Internet Radio Day Of Silence

As a young man I had dreams of owning a radio station. My fondest desire was to sit behind the microphone late in the evening playing whatever I fancied. Forget program directors. Forget the pressure of format. If I wanted to play the entire "Tales From Topographic Oceans" by God I would.

On January 23, 2001, a small part of that dream came true. Technology finally progressed to where boyhood dreams were available at the touch of an FTP client.

I began Carp Circles Radio.

In 2003, the rest of my dream was realized when I began broadcasting live. Along with my partner in crime Hollywood, Carp Circles Live was born.

For over six years my little corner of the radio universe played an eclectic mix of rock, country, hip-hop and soul non-stop 24 hours a day. The music never stopped.

Until now.

Today is the Internet Radio Day Of Silence.

Since the beginning, the record labels in conjunction with big corporate radio such as Clear Channel fought hard against the new competition. Now they have wielded the mighty power of mammon to convince the Copyright Royalty Board to pass royalty rates which would force internet radio stations to pay royalties far beyond those which have applied to "regular radio" for generations.

The change will go into effect on July 15 and will be retroactive to January 1st. Unless action is taken, it will doom practically all internet radio.

So if you are non-VIP listener and tune into my little joint today you will hear PSAs and testimonials from other broadcasters. The music will return tomorrow. As for how long the music will continue to play? Stay tuned.

UPDATE: The following is the letter I just sent to Representative Hank Johnson. Please feel free to use it as a template as you contact your own representatives.

Rep. Johnson, thank you for your time.

I am resident of the 4th and I am also an internet radio broadcaster. You may not be aware of the issue but the Copyright Royalty Board has enacted new regulations regarding internet radio. On July 15th, a royalty increase of 300% on all internet broadcast will take effect. The new rates will be retroactive to January 1, 2007 and will devestate all internet radio.

Rep. Johnson, we the internet radio community are not asking for special treatment but simply a level playing field. Large corporate radio broadcasters have used their influence to protect a monopoly they have enjoyed for generations. Any assistance you can provide on this matter would be greatly appreciated.

For more information please see http://www.savenetradio.org/.

And once again thank you for your time.

Sincerely,
Xxxxxxxxxxxxxx