Support the Internet Radio Equality Act

[badmonkey]

We may still get a stay of execution. Reps. Jay Inslee (http://www.house.gov/inslee/index.html)(D-Wash.) and Don Manzullo (http://manzullo.house.gov/)(R-Ill.), have introduced new legislation called "The Internet Radio Equality Act" that would make the recent CRB royalty decision the equivalent of 3 guys talkin about it on a street corner rather than a Federal Judiciary decision.

"The legislation would provide royalty parity for Internet radio providers. It would vacate the CRB’s March 2 decision and apply the same royalty rate-setting standard to commercial Internet radio, as well as satellite radio, cable radio and jukeboxes. A transition rate of 7.5 percent of revenue would be set through 2010."

Now is the time to act. Call your congressmen and tell them to support the Internet Radio Equality Act (http://www3.capwiz.com/saveinternetradio/callalert/index.tt?alertid=9679516&type=TA).

Internet Radio Equality Act (pdf) (http://www.savenetradio.org/INSLEE_040_xml.pdf)
Article at wired.com (http://blog.wired.com/music/2007/04/congressmen_int.html)

Thanks,

Badmonkey

[J.Clints]

We may still get a stay of execution. Reps. Jay Inslee (http://www.house.gov/inslee/index.html)(D-Wash.) and Don Manzullo (http://manzullo.house.gov/)(R-Ill.), have introduced new legislation called "The Internet Radio Equality Act" that would make the recent CRB royalty decision the equivalent of 3 guys talkin about it on a street corner rather than a Federal Judiciary decision.

"The legislation would provide royalty parity for Internet radio providers. It would vacate the CRB’s March 2 decision and apply the same royalty rate-setting standard to commercial Internet radio, as well as satellite radio, cable radio and jukeboxes. A transition rate of 7.5 percent of revenue would be set through 2010."

Now is the time to act. Call your congressmen and tell them to support the Internet Radio Equality Act (http://www3.capwiz.com/saveinternetradio/callalert/index.tt?alertid=9679516&type=TA).

Internet Radio Equality Act (pdf) (http://www.savenetradio.org/INSLEE_040_xml.pdf)
Article at wired.com (http://blog.wired.com/music/2007/04/congressmen_int.html)

Thanks,

Badmonkey

Will do

[Don Stugots]

I just sent the info to Fosella's office. I will follow up with a phone call tomorrow.

[Bob Impact]

I just sent the info to Fosella's office. I will follow up with a phone call tomorrow.

Calling tomorrow. This is a great idea!

[Don Stugots]

Calling tomorrow. This is a great idea!

well, i cant call now, he isnt there.

[Bob Impact]

I will be calling tomorrow. This bill is a great idea!

well, i cant call now, he isnt there.

Fixed it for me.

[Don Stugots]

ok, i was in touch with my local Congressmen's office about this new bill. Here is what he said:

Stugots - I am in the process of trying to check out the bill, I have reached out to Mr. Manzullo's staff to try and get a copy to review. I am also going to attend an informational briefing on the bill on Monday morning. If it truly does what it says it does I will take it to the Congressman. I will keep you apprised on this one when I have more information.

Jon



pretty hopeful to me.

[cougarjake13]

ok, i was in touch with my local Congressmen's office about this new bill. Here is what he said:

Stugots - I am in the process of trying to check out the bill, I have reached out to Mr. Manzullo's staff to try and get a copy to review. I am also going to attend an informational briefing on the bill on Monday morning. If it truly does what it says it does I will take it to the Congressman. I will keep you apprised on this one when I have more information.

Jon



pretty hopeful to me.


well its not like he was gonna say fuck you i dont care about this bill and you can go suck the brajole

[Gvac]

I originally posted this in the "Webcast Royalty Rates" thread yesterday but I don't think anyone saw it, so I'll repost it here -

US Representatives Don Manzullo (Rep - IL) and Jay Inslee (Dem - WA) introduced bipartisan legislation to protect internet music webcasters from unfair government regulations. (http://manzullo.house.gov/News/DocumentSingle.aspx?DocumentID=63775)

Here's how you can contact your Representatives - Click Here (http://www.house.gov/writerep/)

[badmonkey]

I issued a "press release" today in response to SoundExchange's press release reaction (http://www.prnewswire.com/cgi-bin/stories.pl?ACCT=104&STORY=/www/story/04-27-2007/0004575809&EDATE=)to this bill. Hopefully it will be published today. Here's the text of the release.

Dissecting the SoundExchange Propaganda Aimed at the Internet Radio Equality Act (http://www.newswiretoday.com/news/17320/)

NewswireToday - /newswire/ - Washington, DC, United States, 04/28/2007 - SoundExchange has released a series of false statements to destroy the credibility of SaveNetRadio Coalition and the Internet Radio Equality Act. ThereIsNoRadio is a small webcaster that will be permanently silenced if this bill does not become law..

A new bill has been proposed this week called the "Internet Radio Equality Act" (HR2060). This bill would allow webcasters to pay rates similar (7.5% revenue) to what satellite radio pays now, but a much lower rate than the Copyright Royalty Board recommended on March 2, 2007 for internet radio.

SoundExchange’s press release in reaction to this bill proposal is riddled with propaganda and false statements. Their headlines scream "Internet Radio Bill Would Strip Artist Payments" and "Musicians Would Pay Mega-Corporations". It states that “This legislation, if passed, would come at the expense of hard-working artists, who, on average, received just $360 each in royalties from webcasting in 2006.”This bill would put at risk the very artists that webcasters purport to care about," said Simson.”

If SoundExchange truly cares about the artists, then one would have to ask why they take 50% of the royalty payment immediately. After SoundExchange gets half, the remaining 50% is divided as 45% between the record label, the featured artist, and the remaining 5% going to the session musicians on the recording. It certainly appears that SoundExchange is getting a higher percentage of the royalties from the artists work than the artist. SoundExchange also has the right to keep any royalty payments that are unclaimed after three years. The artists are not only responsible for requesting their payments, in several instances they have had to take legal action to force SoundExchange to pay them. Many artists claim to have never received a royalty payment from SoundExchange. Who did you say was exploiting the work of these artists again Mr. Simson?

John Simson said, "The idea that this bill would help small webcasters or artists is ludicrous since less than 2 percent of all royalty payments in 2006 came from small webcasters." In March, John Simson also said to the Washington Post, “Is 10,000 stations the right number?" "Does having so many Web stations disperse the market so much that it hurts the artist? What's the right number of stations? Is it 5,000? Is it less? Are artists better off having hundreds of listeners on lots of little stations, or thousands of listeners on larger stations?" Simson pretends to care about the small webcaster, but these statements prove that SoundExchange has no issues at all with driving the small webcaster out of business. Simson might as well be asking how many people are necessary on the planet.

Simson also says in the press release, "Because the bill is so heavily favored to enrich the big webcasters, it raises questions as to who is really behind the SaveNetRadio Coalition.”. Here SoundExchange plays to the anti-business sentiment by indicating that SaveNetRadio is run only by large corporations and small webcasters are no part of it, which is a blatant lie on his part. "Although this coalition purports to be on the side of musicians, they have come out in support of this anti-artist bill. SoundExchange has reached out to various webcasters to explore ways to accommodate their needs."

The SaveNetRadio Coalition was started by thousands of small webcasters like me who have done the math and quickly discovered that they cannot afford to continue to broadcast under the CRB royalty rate proposal. We banded together to fight against this proposal and the “Internet Radio Equality Act” is the fruit of those efforts. We should be not be forced to pay excessive royalty rates simply because we are on the internet. Satellite radio pays less, AM and FM pay this royalty only for their internet simulcasts. This Bill, should it pass, will not just help small webcasters like me; it will mean the difference between staying on the air and shutting down completely. This bill will allow the talk shows on ThereIsNoRadio to continue to broadcast and interact live with their listeners. It will also allow us to continue to promote the local bands, independent artists, and the music that we feel is not represented by mainstream radio. The Internet Radio Equality Act for us is comparable to the 1st Amendment to the U.S. Constitution providing freedom of speech. Without it, the unpaid voices of our talk show staff will be unfairly silenced.

I'm hopefully going to be meeting with Rep. Steny Hoyer or at least his office this Tuesday. Still waiting for final meeting time and approval.

Badmonkey

[badmonkey]

The press release is on digg so go digg it. (http://digg.com/music/Dissecting_the_SoundExchange_Propaganda_on_the_Int ernet_Radio_Equality_Act)

It was also quoted at reclaimthemedia.org (http://reclaimthemedia.org/communications_rights/riaa_heats_up_rhetoric_in_resp=5176)

Badmonkey

[Bulldogcakes]

Excellent discussion on the subject of Internet radio webcasting royalties from WNYC's "Soundcheck" show.

Listen (http://www.wnyc.org/stream/ram?file=/soundcheck/soundcheck043007a.mp3)


A must listen if you're interested in the subject.

[Don Stugots]

well its not like he was gonna say fuck you i dont care about this bill and you can go suck the brajole

you are right but he did at least tell me that. other people havent even done that or knew what i talking about.

[FartyPneumonia]

New law could save internet radio (http://www.theregister.co.uk/2007/04/30/internet_radio_law/)

[badmonkey]

We now have until July 15th as the new deadline. The CRB officially filed their ruling yesterday May 1st and it gives us 45 days from the end of the month that it was filed. That comes up to July 15th. This will hopefully give us some time to get this bill through the house and senate and enacted. We still need your phonecalls to your representatives and senators to achieve this goal.

Call your representatives today and request they support "The Internet Radio Equality Act" (HR-2060). (http://www3.capwiz.com/saveinternetradio/callalert/index.tt?alertid=9679516&type=TA)

I went to (D-Md) Rep. Steny Hoyer's office yesterday and spoke with one of his policy staff members about this issue. They were very receptive to our situation and at his request I have emailed him a lot of information about ThereIsNoRadio, internet radio, and the Internet Radio Equality Act. Hoyer's office has not made any kind of commitment towards this yet, but I hope to hear back from them soon.

Badmonkey

[JPMNICK]

I like that when he wrote you back he called you stugots.

[badmonkey]

We got quoted again on Malibu Arts Reviews (http://www.malibuartsreviews.com/news/national/050107internetradio.html). At least some places this shit is making news.

Badmonkey

[Don Stugots]

I like that when he wrote you back he called you stugots.

he didnt. he used my real name but i edited that out when i cut & pasted. Thanks for catching that.



Nice work on the quote BM.

[richwithhatred]

As an internet broadcaster, this is just a crime. People definitely have to call their reps over and over again.

On my show (The Classic Metal Show - www.theclassicmetalshow.com), we have been talking to the artists and getting them on the record. We've had several; most recently KK Downing from Judas Priest and Nadir D'Priest of London/D'Priest. Here's some links if anyone wants to know what the artists here:

http://www.roadrunnerrecords.com/blabbermouth.net/news.aspx?mode=Article&newsitemID=69317 - KK Downing

http://www.roadrunnerrecords.com/blabbermouth.net/news.aspx?mode=Article&newsitemID=71835 - Nadir D'Priest

[badmonkey]

SoundExchange has offered a compromise for small webcasters. (http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/05/22/AR2007052201453.html)

ThereIsNoRadio rejects SoundExchange's Offer. (http://news.google.com/news/url?sa=t&ct=us/0-0&fp=465b97b053493ace&ei=REpbRoC_OqSkoQK16sjoCQ&url=http%3A//www.newswiretoday.com/news/18619/&cid=1116563275)

SaveNetRadio has also turned it down. (http://www.todaystmj4.com/news/tech/7634351.html)


Badmonkey

[JPMNICK]

today there is a day of silence on www.thereisnoradio.com.

tune in to hear an announcement that is playing about what you can do to support free internet radio and our buddies!

[Midkiff]

Dear Mr. Midkiff:

Thank you for contacting me about the important issue of music performance rights. I appreciate having the benefit of your comments on this important matter.

As you are aware, rapid advances in communications technology have led to the development of digital television and radio, as well as subscription satellite television and radio services. These new capabilities expand the range of choices available to consumers; subscription satellite radio is one of the most successful examples of quickly advancing technology. I welcome such consumer-driven innovation and enjoy a personal satellite radio subscription.

As expected, technological innovation also brings with it the threat of copyright infringement. While recent technology advances represent important achievements, we must, on principle, protect the intellectual property rights of those responsible for such innovation. You may be certain that I will continue working with my Senate colleagues to strike a balance between copyright protection and technological advance and that I will keep your concerns in mind should the Senate consider relevant legislation during the 110th Congress.

I appreciate having the opportunity to represent the interests of Texans in the United States Senate. Thank you for taking the time to contact me.

Sincerely,

JOHN CORNYN
United States Senator

517 Hart Senate Office Building
Washington, DC 20510
Tel: (202) 224-2934
Fax: (202) 228-2856
http://www.cornyn.senate.gov

[Don Stugots]

today there is a day of silence on www.thereisnoradio.com.

tune in to hear an announcement that is playing about what you can do to support free internet radio and our buddies!

nick,

thanks for bumping this. I know Badmonkey is on vacation this week and I totally forgot about the day of silence.

I have gone back and forth with a local Representative and he is on our side and says he is doing what he can. the best thing that can happen right now is for people to do what the message says.

[bobrobot]

When I was on Second Life (http://secondlife.com/) last night, I was in a town where they observed radio silence & played messages explaining the desperate situation internet radio faces thanx to that moronic fucking bill!!! It's good to know that information is being disseminated in many ways, formats & even alternate worlds!!!

[Don Stugots]

When I was on Second Life (http://secondlife.com/) last night, I was in a town where they observed radio silence & played messages explaining the desperate situation internet radio faces thanx to that moronic fucking bill!!! It's good to know that information is being disseminated in many ways, formats & even alternate worlds!!!

bobo, i am on second life too. STUGOTS WINKLER. look me up.

[bobrobot]

bobo, i am on second life too. STUGOTS WINKLER. look me up.

Only if we get a room & do the nasty... no wait, that's Marc's private dream... (now I know what "w/ a C" REALLY means!!!

I am bobogolem Loon !!!

[badmonkey]

SoundExchange's latest propaganda disguised as an offer
http://sev.prnewswire.com/entertainment/20070821/DC0192021082007-1.html

My response:
http://www.newswiretoday.com/news/22641/

[Don Stugots]

not that many people here care but:

here we go again.

[Bossanova]

Does this mean I have to single handedly save The Experience with Don Stugs again? Jeez, my work is never finished

[Don Stugots]

Does this mean I have to single handedly save The Experience with Don Stugs again? Jeez, my work is never finished

insert pic of Obi Wan Kenobi.

[FANDICK]

Here's the latest...

http://www.fmqb.com/Article.asp?id=462406 (http://www.fmqb.com/Article.asp?id=462406)

From FMQB...


<TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width=468 border=0><TBODY><TR><TD class=ciPageTitle1 vAlign=top align=left>SoundExchange Reaches Agreement On Web Royalty Cap</TD></TR><TR><TD vAlign=top align=left height=6>http://www.fmqb.com/images/trans.gif</TD></TR><TR><TD vAlign=top align=left>August 23, 2007
After a Thursday meeting (http://www.fmqb.com/article.asp?id=462304) with DiMA, SoundExchange has announced it has reached an agreement with larger webcasters over the minimum fee cap for Web royalties. The Copyright Royalty Board (CRB) had required a $500 minimum fee "per station or channel," regardless of the total number of stations. Today's new agreement sets a cap of $50,000 per service on the $500 per station number. The two parties also agreed that beginning in six months, webcasters will provide SoundExchange with a full census of songs performed (24 hours a day, 365 days a year) in order to accurately distribute royalties to independent labels and artists. Furthermore, SoundExchange and DiMA will form a committee to evaluate the issue of "streamripping" (copying a song from a Web stream) and potential technological solutions to it.
Though the deal currently applies to those services involved in today's agreement, SoundExchange says the agreement will be presented to the Copyright Royalty Judges as an industry-wide rule.
John Simson, Executive Director of SoundExchange, said in a statement, "This agreement shows that we can address specific issues of concern to the industry through private negotiations while upholding the integrity of the CRB process and while protecting the interests of SoundExchange members."
He continued, "With the small webcaster agreement we sent out earlier this week, with progress on the non-commercial webcaster front, and with this agreement, SoundExchange has now addressed the key issues of concern with respect to the CRB rate-setting decision while still protecting the value of sound recordings. We now hope to move forward together with our partners, the webcasters, in providing an enhanced listening experience through Internet radio."

DiMA Executive Director Jonathan Potter released a statement saying, "This agreement marks an important first step in the Internet radio royalty negotiation process. We’re encouraged by this development and the knowledge that good-faith negotiations have begun. We look forward to the next step of negotiating the royalty rates that will allow for the growth of the Internet radio industry, a platform for music discovery for consumers."
</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>

[badmonkey]

I got quoted today in a story at Sci-Tech-Today.com (http://www.sci-tech-today.com/news/Internet-Radio-Drama-s-Latest-Episode/story.xhtml?story_id=12000EO09JKO)

[Hottub]

Cool!
BadMonkey, fight the good fight!!
We are behind you!

[badmonkey]

Another mention of one of our press releases as well as a link to the station site.

http://www.audiographics.com/agd/091107-1.htm

[FANDICK]

Another mention of one of our press releases as well as a link to the station site.

http://www.audiographics.com/agd/091107-1.htm

Nice!

:thumbup:

[badmonkey]

I got this in an email today. It is time once again to flood the Senate phone systems.


Dear SaveNetRadio supporter,

It has been a year since an increase in royalty fees for webcasters put the future of Internet radio at risk. Since then, more than 2 million people have called on Congress to save Internet radio, the Internet Radio Equality Act has been cosponsored by 150 Members of Congress, and a hearing was held in the House Small Business Committee. In spite of all this - nothing has changed. We need your help.

On Thursday May 15, Senator Sam Brownback of Kansas will introduce the Internet Radio Equality Act (IREA) as an amendment to the Orphan Works Bill (S. 2913) while it is being considered by the Senate Judiciary Committee . As you know, the IREA would level the playing field for Internet radio webcasters and promote greater parity within the radio industry, while doing away with the discrimination that now forces webcasters to pay fees more than twice as high as their closest competition, cable and satellite radio.

You can help. At least one of your Senators is a Member of the Judiciary Committee and we need their support. Call them today and ask them to support independent artists, small businesses, and the future of Internet radio. You can find their phone number and talking points here: http://www.capwiz.com/saveinternetradio/alert_9738601.html. Ask your Senator to support the Brownback Amendment to S. 2913.

We need your help to remind Congress that though Internet radio is still on the air and artists are still being paid for their work by webcasters, nothing has been resolved and we need them to act.

On behalf of webcasters, artists and fellow Internet radio listeners everywhere, thank you. Let's finish what we started a year ago.