These days WOXY lives on as WOXY.com, and there’s still nothing like it. It is the best music outlet I’ve ever heard, and at the risk of sounding redundant, I love music. When their terrestrial frequency was sold to ClearChannel, the death of the station was imminent. An anonymous donation allowed them to convert to an internet-radio format, and that has been their home since. They have 4 employees that barely make their rent, but serve hundreds of thousands of listeners. Bands you will NEVER hear on corporate radio are aired each and every day on WOXY.com. It is as invaluable a resource as a music fan could ever dream of having.

The recent Copyright Royalty Board ruling, changing the royalty rates from percentages of revenues to flat fees per song per listener will undo not only WOXY.com, but nearly every independent or public radio station that broadcasts over the internet. This ruling will change the way millions of people hear the music they want to hear, and will do nothing - absolutely nothing - for the thousands of artists who achieve exposure through these non-corporate outlets.

It simply cannot be allowed to stand, the CRB ruling.

The Life Pursuit by Belle and Sabastian - Matador
Ladies and Gentlemen by Spiritualized - Arista
Everything All The Time by Band of Horses - Sub Pop
The Colletion by Ultravox - Chrysalis
Hopes and Fears by Keane - Interscope
Avalon by Roxy Music - Virgin
Hounds of Love by Kate Bush - EMI

All due to Woxy.com. I no longer listen to the radio because it doesn’t play the music I want to hear and the playlists are too small to hold my interest. I have never downloaded a song. Should internet radio go away because broadcasters cannot afford the fees, I will forced to begin downloading music in order to decide if I want to purchase; illegal or not.

Illegal downloading will increase magnificently if Internet radio is harmed. And profits for the larger media outlets will tumble in their music industries. This is not just poor judgement for small business and non-profits broadcasting internet radio; this is in poor judgement for the entire music industry. This RIAA supported ruling would serve the death blow for an already struggling field.

Change this ruling!

The RIAA is and always has been nothing more than the corporate front for record labels. They have misinformed the public that they are fighting for the rights of the people who make music when in fact this is the biggest lie ever told. The RIAA only collects money for the record labels and it is those record labels who want to eliminate independent internet radio so that they can take over the industry as a whole and eliminate choice just like FM radio. If that happens internet radio will become as worthless as FM radio and you’ll never hear any music except what they want you to. They also want to profit from it by making internet radio another pay-per-play industry where in order to listen you’ll have to fork out money.

In the end the artists are all but guaranteed to lose even more of their revenue. How? Currently webcasters pay royalties to SoundExchange (which is the RIAA) but also to ASCAP, BMI and SESAC. These are ‘performers rights organizations’ - in other words the people who make the music. If the RIAA and SE are able to keep these new rates in place they get three times the amount of money they used to from whatever stations survive - while the creators of the music will lose substantial amounts of royalty income because most of the stations paying those royalties will die.

So as it’s been for a long time the record labels continue to increase their profit margins at the sacrifice of the artists they pretend to care so much about and that’s yet another reason why this is so wrong.

Not only does this decision need to be recinded but the RIAA, SoundExchange nor any record label should be in control of the organization responsible for the collection of royalties or the negotiation of said royalties. It’s a clear conflict of interests.

I’ve gotten exposure to many new songs, new artists, and new mixes, as well as old Dance tunes and mixes from 20 years ago which would have been all but forgotten were it not for 1Club.FM and WBMX.COM!!

I HARDLY EVER listen to terrestrial FM radio anymore!! It’s MUCH TOO BLAND when compared with Internet Radio!!

That’s why, when I heard of the Copyright Royalty Board’s short-sighted decision to impose “per-song, per-listener” fees on Internet Radio stations, threatening their very existence, I have started emailing and phoning my Congressman and Senators, asking that they introduce legislation to OVERTURN the CRB’s decision and instead have the “percentage of revenues” standard restored, with rates NO HIGHER than 1% to 2% of a stations’s revenues (just like what BMI, ASCAP, and SESAC assess)!!

I will continue, over the next several weeks, to call and email my Congressman & Senators about this important issue!!

It is TOO IMPORTANT not to do this!!

DeanSB

Since the take-over of FM radio, I’m hard pressed to find any station that doesn’t play the same music I’ve heard for my whole life. Rarely, and on some stations, never, do I hear good new artists that are of the mainstream, and this is the problem. It’s as if these FM radio stations are taking orders from the same people where they can only play music they’re told to play.

Isn’t this country about diversity? Isn’t America built on a Free Market? How is it free if new and talented artists don’t get broadcast because they don’t fit the mold of what is considered by the ‘few’ as mainstream? Why are these ‘few’ deciding what I like? They have no clue.

Internet Radio brings back the fresh and independent thinking that FM radio has lost entirely. I don’t even listen to it anymore, if I can help it. I listen to Radio Paradise, among a few others, and as a result, have purchased hundreds of dollars of new music that I have discovered through the excellent programming of this internet station, that I would otherwise be oblivious to. Truly a blessing for all real music lovers as well as those artists that FM radio has abandoned.

For congress to allow the death of these channels because of another desguised take-over for the record corporations would be another sad day in America. This is because ultimately it will hurt the entire industry, by limiting it’s footprint for listeners to find the enormous amount of amazing artists out there due to the regulations on FM radio; and it will especially hurt the artists who would otherwise not be heard by their potential fans, because of some people who want to choose for us, what we like and don’t, who have no clue.

Congressman and Senators must not let this happen. The record companies must understand they are shooting themselves in the foot (again). By not seeing how much revenue is generated from the wide array of music that we get to hear through internet radio. And especially the exposure of music that no body else plays. Illegal downloading will increase as a result of this policy.

If they really care about the artists. They would find a way to work with these stations rather than trying to put them out of business.

Please write to your representatives and urge them to find a way to make this happen!

Sincerely,

Real Music lover, USA.

There is a super fantastic radio station — one of the best I’ve ever heard — in the Mount Washington Valley called WMWV that I wish was available on the Internet but, alas, royalty issues keep them from going I.

Let’s stop making it so restrictive for stations to go I, and let’s please do all we can to keep them from leaving the I.

Thanks.

-z-

There are so many musical artists that RP has introduced me to over time, some that I had heard of, but never really given a chance to for more than a quick refrain heard over commercial radio. Some of them have gone on to “hit” in commercial radio, some of them have not. That doesn’t matter to me, because commercial radio is something I just have on when I’ve forgotten to bring my iPod or my CDs in my car.

The following is just a partial list of artists I’ve bought CDs of thanks to RP:

The Dead 60s
OKGo
Neko Case
The New Pornographers
Muse
Gomez
The Magic Numbers
Guster
The Raconteurs
Spoon
I Am Jen
Eels
Ben Harper
Clap Your Hands Say Yeah!
The Soundtrack Of Our Lives
Mike Doughty
Scissor Sisters
The Brazilian Girls
My Morning Jacket
Liz Phair
Rachel Yamagata

and many many more. Many of these artists I’ve gone to see in concert as well — in small, large, and festival venues.

But let me reiterate something I said at the beginning of my post, Radio Paradise allowed me to meet people from all over the world that have become some of my closest friends. Although we all have our share of disagreements (and we’re each unique individuals with our own opinions, of course we’re going to have different viewpoints and have disagreements), the music and camaraderie keeps us coming back, day-after-day, year-after-year.

I’ve lived in 3 different cities since I started listening to Radio Paradise… and I’ve taken it with me everywhere I go.

Without the free internet-radios like “Stillstream” or “Progressive Soundscapes Radio” no-one had heard about my music. And not alone my music also a lot of other indie-artists would never had the possibility to let the listeners hear their music.
I am afraid that the big record companies are afraid for the indie-artists.
This time it is RIAA in the US, next time it could be in the Netherlands where I life.
This kind of madness must be stopped.

I havent really thought this idea through, but why not let each individual artist decide if they want free internet advertising, or not?

Most artists of techno / dance music, are into the music scene for the feel of it, communicating and making others feel good and connect. Not for the money. I understand that it’s easy to copy music or whatever, but this law is retarded. We can record it off FM and AM radio anyway if we really wanted (if they would play more than ONE good song a day).

BTW, the world is in agreement - $20 for ONE good song on a CD is a ripoff and a joke. Stop trying to rip us off and we wont rip you off.

I do not download music, illegal or not, because i can listen to internet radio. I’ve been exposed to so many amazing artists through this source that i normally would never have known. I’m angry, and feel cheated that the big dogs are clamping down on us, many of us who cannot afford to buy all the music we like, so they can buy a 2nd porche.

If internet radio is taken away, like many have already said illegal transferring will increase.. Not only that, but im sure many would agree that just out of spite i would buy less.

First they destroy Napster and utterly scatter the denizens of that SINGLE program to 20 different programs

that they could not possibly in their wildest imagination prosecute or shut down[as in all of them]. Five years

later they have a p2p situation that is unmanageable and where people can get any music or movie they want.

This is directly as a result of RIAA’s decision to get Napster shut down. If they would have attempted an

intelligent resolution so that a MEDIAN[middle ground] could have been reached where the recording industry

was getting a relatively high amount of compensation for a relatively “acceptable” amount of pirating,

“acceptable” meaning less than there is now. A possible implementation could have been making it fairly easy to

find the songs people wanted (like if they wanted to listen to the song before-hand) and yet couple the means to

buy it in the same form. This works well because it obligates the user to pay for the music that he/she is

enjoying. I will not elaborate on specific methods but certainly an intelligent mind could find an acceptable

means whereby the recording industry would not be in the straits it is in now. I cannot stress the importance of

an acceptable median enough.

Legally of course the RIAA is on the right side of the law in regards to p2p. People must understand that it is

not only illegal but hurtful to new releases when the music is pirated without any care or concern for buying it.

You can well imagine this if you put yourself in the shoes of any of the hundreds of current top artists on the

billboard.

However the opposite is true for older artists and more obscure artists because the P2P actually gets their name

out to undiscovered territory but also newer generations. Music of yesteryear is not going to be in the hearts and

minds of youngsters today. Does that mean that music is obsolete and must be lost? I am an avid music listener

and I would disagree that music is obsolete. Some music is timeless and very enjoyable after even 50+ years.

But of greatest concern right now is this action by the RIAA and satellite radio (SPECIFICALLY : XM and

Sirius) to squash internet radios. This can immediately be labeled as UNFAIR and DISCRIMINATORY

because one can look at the royalty structure administered to satellite radio clearly paints the picture. Not only is

the royalty structure administered to satellite companies considerably lower than the rates about to go into effect

but these two providers charge a monthly subscription fee for this service. They would be prepared to pay a

larger fee. Most of these radio stations are merely ad-supported-a considerably lower source of revenue in most

cases.

Next we should focus on WHO WOULD BENEFIT from this royalty structure being hefted ONLY on internet

radio :

The RIAA is going to benefit because it is going to squash artists that are not signed to them. Meaning more

people will have to buy music from the RIAA’s constituency and not some other source to get the similar

sounding music. Some have argued that this was the major reason why the RIAA shut down Napster. Napster

was promoting small artists and the recording industry felt the bullet to their very existence that this stood for.
The last partner to benefit is satellite radio. XM and Sirius were represented in the meetings that created the bill

that basically extinguishes internet radio. These companies talked about how difficult it was for them to make a

profit and how they needed lower franchise fees. Now certainly there are costs to running any business. This is

likely doubly true since they have to launch satellites. However they do have subscription fees. MOREOVER,

the largest hurdle for these satellite radio companies is the acquisition of customers. Of course this is true for all

companies however XM and Sirius are willing to spend the equivalent of a year’s profit from a customer to

acquire a customer. This is ridiculously expensive when compared to ANY other company that tries to get

customers (which is every company). If AT&T tried to spend $500 to $1500 just to get YOU (ONE PERSON)

and ONLY YOU (Still one person) as a customer, people would be stricken with surprise and dismay.

So if satellite radio could find a way to put internet radio out of business they would find themselves with a

horde of angry customers (picture angry wasps) looking for a replacement to their staple. XM and Sirius would

of course welcome the influx of customers. Moreover both XM and Sirius tout themselves as being portable

entertainment [ie take from your home to your car to your office, etc].

In conclusion to this idea : Since the two companies were as directly as they can trying to advance the bill that

will likely destroy internet radio as we know it we can only assume that these companies knowingly acted and

stand ready to reap the rewards of the death of internet radio.

Of course another partner in this ring is Clear Channel. Although since the industry is silent on actual viewer-ship

trends (unless they are outstanding), any conclusions besides the obvious would be mere heresay.

The final section of this composition has to be on what options there are to give consumers the most rights

[since the customer is ALWAYS right, one way or another]. The rights would be options in venue, options in

more artists, and of course more say in the overall process.

1. Choices : Choices would refer to the ability for consumer to choose whether they want internet radiod,

AM/FM radio, satellite radio, or subscription services. Since the RIAA has decided internet radio helps too

many small artists that are not signed to them they have decided to take this choice away from you the

consumer. Since XM and Sirius stand to benefit from this action they have decided to aid in taking this choice

away from you as well.

2. More artists means more music that you like. It cannot be stressed enough HOW LITTLE the actual

musicians in the recording industry get off of the sale of cd’s and royalties. Artists sell their rights to their own

creativity [legally] when they sign onto record labels. If artists are better compensated for music that is artistic

than there will be more artists and more music to people’s suiting [as in more choice and variety & fair

distribution of associated weath with the music industry]. And please remember it is not hard for anybody to

“burn” a cd. So don’t think that the recording industry is anything other than a “big brother” squashing the little

people’s hopes and dreams. And don’t think they can do anything more than try. ALWAYS REMEMBER : The

consumer has the last word. And that all great movements and ideas started with ONE PERSON.

3. Overall Say : If you look into the industry that made music so huge, namely FM wave radio, there is a long

line of history of corruption and stolen dreams. To make a long story short, Edwin Howard Armstrong, the inventor of FM radio, never benefited from this invention and eventually killed himself. RCA and the governmental regulatory agencies directly squashed his fair use of his own technologies. The regulations ceased to be after RCA could use them freely[as we all know many FM channels in every section of this country]. His dreams and his inventions were stolen from him. The malicious intent displayed by this would sicken anybody who considered themselves fair or decent. Furthermore the recording industry tremendously benefits from the popularity that FM radio has given to music for the last half a century. The music industry would not be nearly as popular without FM. Please explain how the regulatory commissions and companies of today are acting any differently to squash people’s hopes and dreams. A long pattern of corruption and unfair practices has taken place in this industry and it is time for us the consumer to demand that it stop immediately. These regulatory agencies should only be for the protection of the consumer and not for the benefit of the highest bidder.

If nobody cares what we think except that we buy their products, if nobody consults us on what is done about

OUR boons, and if they try to remove our choices and options in this market than I say that it is only fair (our

obligation) to enact some permanent measure against these forces.

The forces that are to be greatly concerned with are the RIAA. They have for too long squashed smaller artists.

This threat should be extinguished.

The best way to do this is for small artists to group together and form one tight community that has sections for

all diverse music and its listeners, so that people can come to ONE website and link to a portal that

encompasses all genres with thousands of diverse bands. Forums would cover all that is in between. Music can

be sold and shared over this network. Advertising will come in droves as companies realize the people have

spoken. The P2P infrastructure is already in place to distribute free trials of up and coming music. Let radio

stations fairly make use of this music to augment their time and forget about companies who want to crush the

life out of your station.

Let a community of sharing forever shatter the notion of pirating. People should have the right to listen to music. Moreover make the whole process more about the experience to the users [consumers]. That means touring [the best way bands make their money ANYWAYS] and merchandise selling. A company like Microsoft has shown that when you give content away free it ALWAYS comes back to BLESS YOU KINDLY.

Thank you and enjoy

Originally posted by B. DeRider on June 30th, 2007