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June 26, 2007

Comments

Clayton

A sad time for Internet radio. Personally, I would like to see your boycott extended, so that the RIAA never sees dime one. If enough radio stations just refused to play ball, they'd have no choice but to strike a bargain.

I mean: it's completely unrealistic to expect even one radio station to do that, but if the world suddenly stopped buying dog food, it'd get really cheap, really fast.

K

Absolutely, you can play good music outside of the domain of SoundExchange. In fact, you _should_ be doing that. Why not support the bill, in fact, why not ask them to double or triple the rate? Make it impossible for any entity smaller than ClearChannel ( or whatever it calls itself these days ) to play that music. Then, _you_ will have a virtual monopoly on the internets ear. For will anyone really want to hear the rap stylings of newly released ex-con Paris Hilton on their clearchannel stream? I know I know, we'd probably all enjoy a track or two, but we have Banksy for that huh?

This bill could be the best thing for internet radio since fibre optic cable. Think about it.

Vic Perry

I love WFMU's response to this boycott! It's like judo for the RIAA - we'll just have to get along without you, until you grow some sense.

dave p

It's a good start, but why stop at one day? Go non-RIAA, at least until Jul 15. The world's full of great music untainted with the RIAA's corruption - heck, I'll pledge 100 hours of the stuff if it's wanted.

The RIAA is a selfish, anti-music obstacle to freedom of communication. We don't need it. We need to destroy it and to tell decent labels and performers to have nothing to do with it.

And let's have a Hall of Shame listing all the labels involved with this outfit. If we're going to boycott, let's do it properly, and not just for today!

bartelby

If you cap the number of listeners on the streams let us know. I can practically see the transmitter from my window.

dave p

[K said: "This bill could be the best thing for internet radio since fibre optic cable. Think about it."]

I was just saying that to a (today silent) pal at LA's Killradio. You're so right. To hell with corporate music, ours is far better. They want monopoly? Bad move, we can play too when it comes to taste.

treepour

I would love it if WFMU went RIAA-free permanently. I don't listen to WFMU to hear music I already know -- I listen to hear what I'd never hear anyplace else.

J and V

We're listeners of the wax cylinder program and a few other shows, but we old fogies appreciate your attitude. Agree that you should play non-RIAA music at least until July 15th. Everyone, contact your Washington reps supporting the Internet Radio Equality Act. Only takes a few moments!

K.

Here's another thought for Station Manager Ken. Last time you folks did a fundraiser, my jaw dropped when I saw the totals. So you've got some ears out there. Now, along with a once yearly fundraiser, why not a once yearly music raiser. Musicians, want to get your stuff into 1000's of ear holes? Donate a track or two to WFMU! In exchange, FMU would promise to play it a few times. Let the DJ's hear all the donated tracks, and pick what they want. Perhaps do a roboshow for the rest. Community radio should be just as much about the musicians as the listeners.

dave p

Love your music-raiser, K! Go for it, Ken & Co. There's awesome goodies out here just waiting for more ears. Let the rest of us chime in with our unsigned faves too, and take your pick - maybe a day every time the schedule changes.

Parq

Snopes has a couple of good pages commenting on the inefficacy of one-day boycotts, usually (but not always) arising in the context of Planet WalMart organizing one-day gas boycotts. See, e.g., their Politics/Gas/Nogas page. Also see their page on Not One Damn Dime Day. In this context, I fear that the collective sigh of relief as internet radio stations go back to normal programming tomorrow will be heard a lot more clearly by the RIAA than the momentary dip in their income stream. I agree that a more expanded version of today's, uh, format should be considered.

Having said that, I would add that the best thing that could happen to FMU and its partners in free-form would be if Cleanchannel felt its ox being gored. Frankly, the Internet Radio Equality Act would be passed and signed tomorrow if Cleanchannel, Warner, Viacom etc. felt that they had a lot to lose in the face of the Royalty Board rates. Sad to say, they will probably be able to absorb the new costs with only minimal damage, all of which will be passed along to the consumer.

Bone

~ Let's hear some responses from station personnel ~

Webster Hubble Telescope

The more they hit you guys hard, the more I will increase my financial support to FMU.

And one more ting: Bong Hits for Jesus

Dale Hazelton

Greed, greed, greed! I recently watched "Some Kind of Monster" and was appalled by Metallica's drummer testifying about piracy, then the next scene he's viewing his extensive modern art collection he'd grown tired of, up for sale at Sotheby's. Wanker.

And one time I was in Kastro's, my local watering hole back in the mid 90's, and an ASCAP representative (or so he claimed) came in to shake down the bar owner for music royalties since he had a jukebox. C'mon!, the guy was selling libation, not music.

Capping 'FMUs stream shouldn't matter to anyone smart enough to use iTunes radio function, as you're streaming under the "eclectic" category.....No?

norelpref

This is the sign of a desperate dinosaur flexing it's flabby muscles. There is so much great music out there, so much compelling independent media that there's really no need to rely on "corporate" sources. As has been mentioned, this could be beginning of a true revolution! One where we truly do not consume the media, but BECOME IT, completely replacing the overpriced/overvalued/overrated and overwrought corporate mediocrity. As Terrence McKenna said, "we need to stop consuming culture; we need to CREATE culture." Time to stop sucking off the corporate tit.... Viva la revolution!

Listener Dave

I am curious how I can specify that the music I release is not subject to the RIAA and SoundExchange's rules. I suppose I could just print some sort of release on the packaging that states that the music can be played on non-commercial radio stations for free. Is there an organization that is pushing this type of idea?

dave p

There's a thought - I recall this from the original ruling way back, but it seemed to have gone quiet until now: is ir the case that SoundExchange gets to charge webcasters for ALL music played, whether it's RIAA or not, and then it just keeps the undistributed $$$? And is there any opt-out provision? The whole business just gets more crooked the more you look into it. It's starting to look like the only solution's to stream as offshore pirates. But at least the RIAA's labels lost a day of airplay.

rupert

DAVE--> I've thought about developing a site like this. Basically a clearing house for artists to waive sound exchange fees. There is a fatal flaw: verification. What's to stop Elvis Presley from signing up on a web page asking to waive his fees. How can you really tell artists are who they say they are? Get a faxed signature? how do you know it's real?

vmh

I don't get it.

We're talking about webcasting rates, right? RIAA don't rule the world. If you route it through an offshore server, surely RIAA has no jurisdiction at all. Am I missing something?

Station Manager Ken

VMH - yes, it is more complex than that, otherwise everybody would simply set up a server in Canada. If your service is based in the US, but you have server's based in other countries the RIAA still has the right to collect from you and they still have enormous power in shutting you down through a number of other means, including T1 circuits (how are you connecting to that off-shore server?), DNS, ISPs and plain old lawsuits.

-ken

Clayton

Right. If you have an illegal file sharing site hosted in Russia, but you are maintaining the site from within the U.S., you are risking prosecution. I'm not sure about whatever additional laws are in place with respect to taking such a business international, but I'm sure they exist, if only to deter people from trying.

Jason

I *might* be able to understand them not locating members of Firewater, Tad, but Godflesh!? and Douglas Spotted Eagle, Peanut Butter Wolf, Photek, Uncle Kracker, Uberzone, W.A.S.P., Tarwater, To Rococo Rot, Biosphere and the kicker... Sir Mix-A-Lot!
And what about misspellings like Morecheeba (instead of Morcheeba) and Spring Heeled Jack (instead of Spring Heel Jack)??? ...are these artists' names they misspelled?
But what gives with listing Son House and Blind Willie Johnson??? Do they have estates? or are these Sound Exchange guys lacking some kinda proper music history educaitun.

Listener M

Does anyone know when these bills are going to be voted on?

brian[bordellos]

well that stinks , you can play the bordellos as much as you like , we would not want a penny.or should i say dime.

R Mick

Question: If you're an artist and you don't want to be RIAA affliated, how do you do this?
And should artists not sign up for SoundExchange?
Will that make a difference?
I'd love some advice on this.
Thanks!

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