I'm pretty laid back. In fact rarely does something irk me so that I have to speak up against it. But lately something kinda has. The new music royalties legislation that pretty much threatens to end internet radio.

I know most of you are probably like, "No it won't end it." And truthfully it won't, but it'll change it drastically from what we have now. It'll be main stream big company radio that survives. I like music, and I'm for copyright protection very much. I think Artist deserve all the dues that they can as it's their art that being put out their, they own it, of course they should get paid. But the major industry namely the RIAA and other companies are going to wipe out private independent radio streams that bring so much more to listeners than any big company would. Sure it's not as flashy and nice as big business radio, but it's the things you find. It's the artist's you hear that you would have never heard of anywhere else. It's the feeling that you're hearing something awesome that isn't played anywhere else and it makes you want to go and buy a CD or download an album worth your money for once.

So last month when I received an email from Pandora Internet radio about this problem I immediately signed up to protest the new legislation that has been enacted that'll wipe out private internet radio. The royalty fee's are outrageous. Few private internet radio channels can afford it. They had a petition to send to your congressmen about the issue. I sent the petition to two of our congressmen. Here's one response:

Dear Artful Dodger:

Thank you for contacting me regarding copyright protection. I welcome your thoughts and comments on this issue.

Copyright protection has been central to America's prosperity and job creation. Movies, books, computer software, television, photography and music are among our unique American products and some of our most successful exports. United States industries depending on copyright protection employ nearly 4 million workers and produce over $65 billion of our exports ( more than agriculture and automobile manufacturing.

Protecting content in a high-technology age is a new and daunting problem, and copyright protection is an important challenge as the broadband revolution offers even more far-reaching possibilities and opportunities. With new speed and interactivity, the entire store of movies, music, books, television and raw knowledge can be made widely available. I believe copyright protection is a foundation of innovation, and copyright law should work to ultimately protect the best interests of consumers. Intellectual property is the creative core of the information age, and I agree this is a pivotal issue for Congress to address.

I appreciate hearing from you and hope you will not hesitate to keep in touch on any issue of concern to you.

Sincerely,

Kay Bailey Hutchison

2nd response:

Thank you for contacting my office to share your concerns and opinions.

I will be responding either by email or the United States Postal Service.

Sincerely,

Congressman Charles A. Gonzalez

I think Ms. Hutchinson reply was the best albeit it’s a cookie cutter reply that obviously someone on her staff replied with. It seems odd to me that these auto responses don't address the issues that you write in about in the first place. I agree with Ms. Hutchinson auto reply about protecting artists and their property, what I don't agree with is the outrageous amount that the industry itself demands. And from these
responses, it seems to me like the minds of the Congressmen are already made up instead of listening to the people.

It seems to me that the industry see's internet radio as a threat. Because they play whatever instead of the top 40 which is mostly crap. If their so worried aboutlosing money then they should find better talent that then poppy smacky pap they shove down people's throats every day on the radio. Do I really need to hear Brintey or Christina or some wanna be punk EMO band that sounds like everyone else?

Of course not, which is why I switched to satellite and internet radio a few years ago. I'm rambling now, blah!!! Do I make sense? Freedom of choice is what people demand. When these freedoms are taken away by corporations it cheats the consumers of options they might otherwise have had. If internet radio goes away people will find something else to fill in the void. But why should that have to happen in the first
place?

I feel odd cause I'm all "Fight the Power" right now. LOL But I just see so many things taken away from people, freedoms that can be good for all, taken away simply cause some companies want to pocket money for themselves and have the money to make laws happen so that they can continue to do so. Don't let it happen. Give me liberty or give me death!! Isn't that what this country was founded on? It doesn't seem that way anymore.


Currently Listening to: Rage Against the Machine: Guerrilla Radio