Broadcasting Threatened by New Legislation – A Call To Arms!
Hyperbole aside, free speach, the ability (not even the right) to broadcast over the net, as well as in other media/formats has been threatened in a direct, convoluted and expensive manner by the March 2, 2007 Copyright Royalty Board rate determination. Below find a number of links with relevant information and ways to fight back, speak out and speak up against this ridiculous action.
Just to be clear the objection I have is not so much that they’re trying to enforce licensure but the manner with which it is to be enacted. Creating a “tax” is one thing, making it retroactive to January 2006 is another thing entirely. Charging folks running non-commercial stations (small fry like RadioRadio) 500 dollars (USD) and up a year seems a bit extreme, and the rates applied to so-called commercial stations are prohibitive for anyone in the developmental/growth stage. Gone will be album side shows, 2 for Tuesdays, Artist-focused programming much less the ability to take a song request and play it within an HOUR of request receipt, these restrictions seem rather restrictive and stringent for a reasons I cannot fathom.
Before one dismisses this as an issue of a bunch of folks spinning tunes off their home computers, consider this, NPR has filed a class action suite, claiming that nearly 60% of their programming would be effected. Satellite stations are also at risk with this action, so please take a moment to consider the far-reaching implications and let your governmental entities know where you stand on this important issue.
Save The Streams
Save Net Radio
Radio And Internet Newsletter
Live365 Royalties Information
Webcasters Unite
Once you actually get into the licensing process, you’ll discover the nastiest bit of legislation of them all, licensing of ephemeral recordings. The upshot of this law is that you must add 10% of your total royalty fees to your payments for the right to make ONE copy of a song on your harddrive. What’s worse, you can only keep that copy for 6 months (dated from the date it is first ripped), after which you have to destroy the copy (or archive it). So not only do you have licensing fees to worry about, you have to keep buying music to play–that stuff in the library that’s been there fror years is dead and buried as far as the law is concerned.
Kamael Xevious
March 16, 2007