If You Love Internet Radio, Listen Up

Posted by: Avinash on Tuesday, April 17th, 2007

We tend not to delve into the political here, but this is an issue that is dear to our hearts (and hopefully yours), so we hope you’ll indulge us.

You might not know about this, but the online stations and music you love listening to online are in danger from the RIAA’s legislative goons, the Copyright Royalty Board. We find this sucky. We love NPR, we love Accuradio, we love Pandora. AND WE HATE THE RIAA. Full story is below.

“An anonymous reader passed us a link to a Forbes article discussing dire news for fans of Internet radio. Yesterday afternoon saw online broadcasters, everyone from giants like Clear Channel and National Public Radio to small-fry internet concerns, arguing their case before the Copyright Royalty Board (CRB). The CRB’s March 2nd decision to increase the fees associated with online music broadcasting will have harsh repercussions for those who engage in the activity, the panel was told.

“Under a previous arrangement, which expired at the end of 2005, broadcasters and online companies such as Yahoo Inc. and Time Warner Inc.’s AOL unit could pay royalties based on estimates of how many songs were played over a given period of time, or a ‘tuning hour,’ as opposed to counting every single song … [They] also asked the judges to clarify a $500 annual fee per broadcasting channel, saying that with some online companies offering many thousands of listening options, counting each one as a separate channel could lead to huge fees for online broadcasters.”

There was also a previous provision for smaller companies that allowed them to pay less, something the March 2 decision did away with; in the view of the royalty holders, advertising more than pays for these fees, and they’re ready for higher payments.”

This ruling was enforced earlier today…

“The Copyright Royalty Board has rejected a request to reconsider its March decision to impose an onerous royalty schedule on Internet radio broadcasters. ‘”None of the moving parties have [sic] made a sufficient showing of new evidence or clear error or manifest injustice that would warrant rehearing,” wrote the CRB in its decision.’ The recording industry and its royalty collection organization SoundExchange are jubilant over the ruling. ‘”Our artists and labels look forward to working with the Internet radio industry — large and small, commercial and noncommercial — so that together we can ensure it succeeds as a place where great music is available to music lovers of all genres,” said SoundExchange head Simson in a statement. Noble words, but after today’s ruling — which will take effect on May 15 unless the US Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit agrees to hear an appeal — there probably won’t be much of an Internet radio industry left for SoundExchange to work with.’”

Our own letter to our representative is right after the jump. If you want to, start writing yours here.

Net Radio Appeal On Royalties Rejected [Slashdot]
Internet Radio In Danger of Extinction in United States [Slashdot]
Save Independent Internet Radio! [US Congress]
(Photo from Prison Planet)

“To our esteemed Representatives of California,

We are big fans of intellectual freedom in America. We believe when our forefathers set down the rights in the Constitution, they also entailed we were free to share our ideas, our thoughts, our beliefs, our interests with others. We believe the music we listen to over the Internet is included in these rights.

The RIAA does not stand for these rights. It stands to destroy this spirit of content-sharing so their rich artists and producers can crowd out the little guys trying to get their chance. They now seek to extend their influence to Internet radio through the Copyright Royalty Board:

These startups that provide quality content and music will soon go out of business if the CRB has its way. We implore you to go out and strike down these rulings that ensure big recording arts corporations have their way and strike down these services.

I am sick of organizations like the RIAA and the CRB telling Americans what we should like, what we should listen to, what we should buy. We deserve our own say, and Americans like me want Internet radio to stay. We implore you to save Internet Radio and strike down these new royalty rates. Stop listening to the lobbying, and start listening to the people who voted you into office.

Do not let us down, or we will be voting elsewhere come 2008.”

Spread the word to your friends and let Congress hear us, for once. Help save Internet Radio.



Topics: Politics, Technology

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