Save Public Radio Webcasting

Why Is Internet Radio Endangered?
Background
The Solution

Why Is Internet Radio Endangered?
Public radio music webcasting is in immediate danger. The recent ruling by the Copyright Royalty Board (CRB) exposes public radio stations that stream their musical content to huge increases in royalty payments and threatens to drastically curtail the programming diversity found on public broadcasting websites. This decision treats public broadcasters the same as commercial entities and saddles public radio stations with inappropriate and unachievable requirements.

Additionally, because the CRB's decision requires public radio stations to pay royalties on a per song/per listener basis, it directly contradicts public radio's public service obligations and mission. In a very direct way, the CRB decision penalizes public radio stations for their service to the public. The more of the American population we reach, the larger the royalty payments.

Artists, listeners, and public radio webcasters have joined together to help preserve our public service. We strongly believe in compensating artists, but public radio music webcasting as we know it cannot survive under the new rules. As it stands now, royalty rates for webcasters will increase drastically come July 15th and will be retroactive to Jan 1, 2006!

Background
On March 2, 2007 the Copyright Royalty Board (CRB), which oversees sound recording royalties paid by Internet radio services, announced a fee structure that imposes commercial financial and reporting requirements on the public service, not-for-profit operations of public radio webcasters. This model is not only inappropriate, but cannot be sustained by public radio webcasters who operate for the public good, not their own commercial success. Charging public radio stations commercial rates ignores or misunderstands the financial capacities of these stations. In the over 25 years that public radio has paid on-air or online music royalties, this is the first time that a decision has failed to differentiate public radio from commercial media.

The fee structure proposed by the Board will materially reduce the availability of alternative music programming provided by public radio. The rate structure announced by the Board is a disincentive to public radio's public service mission of bringing new, culturally enriching programming to the American public.

Public radio webcasters all across the country will be forced to make dramatic reductions in the artists and musicians who are featured.

Action must be taken to stop this faulty ruling from destroying the future of Internet radio that so many millions of listeners depend on each day. Contact Congress today!

The Solution
Internet radio needs your help! Recently, the Internet Radio Equality Act was introduced in the House (H.R. 2060) by Representatives Jay Inslee (D-WA) and Donald Manzullo (R-IL) and in the Senate (S.1353) by Senators Ron Wyden (D-OR) and Sam Brownback (R-KS) to save the Internet radio industry. Please contact your Members of Congress to ask them to co-sponsor the Internet Radio Equality Act!