Game Not Quite Over...

PLEASE... DO YOUR PART TO SAVE INTERNET RADIO! Visit SaveNetRadio.com and write your Congressperson and Senator. Currently, there is not enough support to pass this bill, and we only have till July 15th. For more info, read on.

From Digital Music News:

Internet Radio Broadcasters Rally Lawmakers Once Again

Ahead of a fast-approaching deadline, US-based internet radio broadcasters continued their push against upcoming royalty increases this week. The refreshed protest included another visit to Capitol Hill, and the announcement of a coordinated day of silence on Tuesday, June 26th. The consortium of broadcasters has been battling a recent decision by the Copyright Royalty Board (CRB) to elevate non-interactive payment requirements on recorded music, a shift that goes into effect July 15th. Just recently, the broadcast group sparked a bipartisan bill that would reverse the CRB-imposed rates, though passage seems unlikely ahead of the upcoming deadline. The lobbying group, rallied by ad-hoc coalition SaveNetRadio, visited approximately fifty lawmakers and also staged an open-air concert.

The bill, known as the Internet Radio Equality Act (HR 2060 / S 1353), was introduced by Jay Inslee (D-WA) and Donald Manzullo (R-IL) in the House, and Ron Wyden (D-OR) and Sam Brownback (R-KS) in the Senate. The Act would replace CRB-approved rates, which involve per-song payments, with a royalty calculation based on overall revenue levels. "The only viable solution is to establish a fair system that supports well-earned compensation for artists who create music and a sustainable business model for webcasters playing that music," said SaveNetRadio spokesperson Jake Ward. Earlier, label representative SoundExchange softened its stance by extending lowered rates to smaller broadcasters, though the proposal drew mixed reviews.

WAIT... THERE'S MORE!

INTERNET DAY OF SILENCE - TUESDAY, JUNE 26

Plans are rapidly coming together for next Tuesday's Internet radio "Day of Silence" event, in which thousands of webcasters will go silent for the day to draw attention to the newly-proposed royalty rates that threaten to crush the industry.

The first three publicly announced participants are Live365.com, AccuRadio.com, and KCRW.com. Additional participants will be announced every few hours between now and the day of the event.

On June 26th, all three of KCRW's music and news streams will go silent. In addition, however, KCRW will loop a one-hour segment called "D-Day for Webcasters" that gives listeners information regarding the industry's current struggle against the CRB rates, including how a number of their favorite webcasts would be impacted, and urges them to contact their representatives in Washington D.C. to ask for their support of the Internet Radio Equality Act.

LIve365 and AccuRadio will cease all music programming for the day, intermittently running brief audio PSAs created by various parties like Spacial Audio's Ken Dardis that will be available at SaveNetRadio.org. The general concept will be a loop of a sound effect that signifies the concept of "silence" (surf noise, static, quiet occasional bleeps, etc.) interspersed with occasional PSAs.