Saxophone Forum


by saxismyaxe
(575 posts)
17 years ago

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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