Petition to save Internet Radio: http://capwiz.com/saveinternetr
I’ve been reading up on copyright laws in America and internationally and it seems blatantly obvious that the extra costs and constraints put on internet radio are one symptom of a larger problem… that our copyright system is outmoded by the technologies of the past 20 years. That’s a larger problem for another day {read “Free Culture” for more information}.For now… lets look at Internet Radio. Note that Internet Radio is getting the worst of any of these changes – compare to conventional radio which pays nothing at all in royalty fees.
As a fan of Internet radio, I was alarmed to learn that the Copyright Royalty Board has decided to raise music royalty rates by 300 to 1200 percent. For most webcasters the new royalties exceed their revenue and they simply will go bankrupt and stop webcasting.
The silencing of Internet radio would be a blow to listeners like me who enjoy the wide variety of choices only available via Internet radio. This will kill the great diversity of music that I hear over the Internet and all the independent artists who have a difficult time breaking through on other forms of radio.
I respectfully request that Congress look into this matter and take action to prevent it. Please understand that time is of the essence since the new royalty rates are retroactive to January 1, 2006 so they will cause immediate bankruptcies if they become effective for even one day. Please don’t let the music die.