A Day of Silence

You've probably read something about the change in royalties for internet radio. If you've managed not to hear the growing ruckus over the 24 hour hum of DWI heiress/prisoner coverage allow me to summarize.

Webcasters pay royalties. It's less than radio and TV pays, but more than colleges usually pay. To my general thinking, that's about where they fit in the scale of things. But some king shitheels in Washington want to increase the amount they pay in artist royalties to exceed their actual income by up to 400%. I dont mean senators by washingtonshitnheels.. I mean lobbiests for the RIAA. Yes the very same gutless heathen shitheels that sue 12-year-olds.

Obviously this would be the end of internet radio for major and minor players and even non-profits. One cannot pay out more than one takes in, only the government allows itself to do that.

Today you may have found that your favorite internet station was silent. Thousands are. It's a silent protect to the collosal screw-job being handed down to them. I'll quote Jake Ward, a spokesperson for the SaveNetRadio Coalition:

"With nearly a half million e-mails and phone calls from Webcasters, listeners, and the artists they support sent to Congress in just the last two months, this national grassroots campaign has certainly captured the attention of lawmakers, but there is more to be done and time is running out. During the National Day of Silence Webcasters will urge their listeners to contact their congressional representatives and ask them to support the Internet Radio Equality Act and preserve the future of Internet radio."

Not only is the protest wide but also deep. the list of silent stations include not only all Greater Media stations but also Yahoo!, Rhapsody, Live 365, and even MTV Online. Clear Channel is notably abscent from the list of participants, but with their long history of donating to the neocons, it'd be ignominious for them to do otherwise.

Contact your Rep, be sure the RIAA already has. they hav ethe advantage in dollars, btu we have it in numbers. http://www.savenetradio.org/