We're Not Gonna Take It!!

From broadcastlawblog.com:

The Copyright Royalty Board today denied the Motions for Rehearing of their decision raising the royalty rate for the use of sound recordings on Internet radio stations for 2006-2010. The Board found that the Rehearing requests did not demonstrate that there was any manifest error in the initial decision, and did not introduce any new evidence that could not have been introduced in the original hearings. Finding that these standards for rehearing were not met, the motions were all denied. The Board decision was brief, not addressing in any specifics the issues raised in the rehearing motions.

Oh, there's more, but you can read it on the site. We can still have our voices heard (as they haven't been yet!) and hopefully still have a chance of keeping internet radio in America alive. Because even if we get shut down in the US, we can still listen to other stations all over the freakin' world... but where would that leave our unsung heroes? If you couldn't listen to college, internet-only or non-commercial stations on the web, how would you hear music from Wilco, Interpol, Tom Waits, Aceyalone, Earlimart, Elliott Smith, Iron & Wine, the Twilight Singers, Bright Eyes, and so many other bands that never (or rarely) get commercial airplay? Yes yes, I know we lived without the internet before, and discovered music in our own ways, but this is another tool which should not be lost to us solely because of corporate greed.

So please, sign the petition and/or write your Congressperson today. I heard back from Barbara Boxer herself! (Or at least one of her assistants pretended to be her, which was cool.)