[Andyyyy]

Originally Posted by progdirjim

I haven't had a chance to read the legislation and digest it yet. We are clearly non-commercial from a rational point of view, but I'll try to determine if we are from a LEGAL point of view. As you know, rational and legal are often exclusive.

If these fees apply to us, I would likely shoot for a third option - remove all RIAA music from the playlist. We have specific permission to play a lot of the music on the playlist. The problems would be the old classics - Yes, Genesis, ELP, Floyd, etc. There'd still be a lot of good music on Aural Moon.

I cannot afford to pay the proposed rates, and the work involved with charging for the stream, collecting revenue and paying the fees would turn an expensive hobby into a non-lucrative job, so that isn't likely. Same holds true with advertising.

The legislation doesn't make sense to those of us who like specifc types of music because it is strictly a business decision. The goal is specifically to drive internet radio out of business. If people are not exposed to a variety of music, the media giants can make their exorbitant profits by pushing a limited number of mega-star acts, and sell more copies of fewer recordings. I can guarantee you that the InsideOuts, Museas, Unicorns, Mellows, etc are against this. As are all independent artists.

I'll post again as I figure this out. But it is potentially a very bad thing. Please encourage anyone who cares to sign the petition, write their elected officials, etc.

Thanks for the support.

Hey Jim,

I'm glad to see that you are considering only the removal of the material that this stupid law would apply to. I presume that the indies are not included? If so, that's better than it first looked. There really is a lot of good indie prog matgerial out there, and it would be great if we can continue to hear it on AM.