Tuesday, June 26, 2007

SaveNetRadio Silence

Internet radio broadcasters have called for a Day of Silence today to make a point and raise awareness against the royalty rate increase that could put most of them out of business. The planned silence is to show what the stations will really sound like if the rate increase goes through.

ShoutCast, today, is pretty much shut.

I listen to Internet Radio a lot in SL, I have my favourite stations and my friends stations playing in all my parcels (both personal and professional) and American Congress is going to ruin this for this for the home and international audience. Do they credit the awareness these sites have brought about in the international listener? I listen to radio, it makes my buy things, that's the pay-off, I'm fine with that, I give them dollars.

Anyway, this was done once before (this Day of Silence) back in May '02 when stations were facing a royalty rate increase, and the that Day of Silence was pretty successful. This year’s Day of Silence will be supported by the big Internet broadcasters too (the last one was geared toward the smaller stations). This is cool of the big guys as they won’t be anywhere nearly as badly affected by the changes as a smaller Internet broadcaster will.

I'd miss my "1920's Radio Network" in the ETC, my "Radio Riel" at Mayfair, my "Whaling Songs & Sea Shanties" at The Salty Mermaid in Kittiwickshire, the raging hardcore Amsterdam techno on the skyplat at New Beach and the "Sky Classics" in the office etc. but I'm UK/GMT and I can't barrage Congress and ask them to support the Internet Radio Equality Act. I hope someone reading this can on my behalf, or SL is gonna be a pretty quiet place.