Threats to Internet Freedoms (consolidation thread)

[elfismiles]

last week I heard about this ... Live365.com was the service I first used to stream my web radio station. even with the 'small webcasters' pay rate I couldn't afford to do it 'legal ... now they are dead and the services I enjoy such as Pandora apparently are part of the reason.

Opposition to Copyright Royalty Board's decision on webcasting rates

Petition published by Independent Small Webcasters and their listeners on Dec 27, 2015

5472 Signatures

Target: United States Congress

Region: GLOBAL

Sign the petition

Sponsor

Petition Background (Preamble):

The Copyright Royalty Board has handed down a decision after meeting behind closed doors with Pandora and coming to an agreement in reference to royalty rate increases ( http://www.loc.gov/crb/web-iv/amended-web-iv-terms.pdf ) that literally cripples any small webcaster anywhere in the United States of America !

In this agreement it states that the rate is $0.17 per 100 songs , per listener , raising rates so high that it makes it unaffordable by any broadcaster anywhere.

While this bill HR1733 is good to force terrestrial radio to finally pay royalties which they had never done since the beginning of internet broadcasting, the original " Small Webcaster Settlement Act " ( SWSA ) has been eliminated making no provision whatsoever for hobbyist broadcasters who have no revenue to pay the outlandish fee's that would be incurred upon them by the elimination of this agreement.

It also creates a monopoly which according to US law has been deemed illegal in the United States of America , allowing only major corporations like Pandora and iHeart Radio to control what is being heard on the internet.

For years, small webcasters have been paying royalty fee's when terrestrial was not! And as a thank you for all the years of trying to do what was right , to be lawful and pay royalties that artists worldwide have worked so hard for and deserve, the Copyright Royalty Board has decided only the wealthy should be allowed to broadcast, thus ending small broadcasters tiny businesses all over the USA.

Finally, this bill does not only affect the small broadcaster , but affects many businesses that small webcasters have supported as well thus eliminating literally MILLIONS of dollars of spending in business such as :
* Streaming Servers
* Chatrooms and servers
* Messengers
* Communities and servers
* Games
* Webhosting and servers
* Banner Hosting services and many other services !

For years small broadcasters have been paying licensing fee's to stay legal on the internet, paying dues in appreciation for the hobby they so love. They have all had a dream of one day climbing that ladder to make a name for themselves, to achieve success. Some didn't have that dream, they just wanted to enjoy what they loved to do. Now that dream has been stomped on, spat on, and kicked to the curb by the very people we entrust to treat us fairly. It's shameful , unjust and should be considered criminal because of the results of this decision being made.

It should not be allowed.

Petition:

We the undersigned oppose the decision of The Copyright Royalty Board to not include a provision such as the Small Webcaster's Settlement Act of 2002 which allows for small webcasters to have the ability to pay affordable royalty rate fee's.

The rates set are totally unfair to those who do not have the revenue such as the larger broadcasters like Pandora and iHeart.

We the undersigned ask that a provision be included in this decision so that thousands of small webcasters and their listeners and services they do business with may continue to enjoy the music and environment they have created and not be crippled by the Fair Play , Fair Pay bill , as it is not fair at all!


Sign the petition

The Opposition to Copyright Royalty Board's decision on webcasting rates petition to United States Congress was written by Independent Small Webcasters and their listeners and is in the category Media Issues at GoPetition. Contact author here. Petition tags: internet radio, broadcasting, royalty rate, copyright, copright royalty board, disc jockey, entertainment, dj, radio

http://www.gopetition.com/petitions/opp ... -1733.html

Seventeen sweet years ago, it was something of a revolution to let
anyone launch their own station. Anyone with something to say or play.
Live365 provided the tools. Their talent brought the audience.

We were one of the first. Happy we are not the last.

The spirit of 300+ employees over the years, our hundred thousand
webcasters, and their hundred million dedicated listeners lives on.

THANK YOU for being here.

Spread the word:

PurePlay Radio

...and many others who have requested anonymity so they don’t get
listeners they can no longer afford. ;-(

http://www.live365.com/

Live365 is Dead, Long Live RadioLulu
Huffington Post-Jan 27, 2016
In 2002, I was able to turn my fantasy into reality thanks to Live365.com, the streaming radio service provider. A pioneer in the field since 1999, ...
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/thomas-gl ... ertainment

Tough Month for Streaming: iTunes Radio and…
About - News & Issues-Jan 30, 2016
Two respectable streaming sources announced their demise this month: Apple's iTunes Radio and Live365.com. The free version of iTunes ...
http://radio.about.com/od/createinterne ... -Plugs.htm

Shoreworld: New Royalty Rates Forces BlowUpRadio.com To Shut ...
Aquarian Weekly-Jan 20, 2016
Then he saw an email post about live365.com. “It was great. They host internet radio shows for free and give you instructions on how to load the ...
http://www.theaquarian.com/2016/01/20/s ... -on-feb-1/

Live365 Announces Downsizing In Wake of CRB Decision
All Access Music Group-Dec 29, 2015
... are reluctant to take a chance on. It would be a great loss for this to all go away.” Inquiries may be sent to the company at pr@live365.com.
http://www.allaccess.com/net-news/archi ... crb-decisi

The Return of Multicast: Why it Succeeds in a Live Linear World
StreamingMedia.com-Jan 20, 2016
I had been streaming audio, mainly using a little hack in Live365.com's service to get free CDN services, then more professionally using ...
http://www.streamingmedia.com/Articles/ ... 08621.aspx

The Death of Internet Radio
New Jersey Stage-Jan 21, 2016
Over 5,000 stations on live365.com are forced to shut down at the end of January and that's only the tip of the iceberg. It's not that these stations ...
http://www.newjerseystage.com/articles/ ... hp?ID=6712

[elfismiles]

7
An Open Letter To David Byrne
Posted on January 30, 2016 by RAIN News Staff
bill goldsmith RAIN 2010This open letter is from Bill Goldsmith, Founder and Owner of Radio Paradise, a RAIN Pureplay of the Day selection, and one of the most venerable and recognized Internet radio stations. This letter appeals to David Byrne, as a board member of SoundExchange, to renew royalty protections that have enabled small webcasting for the past six years. (See background coverage here.) The letter was originally posted at Radio Paradise, and on the station’s Facebook page, where readers are encouraged to FB-share the letter.

Hi David,

I’ve played your music on the radio since a vinyl 45 of “Psycho Killer” crossed my desk back in 1977, and have appreciated your work for decades. But I’m not writing to David Byrne, the composer and performer. I’m writing to David Byrne, board member of Sound Exchange.

For the past 16 years, my wife Rebecca and I have run Radio Paradise, an eclectic Internet radio station with a loyal worldwide following. We’ve been successful enough to make the station a full-time job, and our sole means of support.

We play what moves us, drawing from a wide variety of genres, eras & textures and weaving the songs together into a musical flow with occasional DJ commentary. We run no advertising and are supported entirely by voluntary payments from our listeners.

If that “business model” sounds familiar, it’s because it’s really no different from old-school community FM radio. Like a good public FM station, we play artists that no profit-centric lowest-common-denominator commercial station would ever touch. We see radio as an art form, not as an advertising delivery vehicle.

As a New Yorker, you’re probably familiar with WFUV and are aware of the role that they, and stations like them, play in the musical ecosystem. It’s very similar to the role played by Radio Paradise and our peers.

Imagine if WFUV were required to pay $0.0017 every time one listener heard one song. Let’s do the math. If they have 10,000 listeners (they probably have more a good deal of the time) that’s $17 per song. At 12 songs per hour, that’s $204 per hour, or $4896 per day. I don’t need to keep going, do I?

That’s exactly what Radio Paradise and other independent Internet radio stations are now expected to pay to Sound Exchange under the new CRB rates. Large operations like Pandora, Apple and Spotify can afford to negotiate private deals with the large music conglomerates. FM broadcasters can afford to lobby Congress to continue paying nothing at all to the artists that Sound Exchange represents. We have none of those options available to us.

We are certainly willing to continue to pay our fair share to the artists we play. Until the end of 2015, we were able to operate under a “small webcaster” provision and pay a percentage of our income to Sound Exchange. We were ready to continue doing that, but when the CRB decision was released in December 2015 we were stunned to learn that no provisions whatsoever were made for stations like ours, and at the new CRB rates our royalty payments would approximately equal — perhaps exceed — our gross income. The same is true for every other independent web radio operator.

We have reached out to Sound Exchange in the hope that some arrangement can be made that will allow stations like Radio Paradise to continue to flourish. As a Sound Exchange board member, we would very much appreciate your support.

Respectfully yours,

Bill Goldsmith
Radio Paradise


inShare
6
Copyrights & Legal Bill Goldsmith, copyright, Copyright Royalty Board, David Byrne, music licensing, Radio Paradise, small webcasting
Post navigation FIRST EPISODE: NEW PODCASTS FOR WEEKEND LISTENING“SEVENTEEN SWEET YEARS AGO” — LIVE365 PULLS THE PLUG
7 COMMENTS
REPLY

January 31, 2016
DUBI
profit profit they dont listen small webcasters they listen big record company

REPLY

January 31, 2016
WILLIAM J.
SoundExchange needs to take a piece of SOMETHING from MANY small webcasters if they are smart. The small webcasters comprise a large segment of what’s available on the Internet. They will find broadcasters from around the globe on in places where they CAN NOT charge these fees. It’s not logical for SoundExhange not to work with them. They get NOTHING at all if they don’t. Furthermore, serious small webcasters will gladly pay to keep their businesses alive, but it needs to be fair and affordable. The small webcasting agreement worked. Yes, it needs to be brought back. Monopolies are illegal in the USA.

REPLY

February 1, 2016
DAVID HILL
Thank you Bill. You should consider changing your surname from Goldsmith to Wordsmith.

I’m eager to see how David Byrne responds and hope that his influence bears a positive outcome for everyone. Speaking of modifying titles. Now that he’s sporting the “big suit”, I wonder if it’d be too much to ask David to consider doing a sequel called, “Making Sense”?

REPLY

February 1, 2016
DAVE SEAVY
As a non-profit support service for cancer and brain injury survivors, we will be webcasting shows in the evening covering those topics. During the day we run music. Unless something is worked out, we’ll have to shut down during the day. We make no money whatsoever off the station, but in the eyes of royalty seekers, it apparently makes no difference.

REPLY

February 1, 2016
ROB GALGANO
But if you file as a 501 (c)(3), SX will give you a reduced rate. Look into it.

REPLY

February 1, 2016
DEAN KATTARI
Just yesterday we had to shut down DAVID BYRNE’s own station he had for years on Live365 for the reasons Bill highlighted. Now that should hit HOME.

REPLY

February 1, 2016
ROB GALGANO
Pretty sure David Byrne doesn’t give a shit.

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http://rainnews.com/an-open-letter-to-david-byrne/

[elfismiles]

Live365 is Officially Back! - Live365 Internet Radio
https://live365.com/blog/live365-is-officially-back/

May 22, 2017 - You may have heard the buzz that Live365 is officially back! Open sign-ups launched last week after giving former broadcasters from the “old” Live365 a chance to restart their stations. Now anyone with an internet connection can create a legal internet radio station in a matter of minutes by joining Live365.