Internet Radio - Day of Silence (Urgent)

**DareDevil** · 06-26-2007, 03:10 PM

When I tried to listen to Pandora Radio, the site had been shut off and only a message remains. Pandora Radio - Listen to Free Internet Radio, Find New Music

Here is the article:

A Day of Silence

Hi, it's Tim from Pandora,

I'm sorry to say that today Pandora, along with most Internet radio sites, is going off the air in observance of a Day Of Silence. We are doing this to bring to your attention a disastrous turn of events that threatens the existence of Pandora and all of Internet radio. We need your help.

Ignoring all rationality and responding only to the lobbying of the RIAA, an arbitration committee in Washington DC has drastically increased the licensing fees Internet radio sites must pay to stream songs. Pandora's fees will triple, and are retroactive for eighteen months! Left unchanged by Congress, every day will be like today as Internet radio sites start shutting down and the music dies.

A bill called the "Internet Radio Equality Act" has already been introduced in both the Senate (S. 1353) and House of Representatives (H.R. 2060) to fix the problem and save Internet radio--and Pandora--from obliteration.

I'd like to ask you to call your Congressional representatives today and ask them to become co-sponsors of the bill.

This will affect all online streaming music, so if you like to listen to music online I ask that you show your support.

**joepublic** · 06-26-2007, 03:12 PM

Originally Posted by DareDevil

When I tried to listen to Pandora Radio, the site had been shut off and only a message remains. Pandora Radio - Listen to Free Internet Radio, Find New Music

Here is the article:

A Day of Silence

Hi, it's Tim from Pandora,

I'm sorry to say that today Pandora, along with most Internet radio sites, is going off the air in observance of a Day Of Silence. We are doing this to bring to your attention a disastrous turn of events that threatens the existence of Pandora and all of Internet radio. We need your help.

Ignoring all rationality and responding only to the lobbying of the RIAA, an arbitration committee in Washington DC has drastically increased the licensing fees Internet radio sites must pay to stream songs. Pandora's fees will triple, and are retroactive for eighteen months! Left unchanged by Congress, every day will be like today as Internet radio sites start shutting down and the music dies.

A bill called the "Internet Radio Equality Act" has already been introduced in both the Senate (S. 1353) and House of Representatives (H.R. 2060) to fix the problem and save Internet radio--and Pandora--from obliteration.

I'd like to ask you to call your Congressional representatives today and ask them to become co-sponsors of the bill.

This will affect all online streaming music, so if you like to listen to music online I ask that you show your support.

Pandora's dead. Follow the money. The money always wins. The RIAA has the money and will purchase the rules they need. I will miss Pandora, but that's our system.

**ISUFan22** · 06-26-2007, 03:12 PM

Yup, when trying to stream via Yahoo Messenger (has Launchcast built into it)...I saw the same message. Streaming XM instead - assuming it works because it's a subscription service.

**brianhos** · 06-26-2007, 03:14 PM

Best way to fight this is to never ever ever buy a CD again! I have not bought one in 5 years, and I will not buy another for the rest of my life, or at least until the RIAA is out of power.

**DareDevil** · 06-26-2007, 03:16 PM

I also checked out Live 365 Radio and it is also down. What I don't understand, what is the difference between listening online and listening to the radio.

**zdorr40** · 06-26-2007, 03:16 PM

Originally Posted by brianhos

Best way to fight this is to never ever ever buy a CD again! I have not bought one in 5 years, and I will not buy another for the rest of my life, or at least until the RIAA is out of power.

That's a good job outta you, it really is. I have bought maybe 1 CD in 5-7 years. I won't do it, either. You're welcome, Lars Ulrich.

**brianhos** · 06-26-2007, 03:23 PM

Originally Posted by DareDevil

I also checked out Live 365 Radio and it is also down. What I don't understand, what is the difference between listening online and listening to the radio.

Radio stations are owned by 1 company that pays massive fees to the RIAA, plus the RIAA can control what they want you to listen to. If they want the new Britney Spears record to be a hit, they will just cram it down your throat until you end up buying it.

Internet radio takes that power away from the RIAA and clear channel.

For more info:

Payola - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

**CyinCo** · 06-26-2007, 03:29 PM

Originally Posted by brianhos

Radio stations are owned by 1 company that pays massive fees to the RIAA, plus the RIAA can control what they want you to listen to. If they want the new Britney Spears record to be a hit, they will just cram it down your throat until you end up buying it.

Internet radio takes that power away from the RIAA and clear channel.

For more info:

Payola - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Plus, couldn't you capture streaming audio digitally and have a "good" copy of a song? You can't do that with your radio; or not to the quality you could from a stream.

I also haven't bought a CD in many years. I have, however, switched to checking out CDs from my local library and ripping them rather than digital downloads. My property taxes support the library and I feel like I'm somewhat justified in ripping the music.

**DareDevil** · 06-26-2007, 03:33 PM

Originally Posted by CyinCo

Plus, couldn't you capture streaming audio digitally and have a "good" copy of a song? You can't do that with your radio; or not to the quality you could from a stream.

That may be true, but then what is the difference if you buy a tuner for your computer, pick up the signal and record from the radio station. If you have a good tuner like I do, the quality is great!

**CyinCo** · 06-26-2007, 03:45 PM

Originally Posted by DareDevil

That may be true, but then what is the difference if you buy a tuner for your computer, pick up the signal and record from the radio station. If you have a good tuner like I do, the quality is great!

I would say that the difference is nothing. But RIAA can't crackdown on tuners like they can centralized websites that have millions of subscribers. I believe they just target their next biggest threat and try to remove it.

**BryceC** · 06-26-2007, 03:57 PM

Originally Posted by CyinCo

Plus, couldn't you capture streaming audio digitally and have a "good" copy of a song? You can't do that with your radio; or not to the quality you could from a stream.

I also haven't bought a CD in many years. I have, however, switched to checking out CDs from my local library and ripping them rather than digital downloads. My property taxes support the library and I feel like I'm somewhat justified in ripping the music.

If you want to still purchase music and not pay the RIAA, it's easy to just buy only used CD's and whatnot as well.

**AirWalke** · 06-26-2007, 04:00 PM

There's not much we can do in Iowa with only three representatives in the house, but it's still important to pass this message along. They've got 119 sponsors within congress who are going to sign the bill to save internet radio, but still need a boatload more in order for it to pass.

I, like several million others, like internet radio because it's the only place to listen to music that doesn't play the week's top 10 songs ad nauseum. Without internet radio, lesser-known and independent artists are likely to take a huge hit, and new bands will have a harder time building fan bases without selling out to a huge-*** label.

**clones26** · 06-26-2007, 04:53 PM

my streaming XM is fine, but I guess that's different? Or maybe XM can afford its a subscription,either way I just use my friends account free of charge so whatever.

**brianhos** · 06-26-2007, 05:03 PM

Originally Posted by clones26

my streaming XM is fine, but I guess that's different? Or maybe XM can afford its a subscription,either way I just use my friends account free of charge so whatever.

XM has a deal with the RIAA to pay their extortion.

**ornryactor** · 06-26-2007, 05:05 PM

I just called the offices of both senators, Latham and Loebsack, asking them all to support the bill. The woman in Loebsack's office sounded like she'd been hearing about the resolution all day, and the people in the senators' offices told me outright that they'd been getting lots of calls about it all day long. I hope this thing goes through- I don't like not having internet radio...

As a side note, it was kind of fun calling the congressmen's offices; I've never done that before. At least the public can still attempt to make a difference in legislation.