Three Quick Links

First up is a follow-up post from the Last.fm Blog about the free streaming of full-length tracks on their website.

Second up is enlightening news from the MIDEM conference in Cannes, France that maybe; just maybe record labels should try a different approach than scaring, spying, suing, and overcharging their customers.

And link number three is a feel-good story from ESPN.com on a celebrity soccer game played over the weekend. If you scroll about halfway down (just under the pic of Nomar Garciaparra) who's name appears? Why, Rivers Cuomo, that's who! Not only did the football-loving pop songster play, he even scored a goal for his team! I wonder if he sported those old school rec specs for the match . . .

Stolen Thunder

I've been quiet for a few reasons. The first of which is that I wanted to leave the Internet Radio brouhaha at the top of my blog so anyone who came here would see it and (hopefully) respond. The second is that I was doing some research to put up a big, long post detailing exactly who and what SoundExchange is. A bit of investigative journalism, if you will.

In the course of that research, I found this post on Daily Kos, which pretty much took all the wind out of my sails. In just a few paragraphs Douglas Giles—a.k.a. DJ ProFusion—turns the heat lamps on SoundExchange and illuminates the entire situation Internet radio currently finds itself in.

So instead of listening to me ramble on for eight or nine paragraphs, you can just click over and read the article Save Internet Radio From Corporate Money Grab for yourself.

Internet Radio Royalty Rate Due Date Pushed Back

FMQB posts that the Copyright Royalty Board has delayed the deadline for royalty payments from web-based radio broadcasters. The date has been moved from May 15 to July 15, giving Internet radio stations and other interested parties (like, maybe the 57 million weekly listeners) an extra 45 days to get their act together and appeal this despicable thing. NPR already has their appeal in the works, and will reportedly be filed soon.

Just as crucial is the need to contact your Congressional Representative to show your support for the Internet Radio Equality Act. You can easily find out who your representative is by going to the Act Now page on the SaveNetRadio.org website and clicking on "Call your members of Congress" link. Enter your zip code, then just dial the phone number and follow the instructions provided on the page. Just think of it as one more way of sticking it to the man. In this case, the man happens to be an 18-member board of trustees formed by the RIAA and instructed to crush Internet radio: SoundExchange.

And if you're feeling especially generous with your time, drop an email to Representatives Jay Inslee and Donald Manzullo to say, "Thanks," for their effort in introducing this important piece of bipartisan legislation.

Use your phone to save music

As I noted in the previous post, the future of Internet radio is in immediate danger. A crippling royalty rate increase for webcasters—which is also retroactive to January 1, 2006—is due to go into effect on May 15. A large chunk of internet radio stations will be forced to shut down on that date, but there is still time to act.

Representatives Jay Inslee (D-WA) and Donald Manzullo (R-IL) have introduced H.R. 2060, The Internet Radio Equality Act, which if passed will save the Internet radio industry. Please call your congressperson to ask them to co-sponsor H.R. 2060.

I called this morning after I was informed how to take action in an email from SaveNetRadio.org. It was very easy. The aide who answered the phone was very non-threatening and it took less than a minute to say my piece. Don't be afraid to call, and don't think it will take a long time. It's painless and the possible payoff is huge.

Call Your Representative!

Find out who your representative is by going to the Act Now page on the SaveNetRadio.org website and clicking on "Call your members of Congress" link. Find who your representative(s) is by entering your zip code, then just dial the phone number and follow the instructions provided on the page.

And if you're feeling especially generous with your time, drop an email to Representatives Jay Inslee and Donald Manzullo to say, "Thanks," for their effort.