Michigan Bands Music and Entertainers - Royalty Hikes To Go Into Affect Monday: Your Immediate Action Required!

ATTENTION: Your immediate political action is required. On Wednesday, a federal court DENIED a plea for the delay of the massive hike in the royalty rates webcasters must pay record labels which will effectively put independent webcasters out of business. YOU need to contact your local congressional representatives TODAY and let them know that you're against this unfair rate that discriminates against the small webcasters who play YOUR music. Click "read more" below to read a letter from Pandora founder Tim Westergren. Links to past articles on MB about this very important subject are also included.

Hi, it's Tim one more time...

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 House and 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.

Congressperson Thaddeus G. McCotter: (202)225-8171 (more contact info)
Senator Debbie Stabenow: (202) 224-4822 (more Contact Info)
Senator Carl Levin: (202) 224-6221 (more contact info)

Find / Contact Your Congressman

I'm sorry that we have to keep asking you for this - but it's our only recourse. We are no match for the legal and legislative strength of the RIAA and we need your help.

Thank you again.

Gratefully,

-Tim Westergren (Pandora founder)

Other Stories About The Threat To Indie Radio on Michiganbands.com:

Net Radio Marked for Extinction

Will Royalty Hikes Signal The End Of Indie Webcasting?

SUCCESS!!!
Read "Web Radio Gets Stay of Execution" at ConsumerAffairs.com.

Read "Internet Radio Equality Act Would Overturn Hike..." at ArsTechnica.com