SAVE INTERNET RADIO!

[The Dude]

Just a quick plug for one of my favorite pastimes - listening to internet Webcasts. There has been a number of drives to ban these but the webcasters have actually gotten together a bill to legalize to. It's in the house right now.

This just in from soma.fm's newsletter...

Thanks to everyone who called their representatives, the "Webcaster
Settlement Act of 2008" has passed the House, now it's onto the Senate.
We'll need to call them in the next 24 hours and ask for the support of
the Senate version of the bill. I don't have the actual bill number,
just ask them to support "The Webcaster Settlement Act of 2008". (If
they ask for more info, you can say it's the Senate version of
H.R. 7084.)


Look up your Senator's phone number and call them:

You do not have permission to view link Log in or register now.

You can leave a voice message after hours. If the phone is busy, please
try again until you get through.


"I am a constituent and a fan of internet radio. I would like you to
support the Webcaster Settlement Act of 2008, and please do not
capitulate to pressure from the NAB. The NAB is threatened by
competition from webcasters, and will do anything to get rid of that
competition."


The Senate will resume Monday morning, September 29th, and will consider
this early that session. If we leave messages this weekend, we can show
that there is considerable grass roots support for it, and it will
greatly lessen the impact of the NAB's opposition to it.


If you're not living in the USA, or a US Citizen abroad, you can call or
send messages to the Senators from California, where SomaFM is based.
(Let them know that you're an international listener to SomaFM which is
based in California.)


Thanks so much, and sorry to bug you so much this weekend.


Rusty Hodge
Founder and General Manager (among other things)
SomaFM


PS- Here is more detail on this bill if you're curious:


The "Webcaster Settlement Act of 2008" contains technical amendments to
the Small Webcasting Settlement Act of 2002 (P.L. 107-321) which will
permit commercial and noncommercial webcasters to negotiate royalty
rates and terms other than those determined by the Copyright Royalty
Board (CRB) in its May 2007 decision. That decision was the basis for
legislation introduced last year and is currently subject to a legal
challenge at the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals, which has, thus far,
upheld the market rates and terms set by the CRB.


The principal purpose of the legislation is to facilitate a reduction in
Internet streaming rates, something H.R. 7084 will permit to be
voluntarily negotiated by willing parties rather than imposed by
Congress. Essentially, this bill will allow SoundExchange, the
organization which collects royalties on behalf of the music industry,
to reach a settlement with the Digital Media Association, the national
trade organization for the online audio and video industries.

 

[RobWin]

Are you talking about them just being banned in the USA or just webcasts from the USA being banned, don't see how they could ban webcasters or websats from any other part of the world really ??

 

[The Dude]

If the bill doesn't pass, most of these stations that we listen to for free will be required to pay an exuberant amount of $$ for licensing fees, thus be shut down. And of course the big recording corps will be taking down anyone who offends them. It would virtually be the end of free webcasts as we know it.

It doesn't really matter if you're in the US or not. We all know that the US thinks it owns the Internet

 

[vinylweatherman]

If the bill doesn't pass, most of these stations that we listen to for free will be required to pay an exuberant amount of $$ for licensing fees, thus be shut down. And of course the big recording corps will be taking down anyone who offends them. It would virtually be the end of free webcasts as we know it.

It doesn't really matter if you're in the US or not. We all know that the US thinks it owns the Internet

They will simply move to where the internet casinos have, and carry on. The US will have to use the legislation where the show's server is based to get it shut down, but if they pass the bill, it will encourage them to stay put, and at least under some control.

Antigua and Barbuda may welcome internet radio to replace it's lost internet casino licensing revenue.

I noticed today that a reputable casino is advertising the fact that a big win was just made by someone in KENTUCKY, so much for blocking that, and good luck with internet radio

It seems the US are on a mission to censor the internet, and are now straying beyond the narrow confines of internet gambling.

It could also be argued that forcing internet radio stations to close through making the business environment impossible for them is a threat to free speech, as stations that oppose certain views could be unduly targeted.

The UK tried this way back in the 1960's - it wasn't internet of course, but PIRATE radio, such as Radio Caroline, that played music the BBC "didn't approve of", such as rock & roll. These stations were subjected to all sorts of efforts to close them down, but always found a way to survive. Many set up on ships in international waters, and in 1967 the government gave in and acceopted "POP" as a kind of music that the young wanted to listen to, so put it on Radio 1, and then started issuing commercial radio licenses. "Pirate" radio then went legit, and under government control, but got to play what it wanted, and we had the choice to listen to what we wanted.

 

[RobWin]

It seems the US are on a mission to censor the internet, and are now straying beyond the narrow confines of internet gambling.

It's the d*mn greedy a*s Neo-Con Nazi bas***ds on both sides of the political scene here that are turning this country into a police state faster than I can type this and if we (as a nation) don't wake up to what these greedy a*s bas***ds are doing real soon then we are all going to be f***ed royally !!

 

[Jasminebed]

Well, I hate when the US thinks it speaks for the rest of the world. I listen to my local University radio station online (CFRC.ca) and occassionally to CBC...government owned and funded radio, and they offer internet broadcasts.

Hate to plug 3Dice into this thread, but they have now added a music player for mp3 broadcasting internet radio...they have given us a great choice from several countries in the world.

Some are just mainstream radio stations that offer an internet broadcast...not much different from any radio station that you can tune in with a dollar store radio. They make money from their advertisers, and the broader the base, the more money you can charge advertisers.

The SkyFM stations out of the United States advertise that a premium, commercial free version is available for a monthly fee.

I thought the US was supportive of free speech, capitalism and enterprise.