Internet Radios Killed Tonight 0.00am/pt!!!

[pro-bassoonist]

SomaFm was shut down tonight due to the fact that the Congress has approved 500$ per day tax for internet radio stations.

I guess that means: Watch Out...here comes the END!!!!!

[pro-bassoonist]

Forgot to mention that if you go to their web site ww.somafm.com there is a direct link to the proposed per-day taxes.

[Jackskeleton]

KCRW is under school/education/public radio/NPR safe gaurd. so they will still be around and kicking like normal. it is a sad thing though that the others will be going under.

www.kcrw.com

I think keyser will agree, it's a great station and plays a lot of great music and has National Public Radio news

[Jackskeleton]

Originally posted by pro-bassoonist
Well, sure a few might make it....but for the lover of trully independent, non-mainstream music....I do not know what to say. I guess I will have to listen to the Backstreet Boys like everyone else huh?

You've never heard KCRW then if you think Internet radio stations that are popular are "mainstream" Kcrw is pretty much the anti-mainstream. Programs like Morning Becomes Eclectic, Metropolis, dragnet, chocolate city. they are simply great and very non-mainstream.

Sure there will be a lot of them that take a dump because of this tax, but those who can go under the cover of the net, and/or use a loop hole by using the whole college station to have it as the tool of the music.

[Mr. Salty]

Point of clarification: They aren't taxes, they're licensing fees.

Taxes are paid to the government as a way to generate revenue for the government. The fees that Internet radio stations are going to have to pay do not go to the government at all, they go to the Recording Industry Association of America. This happens under the guise of paying the artists whose music is played, but I'd be surprised if it doesn't go straight into the pockets of the record companies instead.

In my opinion, the RIAA is the worst thing ever to happen to the music industry. In a time when music sales are dropping fast, they seem to be single handedly trying to keep would-be listeners from finding new music to buy.

[wildcatlh]

Sad/Funny/Pitiful thing is, the RIAA doesn't think they're getting ENOUGH from this...

Comment of Cary Sherman, President, Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) On Librarian’s Decision On Internet Radio Royalty Rates June 20, 2002

“The import of this decision is that artists and record labels will subsidize the webcasting businesses of multi-billion dollar companies like Yahoo, AOL, RealNetworks and Viacom. The rate, which cannot be squared with the decision of the arbitration panel, simply does not reflect the fair market value of the music as promised by the law. This decision will certainly reinforce the steadfast opposition of copyright owners to compulsory licensing.”

[Giles]

So, this is only for US internet Radio stations, or will UK stations like Radio 1 and XFM fall under this as well?

[Apocrypha]

I know that the station I work at can't air over the net w/out these licensing fees , despite the fact that we are a publicly funded non profit station. It has to do with licensing for all the individual bits that are aired throughout the course of the day. So we don't broadcast over the net, I had a caller the other night from New York who was trying to find our station online. I told him he was gonna have to drive to MT to hear us, oh well.

Fu$&^% CLEAR CHANNEL for trying to monopolize the airwaves
and F*&$ the RIAA for alienating the record buying public
and F&*$ the FCC for allowing censorship and privatization of public owned airwaves
there
ahh I feel much

[huzefa]

Dammit, my favorite webcast (M1LIVE) already is under a lot of financial pressure, and now this... This really sux.

[pro-bassoonist]

This RIAA thing is pure censorship if you ask me! I think that tons of independent broadcasters will go belly up.
And I have to agree that it is indeed a very stupid move...I myself bought tons of music simply from listening to groups I will never get to know through the local music store. Dont know what to make from the whole thing...but it sure smellls like...RIAA:WE WANT MORE, AND MORE MONEY!

That's one way to keep CD sales UP and piracy under control. How lame!!!!!!

[Giantrobo]

Originally posted by Apocrypha

Fu$&^% CLEAR CHANNEL for trying to monopolize the airwaves
and F*&$ the RIAA for alienating the record buying public
and F&*$ the FCC for allowing censorship and privatization of public owned airwaves
there
ahh I feel much

[pro-bassoonist]

Here it is....another one of the electronica stations I used to listen to stoped broadcasting today(Chicago area).

THIS IS LAME!!!!

[ravan]

[mkdevo]

i'm pist...

you know, i've never listened to internet radio - ever.. however, driving home from South Carolina > Connecticut the other day, I tuned into Y100.3 (Philly) and heard that starting Friday (6/21) they would be playing a new song every day off the new Chili Peppers album. the only thing i could think of was to keep my fingers crossed that they had an internet broadcast, because i'm dying to hear these tunes!

sure enough, they do (did), and i tuned in yesterday and recorded the first track of the CD.

i knew nothing about these stations shutting down, and woke up early this morning to do the same, and got a connection error.

since they're playing the tunes 4 times a day, i wasn't really worried, just figured i'd try again later...

and then i come here and get the awful news... damn....

[Giles]

hooray! I can still listen to www.xfm.co.uk