Internet Radio in trouble...
Email from a vintage music site I am a member of:
URGENT UPDATE
Save Internet Radio
radiodismuke.com
Your ability to enjoy the vintage music programing I present on Radio
Dismuke and the endless range of other musical programing options that
are available only on Internet Radio is in grave danger.
On March 2 the Copyright Royalty Board of the Library of Congress
released the new royalty rates for the years 2006-2010 that all Internet
radio stations are required to pay SoundExchange in order to legally
perform copyrighted recordings. Traditional AM/FM radio stations, by
the way, are EXEMPT from having to pay such royalties. Internet
broadcasters do have to pay them - and they have to pay the 2006 rates
RETROACTIVELY.
For even the most successful and profitable webcasters, these new
royalty rates would consume 125 percent or more of a webcasters' current
revenue. The new royalty rates also eliminate the Small Webcasters'
Settlement Act provisions that Congress put in place several years ago
to address the fact that even the old royalty rate structure would have
otherwise forced small webcasters to cease operations.
THIS IS A VERY GRAVE SITUATION. If changes are not quickly made to the
new rate structure, it is very likely that most webcasters, including
Radio Dismuke's service providers Live 365 and LoudCity, will be forced
into bankruptcy and have to suspend their operations.
If Internet radio is to survive, webcasters need your help.
I have set up a page on the Radio Dismuke website that explains the
situation in greater detail.
www.RadioDismuke.com/save
The information on the page also explains how you can help. Your help
is urgently needed and will only take a few moments of your time and
does not require you to spend any money.
I have also set up a Radio Dismuke - Save Internet Radio Blog so that I
can keep my listeners and other supporters up-to-date with the latest
news on the issue as well as my own analysis and commentary on what is
happening. I have already put up several postings that discuss the
situation in some depth. You can access the blog by going to:
www.radiodismuke.blogspot.com
I rarely send messages out to this email list. I only use it to notify
people of significant programing events. I do not plan on cluttering up
people's inboxes with day-to-day developments. For that, please check
the blog on a regular basis. I will, however, send out information that
is urgent such as calls for action or if the situation necessitates
changes in whether or how Radio Dismuke programing can go forward.
Before Internet radio came along, the only people who had access to the
music that I present on Radio Dismuke were, for the most part, those who
were fortunate enough to have their own private vintage record
collections. Thanks to Internet radio and stations such as Radio
Dismuke, the music is enjoying a quiet, underground renaissance and is
now heard by a rapidly growing worldwide audience. The impending demise
of Internet radio threatens to throw us back to the day when the lesser
known genres of music that are overlooked by traditional AM/FM
broadcasters will once again have a difficult time finding the modern
audience that they very much deserve. Please do not allow that to
happen. Time is of the essence as some webcasters are already turning
off their streams. If something is not done and quick, the vast
majority will have to do so as well.
If you know others who you think would appreciate knowing about what is
happening, please feel free to forward this email to as many people as
you like.
Thanks for your support and your help.
Dismuke
RadioDismuke.com
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