"I'm Still Streaming 'Cause I'm Not Dead Yet"

Sung (badly) to the tune from Spamalot, an explanation of why Internet radio is not dead (yet) - but the evil corporate cartel is still working on that, so we need your help.

Today was supposed to be the day that Internet radio was no more. That was the earnest hope of the RIAA and their taxing organization, SoundExchange. I won't rehash the history of this effort again, please view my earlier diary entries for details.

Friday's news of an agreement by SoundExchange to not enforce the new exorbitant rates was true, but what many haven't heard is that since then SoundExchange has been backing off their agreement (as I predicted they would). They are still threatening to shut down Internet radio because that is what they want to do. I and other Internet radio Webcasters are still operating because we know Congress is paying attention to us and to SoundExchange.

The new threat today from SoundExchange is that there can be no agreement unless Internet radio does two things first. One: "work on a technologically-feasible solution" to stop people from recording internet radio;" and two: "become much more compliant in their reporting (of song information)."

Let's get number one straight: there already is anti-stream ripping (copying) software. I use it and every responsible Webcaster already uses it. It isn't perfect and we would all love better technology to stop stream ripping, but we are already doing it. The RIAA knows that.

The fear of copying music has been the RIAA's cover story for nine years now. It has never been what they are really after, but it is the lie they can sell. The truth is they want control over musicians to prevent them from selling their music directly to consumers, though that is not a story they can sell publicly. That's why they have done little or nothing to promote anti-copying technology, while they have done everything possible to handcuff independent musicians plying their music online or on Internet radio. It is all about control of the pipeline to market.

About number two: - RIAA has to provide that reporting information to us and the technology to add and report that information. It's their information!  Yet, they haven't and they won't. That info is not encoded on the CD even though it easily could be. That information is not logged by the many CD ripping apps though it easily could be. The RIAA isn't pushing that, though they easily could.

Oh, and guess who doesn't have the information RIAA/SoundExchange is now demanding (ISRC, Catalog# and UPC codes)? Why, independent "un-signed" musicians of course! So once again this isn't about protecting copyrights but about protecting the turf of the big record labels.

No, I think this copying and reporting nonsense is just a scare tactic to get us to give up. We aren't fooled and I really hop the general public won't be either.

The ONLY solution to this issue is Congress stepping in and legislating a fair agreement. Please get the information in my earlier diary entries and contact your Congresspeople to get them to support the Internet Radio Equality Act: H.R. 2060 and S. 1353. This Act would still require Internet radio to pay the SoundExchange tax but would cap the tax at a reasonable rate - the same rate charged to satellite radio.

We are not yet dead, but we are still under threat of death.

Thank you,
Douglas Giles
WorldFusionRadio.com