As previously reported, the Copyright Royalty Board (CRB) announced that it will more than double the fees that online music stations must pay to license the music on their sites, causing many to wonder if they'll survive the increase. To help preserve their future and bring attention to the issue, various webcasters, artists and labels have joined together to form SaveNetRadio Coalition. Within its first three days of existence, the campaign has sent more than 250,000 messages to congressional representatives to inform them that the CRB's decision undermines Congress' goal to keep a competitive and diverse Internet radio industry. "Very few [Internet radio stations], if any, will survive," says Jake Ward, a spokesperson for the SaveNetRadio coalition. "And those that do survive will be challenged to provide the service we enjoy today, because Internet radio's greatness is driven by its diversity, which is a result of technology, no limitation of 'space' for the stations, and creative competition and energy." The SaveNetRadio Coalition includes Kurt Hanson from AccuRadio, Johnie Floater from Live365, Joe Kennedy from Pandora, as well as Courtney Delaney from webcaster and online retailer Outbound Music. With seed funding from the Digital Media Association, the coalition is urging those who believe in their cause to visit their website to sign a petition or for more information on how to contact their Congressional representative. According to Ward, SaveNetRadio will succeed once the royalty rate restored to a reasonable rate and a balanced system is implemented through Congress. "It is not an overstatement to say that the death of Internet radio will decimate the amount of play time and exposure independent artists have today," Ward says. "Net radio plays nearly four times as many indie artists as terrestrial radio and gives these artists unprecedented access to fans around the world, who otherwise would never have heard their music." www.savenetradio.org
