Net Radio: Temporary Stay of Execution

I'm proud to be a lobbyist!

Hey, got any more all expenses paid vacations to hand out to the rest of us ?..

Fingers crossed, but not holding my breath.

Great News! For now anyway

fear of loosing votes can be more powerfull then free money to a congressman at times. =)

Death to RIAA !!!

I second that motion!!

I third the motion

I second the third motion

Let's make the RIAA happy burn those CD's.........no wait what am I saying

Guys, the article headline is incredibly misleading. SoundExchange is just waiting for the outcry to die down a little bit with stupid headlines like that so that a huge number of people think problem is already solved. Then a few weeks later they will try to collect. All their negotiation talk has been total BS for the last 1.5 years with small webcasters, just a bunch of PR.

As a net radio operator, I can't tell you how many times in the past there were stupid headlines like this, and then months later I was meeting people and they were telling me "oh, I thought I read on Wired (or where-ever) that the problem was resolved!". I mean, thanks for the article, but please step up and graduate from journalism school!

you are probably correct, I changed the headline to be more pessimistic.

Thanks so much! I didn't mean to bust on you or Karl, it was really meant for the Wired guy editor. I see some other webcasters already leaving comments like that on their page too.

Yup, if you even shake hands with someone from SoundExchange, make sure to check that your hand is intact and no fingers are missing.

or crab's, or gon-ga-rea, or leprosy, or genital herpes........

You can settle for a repeat of 2002 only if you want to. There's no reason to make this an ongoing cycle. Now is the ideal time to mention that to your representative and senators. If they know that half measures are only going to make this a recurring headache for them, they're more likely to demand a permanent solution.

I am glad that we could help(as i listen to my launchcast radio)

I called, and got a letter sent back from my Rep's office. I am very happy that, finally, consumer's voices are being heard.

Fifteen of my last twenty CDs were purchased after hearing the music on Internet radio. If I don't hear it first on Internet radio, then I usually don't buy a CD. The music played on Internet radio is readily identified in the computer's music player that facilitates future purchasability.

IMHO we should bring back a new form of Internet payola: ALL record labels should be FORCED to pay THROUGH THEIR CORPORATE NOSES for any of their music that is played over the Internet BECAUSE they are benefiting substantially through increased CD sales.

They are also benefiting greatly from fact that one can look at one's computer screen to see the performer and name of the cut (and sometimes the album name) that is playing. This is the main reason that I am able to buy so many of the CDs that I hear. Quick identification is very important. The record labels should pay -- and pay dearly -- for this kind of service ON THEIR BEHALF.

The music labels should be forced to pay payola to the suppliers of the PC music players such as iTunes, Real, WindowsMedia, and so many others.

The SoundExchange thugs aren't going away anytime soon. In fact, it is their most beloved :::WISH::: that everyone just goes back to sticking his head in the sand and becoming complacent again because the very last thing they want is for Congre$$ to get involved. Congre$$, BTW, started this whole mess with their creation of the DMCA bought and paid for by the RIAA. This is :::THEIR::: Frankenstein monster reanimated to bite them on their collective, overpaid asses nine years later.

Since the day of Silence, SoundExchange has been attempting to cut side deals with webcasters because Congre$$ has said it doesn't want to get involved. And since then, a few blind webcasters like lastfm.com have taken the bait. All lastfm.com had to do to take advantage of the incredible deal SoundExchange threw out was to agree to certain ambiguous terms of the so called deal.

First, SoundExchange said they would honor the terms of this agreement through 2008. Notice no definite end date here or exactly what they would or would not expect to collect in royalties. Secondly, a webcaster has to agree NOT to EVER go to Congress and lobby for help ever again. Seems simple, doesn't it. Sure does. Now just sign on the dotted line with either that pen or with your brains from the gun pointed at your head that will go off if you don't sign.

Once everyone goes back to sticking his head in the sand again, and otherwise stops pestering the Congre$$ional ari$tocracy, then SoundExchange will go about the business of strangling Internet radio quietly.

It's all detailed on Kurt Hanson's RAIN blog.

This is a win win situation for soundexchange. They will just collect retroactive royalties anyway, so waiting a few weeks or months just means lots more money from sites that didn't shut down thinking they wouldn't owe anything if they stayed up if a deal was worked out.

Plus if all the outrage dies down, no one will be paying attention when they screw everyone.

Get me mah gun. Got some varmits to take care of. Guess they's call 'emselves SoundExchange or somethin. All I know is I's had enough and they's gots to go.