Internet Music is about to end

[HMXChrisCanfield]

This is something that's been in the works for a while, but we just got
the following email from the good folks at pandora.com. if you have a
moment, please help.


Disaster looms! Yesterday a federal court denied a plea to delay the
massive increase in rates webcasters must pay the record labels. This
means that, absent immediate Congressional action, the new ruinous
royalty rates will be going into effect on Monday threatening the future
of all internet radio.
This is a very dire situation and I'm writing to ask one more time for
your support. The effort you've made over the past four months has been
extraordinary and has forced the rapid introduction of the bill, but the
committee process has been sluggish and we need to once again remind the
representatives of the urgency of this issue. This is perhaps the most
important phone call you can make for us.

Please call your Congressional representatives in the Senate and ask
them to force immediate action on the Internet Radio Equality Act and
bring the bill to a vote. It is critical that their phones begin ringing
off the hook starting early in the morning. If it's busy, please try
again later.

(MA) Congressperson Michael E. Capuano: (202)225-5111
(MA) Senator John F. Kerry: (202) 224-2742
(MA) Senator Edward M. Kennedy: (202) 224-4543

Or find the senator for your state from this list. (http://www.senate.gov/general/contact_information/senators_cfm.cfm)

[Eman311]

damn that sucks.......... stupid john kerry i feel ashamed to say he's from my own state

[Eisenheim]

I've heard about this and the day of silence. It is very grave news.

[Xzyliac]

I got this email a few days too.

[newwaytodie]

Welcome to the new dark ages. Where music and art are not as important as bloodshed and war proffiteering.

[_Five_]

This really sucks.
Btw, you can't even access pandora.com anymore if you are not within the US.

[DShizzle1029]

Wait, I dont get it, what exactly is happening? Online radio is being shut down???

[lithiumkc]

Wait, I dont get it, what exactly is happening? Online radio is being shut down???

You know how artists and labels get royalties when their songs are played? Royalties usually paid in part by advertisements? Net radio rarely has advertising and they're enforcing these royalties now. Hence the downfall of internet radio.

Remember the good old days, less than 5 years ago.. when we could download, watch, listen to whatever we wanted to... Well the gov't is catching on, and i even heard rumours about taxing emails. EMAILS.

[Phiromos]

taxing email....well....thats...rediculous..if they start doing that...the whole country will be pissed....the government CAN'T control everything..that pisses me off..that they think they can...soon enough it'll be ****ing communism

[lithiumkc]

taxing email....well....thats...rediculous..if they start doing that...the whole country will be pissed....the government CAN'T control everything..that pisses me off..that they think they can...soon enough it'll be ****ing communism

Well communism really doesn't have much to do with these situations, but it'll be bull**** for sure.

[DShizzle1029]

You know how artists and labels get royalties when their songs are played? Royalties usually paid in part by advertisements? Net radio rarely has advertising and they're enforcing these royalties now. Hence the downfall of internet radio.

Remember the good old days, less than 5 years ago.. when we could download, watch, listen to whatever we wanted to... Well the gov't is catching on, and i even heard rumours about taxing emails. EMAILS.

Fuggin government...thats just sick and so megalomaniacal of our government. Whatever happened to listening to the people!? The government should fear us, we shouldnt fear the government (thank you V for Vendetta). Stuff like that makes me wanna become an islander over on some super isolated island out in the pacific or something...

[lithiumkc]

Part of the reason why im so happy to live in Canada.. no worries about the RIAA for me. We can download whatever the hell we want with absolutely no fear of lawsuit... yet.

[Phiromos]

i know....we fear our government so much...they have such a short leash on us as people...its not right...and it should be stopped...the government will never listen to the people again....basically they're gonna start going against the constitution...but we can't do crap about it

[DShizzle1029]

Ya see, my work as a photographer lead me into becoming a revisionist when I started training my creative eye to start seeing things much differently. And seeing the government now makes me wanna vomit. Everything is so liberal/conservative-he said/she said. Instead of fighting over the parties, we all should come together and unite as a country...kinda like we are the UNITED States...I mean we arent the LIBERAL and REPUBLICAN States of America...I just think too many people in this country are too stubborn to do so. They wanna strictly follow one party, and if theres a point they agree with on the other party, they are too afraid to show it because they want everyone else in their party to think good of them, and the government should listen to us, because if we wanted to, everyone in this country could revolt against the people in office and remove them by force.

I hopefully can take the perfect photo to make people stop and think and change, but I am still working upto that...

[Phiromos]

that would be great...the government has gotten out of hand...very quickly two...the two parties are sopposed to work together...yes they have their seperate ideas...but i mean...they cant be at eachothers throats all the time..its not right...we need to work for a common good..not devide the country in half

[DShizzle1029]

that would be great...the government has gotten out of hand...very quickly two...the two parties are sopposed to work together...yes they have their seperate ideas...but i mean...they cant be at eachothers throats all the time..its not right...we need to work for a common good..not devide the country in half

This is why I love Nine Inch Nail's new album Year Zero, because the whole album is all about what we are talking about right now. Like, the country in the near future will be overrun with civil and religious factions, and the government really wont exist anymore.

Plus, whats the government to do if everyone packs up and moves out to a different country???

[Phiromos]

you know i'm going to have to pick up that album just for that reason...if we all just got up and left..who would be their bait..their prey...their money grabbing scheme?? noone...they would fall apart....half the time i don't even think they're human anymore

[DShizzle1029]

you know i'm going to have to pick up that album just for that reason...if we all just got up and left..who would be their bait..their prey...their money grabbing scheme?? noone...they would fall apart....half the time i don't even think they're human anymore

When you go to work for the government, you become a number, a barcode...They hardly welcome individual thinking. You are so disposable when you work for the government, which is why I will never take any governmental position. If I cannot be called "Doug" instead of "#100-58" then what is the point of being a human.

Yeah Year Zero is a superb album. "Survivalism" is my theme for life.

[Phiromos]

nice...i find it funny how they become drones when they enter the government..i would hate to be their families...its like...what did you do to bob???? *in a drony voice* what mother...i am currently working here...make it quick

[thorn_9]

Our government is a little more complicated than is being portrayed here. You have to remember, this PoS president of ours was voted in office the second time. The masses of america are complete religiously-controlled sheep, who vote one way because their parents voted that way, because their preacher tell them to, because they are following what they are told is right.

Most americans don't care what is right and wrong, and don't even know who their Senators and Congressmen and women are. With a population like this, what kind of country do you expect to have? We would rather have our digital selves and mind numbing tv than be involved in our local society. We treat our civic duties like paying taxes and jury duty like burdens, even though they are small prices to pay for the priveledges we receve.

We are a country of ingrateful, ignorrant hicks, and until that changes, morons like bush and cheney will continue to be in control.

So we ***** about it, but how many of us are going to go beyond *****ing? Point made.


It's a sad day in America.

[DShizzle1029]

Yes yes, drones they are, lies they tell, a new system we need. Revision, revision, revision...The guilty need to suffer and the innocent need to be set free. Goverment censoring is a mistake and they will eventually pay the price for it.

Oh btw, heres the link to my gallery if you wanna see my stuff.

http://digitalmicrophen.deviantart.com/gallery

I have some political/social issues depicted in there.

[lithiumkc]

Our government is a little more complicated than is being portrayed here. You have to remember, this PoS president of ours was voted in office the second time. The masses of america are complete religiously-controlled sheep, who vote one way because their parents voted that way, because their preacher tell them to, because they are following what they are told is right.

Most americans don't care what is right and wrong, and don't even know who their Senators and Congressmen and women are. With a population like this, what kind of country do you expect to have? We would rather have our digital selves and mind numbing tv than be involved in our local society. We treat our civic duties like paying taxes and jury duty like burdens, even though they are small prices to pay for the priveledges we receve.

We are a country of ingrateful, ignorrant hicks, and until that changes, morons like bush and cheney will continue to be in control.

So we ***** about it, but how many of us are going to go beyond *****ing? Point made.


It's a sad day in America.


Actually a LOT of people go past *****ing. And where do they end up when they do so? Shut the hell up and quieted down when they protest. Or made laughingstocks in one way or another. Or they get zero coverage in the media anyways. The average person doesn't even know about the SPP or NACC, which is essentially Wal-Mart, General Motors and Home Depot (amongst 30 other CEO's of profitable countries) shaping and changing not only the USA's trade standards, but Canada's and Mexico's too.

Not to mention the NAFTA Superhighway they're building from Texas up, talks of bulk water exports beginning from Canada, and harmonization of our plant species and control systems.

Look up the Security and Prosperity Plan for North America. Be afraid. USA + Canada + Mexico = One giant country if they have it their way.

[Phiromos]

sweet...you got some nice stuff in there...its very interesting...and well done...like a porfessional...its amazing

[DShizzle1029]

I myself am trying hard to educate myself on who to vote for. There are a lot of democrats I despise and a lot of Republicans I despise, so right now its "who is the lesser of two evils". I am NOT a fan of high taxes and socialism (I should be able to keep 90% of what I make, not 60-70%), and I do not like war and evironmental destruction. So at this point, its pretty hard for me to decide.

All I can really do right now as my major part is keep taking pictures of stuff and exposing things people need to take a look at in order for some changes to be made.

It just seems like, when the U.S. goes and deals with foreign issues, stuff sours back home, then when they try and deal with domestic issues, they wanna deal with it so quick and half-asses that we end up getting censors on everything and stuff like internet radio disappearing, which is a huge deal to some people. Taxes on emails...WTF??? Thats the most absurd fuggin crap I have ever heard of...I mean its been around since the early 90's tax-free...Its just another way to suck the money out of our pockets...

[DShizzle1029]

sweet...you got some nice stuff in there...its very interesting...and well done...like a porfessional...its amazing


Thank you. Its what I live for.

[Phiromos]

yeah...im not sure on who to vote for either...but if i go one way i can always split my ticket...but still...i shouldn't have to decide this...i don't work to give 1/3 or 1/2 of it away...I WORKED for it...i mean...its not like im working off a debt to someone...my debt to the country will be paid in the military...but still...i work for my money..thety can take a small chnch..but not near half..thats absurd

[thorn_9]

The sad part is that unless we do pay more taxes, we will never be able to reduce national debt and gain control over our own country's currency. Right now every other country is buying our debt so we can stay afloat...and we keep getting tax breaks for the wealthy and corporations.

Makes no sence...we are selling our country ourselves.

It is not true that we cannot do anything but *****...starting at the local level, we write our representatives, vote in people we care for, but too many people don't participate in voting, then complain when we have corrupt representatives. If we dont participate, there is no point.

vote, write your representatives, and spread the word. It's not so hard.

The first thing as a world community we need to do is start limiting corporate power and control.

as for taxing email...thats crazy. It will never happen. Its a world wide tool, not a federal one that is within taxing regulation.

As for internet music, well the artists need to be paid somehow...if radio gets taxed internet should too. Thats a generic idea, I haven't looked into it indepth yet.

[DShizzle1029]

Local radio doesnt have to pay anything for music, because its the advertising and promoting they get via radio, so I dont see why internet radio is any different. I can see where you buy music via iTunes or something that gives the artist money for his/her work, but this whole deal with internet radio doesnt really make much sense to me because I level it with local radio.

XM Radio is different because you are paying for satellite broadcasted radio which is uncensored (if you have it just listen to XM Squizz and you will know what I mean). However, you still arent paying for the artist's music, you are paying for the technology to run the signal via satellite....I dunno, maybe I am talking out of my butt.

thorn_9 is completely right though, we can easily spread the word, then we did our part and its up to the representatives and government to listen.

[Phrank-E]

Local radio doesnt have to pay anything for music, because its the advertising and promoting they get via radio, so I dont see why internet radio is any different. I can see where you buy music via iTunes or something that gives the artist money for his/her work, but this whole deal with internet radio doesnt really make much sense to me because I level it with local radio.



But the radio stations only play what they are given to play. Ever notice how they only play the same 10 songs every hour. They don't play whatever the hell they want. A DJ would be immediately fired for that.. The terrestrial networks are little more than a promotional vehicle for whatever bands a lable is trying to push down our throats.

Internet radio just plays whatever they want without restrictions, Other than thier own.

But honestly, I could care less if they all go away. I buy CD's that I like and put them on my iPod. I can't remember the last time I listened to music online.

[JakeFatal]

yes i heard of this as well becaus i have my own station but the place im subscribe to covers all the royalties