Internet radio destroyed by greedy moguls

[anarchic_teapot]

Yes, well, alright, it's a very tabloid sort of headline but I wanted to catch your eye.

The Library of Congress has just published its rates for Internet-only broadcasting. Although the rates aren't as high - for the most part - as those demanded by CARP, they're enough to close down the small stations who broadcast non-mainstream music. Non-mainstream music isn't unlistenable stuff, it's where tomorrow's genuine talent is hiding out (as well as some of today's little-known geniuses).

No, it doesn't just affect North Americans: it affects  [color=CC0066]all[/color] of us.



Article here at The Register with some useful links. Please note that SomaFM provide an open letter which you can forward to your Congressperson (link also provided). Non-Merkins can write to SomaFM's Congressperson and President Bush, who'll doubtless find someone to read it to him.

Let's give them something to think about while they're engaging in Congress, shall we?

[redrumloa]

Boooooooooooooooo!!! hiss hiss!!!!! Boooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo! :evil:

[Weasel]

www.kurthanson.com also has some information.

I really liked streaming mp3 (still do , as long as it will last) because it has no commercials and plays the music I (.!!) want to hear (easy to pick genre) and often listened to SonaFm , and Bluemars.
I wrote letters some time ago but i dont have large packs of money  to wrap it on .

 With all this copyprotection crap im even wary off buying new cd's ( i only have my computer cd player) .

Big companies can afford these rates but they will play music they think is popular to atract listeners for their ads :-(
This new law was hard to get for the riaa but i think it will be very much more difficult to get rid of it.

btw the sonafm site says it will soon have a new fax message that you can send to congress.

[Blitter]

Okay!!! THIS IS TOTAL WAR NOW!  And BS for that matter.  I'm gonna go write a letter now!

This is getting out of hand!

I'm with Red!  Booooooooooooooooooooooooo! Hiss! Booooooooooooooooooo!

Blitter

[PhatAgnus]

Yeah! Booooooooooooooh! Booooooooooooooooooooooooh! Hissssss!!
*Spit* *Yack!* I Protest!

[kd7ota]

I bet Gary's evil twin Larry would be mad.

Larry - *Hissing!*

[Hammer]

As I recall, Librarian of Congress's judgement (i.e. "RIAA-inspired royalty tax") doesn’t have any jurisdiction in Australian/New Zealand markets.

Web based mp3 stream services may relocate (i.e. servers) to other countries where the "tax" is cheaper.    

Librarian of Congress's judgement decision may drive out small Internet radios servers to other countries.