthy and the corporate have on all the world's resources. This is just such bullshit. I hate people. Well, no. I hate people who allow themselves to be bought.

[jackshoegazer.livejournal.com]

Did you know corporations have their own social security numbers? They're like people, without a conscience or responsibility. That way you can sue a corporation but the people in charge have that buffer to hide behind. There are advantages to corporations, like worldwide distribution and trade networks, but that's all shite if it isn't for the good of the people. When corporations care more for paying their CEOs millions and millions of dollars rather than rewarding their clients and customers with income and a high-quality product, then there's some major problems and we have to resort to getting our politicians to open a can of legal whoopass on them. Oh yeah, corporations ahve lobbyists to pay off politicians. Shite.

[kiwikat.livejournal.com]

i can't read this because on my screen it's superduper tiny.

[jackshoegazer.livejournal.com]

If you press "control" and "+" a few times, it will increase your viewing font size.

[violet-meeks.livejournal.com]

I think the RIAA is a bunch of theives. Thanks for sharing this.

[jackshoegazer.livejournal.com]

No prob!

[kickarsebodarse.livejournal.com]

[jackshoegazer.livejournal.com]

The numbers (from what I have read and sorry I can't quote sources) have shown that p2p sites do not significantly reduce the income due to the artists. Artists barely make anything off albums anyway. They make the majority of their money from touring, from what I understand. The reason the RIAA does this is because they have CEOs and shareholders that need to make millions of dollars a year.

Now, webcasters are just like radio djs, they broadcast on the internet instead of by way of radio tower. They do not cut into royalties at all and these are often the only way that indie musicians get heard about. Without independent web radio, the only music you will hear is what the 5 biggest record companies want you to hear, via their control over the airwaves/radio.

[kickarsebodarse.livejournal.com]

[speakdaggers.livejournal.com]

I signed the petition and emailed my representative.

[jackshoegazer.livejournal.com]

Thank you!