Power to the People - [Etcetera]
Hmmmfff...it's a very exciting time. Mother Internet has given birth to revolutionary new forms of communication, and we are not only witnesses, we are participants.But this new age is not without danger. In fact, it is fraught with danger...oh it is so fraught. FRAUGHT I TELL YOU!
The evil and power hungry RIAA lurks at every turn, seeking to snuff out the new life of internet radio. Oh yes. I said snuff bisque!
But be of good cheer, Etcetera has joined the fight. The Merry Monk of Love, the Comedy Ninja, and the Spastic Mystic are once again harnessing the power of buffoonery, this time, to free the Internet Stream of Collective Consciousness from tyranny. We also want to help the guy in the pic above.
Click here to listen to our latest communiqué from the front lines. Then subscribe to the podcast for future updates.
Then, get involved.
Click here to find out what's going on. Gordo provided this resource as well.
Then write your elected officials and tell them to stop RIAA from stifling creativity and destroying an industry (along with many people's livelihoods).
Click here for your representative.
Click here for your senator.
Click here to comment directly to the Copyright Royalty Board.
posted by Etcetera at 8:58 AM
7 Comments:
Sad to say, I've never contacted my Representative or Senator before, but I just e-mail ed them regarding this RIAA thing. Maybe I'll be more involved with things from here on out.
For your convenience, I'm pasting the letter I sent them. Not that you should copy and paste, but maybe it will give you a jumping off point for your own missive.
Matthew
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Hello,
I'm writing to let you know I strongly disagree with the structure for online/streaming royalty payments recently announced by the RIAA.
I believe the total cost will prove to be a deathblow to every company currently running online radio stations.
I do believe a payment system should be in place, a way to track songs played so appropriate royalties can be paid to publishing companies.
However, I believe it should be done in a way that is comparable to the structure currently in place for terrestrial radio.
Online radio provides unprecedented exposure for artists and an untold new source of revenue. But if the extreme measures recently announced are enacted, it would stop forward motion in one of music's newest and most exciting outlets by killing the goose who laid the golden egg.
I would appreciate your assistance with influencing the RIAA to structure royalty rates in a way that is more equitable, less punitive, and comparable to its counterpart, terrestrial radio.
Thanks for all of your work.
Sincerely,
Matthew Porter
Eff 'Em...
We will keep doing what we are doing. Of course our show doesn't have a lot of music on it like you guys use, but who gives a damn. We will use what we want when we want and deal with the consequences later. Now, that's a practical approach... I know... but I can't worry about the RIAA.
Seems like most of the people with something to lose are podcasts and webcasters that are music based and are also trying to create a profit from it. Maybe I am wrong, but our shows aren't about that, so I think we will fly below the radar on this one.
Maybe we'll get sued. And we will fight it all the way to the supreme court. And we will get loads of promotion and end up being millionaires... no billionaires.... in the process!
IMO, the RIAA are a bunch of greedy guts ba$tards.
Go Matt! :D
Well, it's like Edmund Burke said, "All that is necessary for evil to triumph is for Steve Chastain to do nothing."
Just kidding. That quote has been attributed to Burke, but it's never actually been found in his writings.
Matthew
The whole thing with RIAA is just rediculous. The whole music and movie industry are dinosaurs trying to hold onto ancient business models that dont work anymore. The whole napster and sharing deal was an outcry from consumers saying that they want music in a different way and cheaper. There is a legitimate problem with sharing, etc, however how they go about correcting the issue is all wrong. What they need to do is have online stores with competative prices with no DRM and people will buy (Just look at iTunes). And taxing online radio like that is just crazy. They definately should have the same arrangement as terrestial radio.
Steve finally comes to Canada and I'm going to have to miss him. I just moved to Ottawa from Waterloo 3 weeks ago :)
Hey, I actually got a response from one of my senators. See below...
"Dear Mr. Porter:
Thank you for contacting me regarding the recent ruling by the Copyright Royalty Board. I appreciate hearing from you and would like to take this opportunity to respond.
On March 2, 2007, the Copyright Royalty Board of the Library of Congress issued a ruling that proposes changing royalty rates from a percentage of revenue to a per-song, per-listener fee for online radio stations. The new rates will be retroactive to 2006 and will be increased incrementally each year through 2010. For 2007, online radio stations would pay $0.0011 per-song per-listener.
I understand your concern that these new rates will limit access to online radio. Please know that I will continue to monitor negotiations between online radio services, the recording industry, and the Copyright Royalty Board. In addition, I will keep your thoughtful comments in mind should legislation be considered on the federal level.
Again, thank you for sharing your views with me. If you have any further questions or comments, please do not hesitate to contact me. In addition, for more information about issues and activities important to Florida, please sign up for my weekly newsletter at http://martinez.senate.gov.
Sincerely,
Mel Martinez
United States Senator"
So, the big question: fresh or shelf?
Matthew
Okay, finally heard back from my other Senator. Check out what is clearly 'shelf' since it obviously is a canned response to a question I never asked...
"Dear Mr. Porter:
Thank you for contacting me regarding additional funding for Royalty Plan from RIAA.
I recognize the great importance of programs that fund the arts, and I do support such programs as the National Endowment for the Arts. As our nation’s priorities change, and state and Federal budgets feel the pressures of an economic downturn, I will be sure to continue supporting programs that benefit our society through the promotion of the arts.
I will keep your views in mind should any of these issues come before the full Senate. If you have any further concerns please feel free to contact my office."
(Matthew again) He didn't sign it, but this was from Senator Bill Nelson.
Matthew
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