Internet Radio in Danger
A ruling by an obscure regulatory agency threatens to silence Internet radio. After intense lobbying from the recording industry, the Copyright Royalty Board (CRB) is about to mandate exponential increases — by as much as 1,200 percent — in royalties paid every time webcasters stream a song online.
If these unfair rules are allowed to go into effect on July 15, many public, independent and smaller Internet radio stations will have to shut down. At stake is the diversity of musical choice that the Internet has come to represent for more than 50 million listeners.
Congress must stop this bad rule and replace it with a system that both pays artists and fosters more diverse Internet radio programming. We must rapidly mobilize support for new legislation that will rescue Internet radio before it’s too late.
Act Now! Urge Congress to support the Internet Radio Equality Act.