x Telephones in House and Senate offices are ringing off the hook today, as another wave of Internet radio supporters is vocalizing their support for webcasters where it matters most: Washington D.C. Webcasters' efforts to mobilize their listeners are in full swing this week: AccuRadio sent an e-mail to its 800,000-member mailing list this morning, asking them to take action today, and other services including Pandora are reporting similar efforts. If you haven't done so already, please call your representatives in Washington D.C today. This page at SaveNetRadio.org provides all of the contact info necessary to call your three representatives (two in the Senate, one in the House) and urge them to co-sponsor the "Internet Radio Equality Act" (H.R. 2060 and S. 1353). -- DM x

From the Chicago Reader: "There's a reason you haven't seen much in-depth coverage of what's probably the most important federal ruling to affect the music business since the Digital Millennium Copyright Act of 1998 — a ruling that, if it goes into effect, will change how tens of millions of people listen to music and very possibly silence Internet radio altogether.

"The reason is it's painfully boring. To weigh in with more than a sound bite, you've got to navigate legislative language that even the most impassioned players in the debate admit is difficult and dry. But all that legalese is hiding an ugly truth: the music industry, led by the RIAA, has once again enlisted the government to do its dirty work. This time it may very well have derailed the evolution of radio into the digital age.

"On March 2 the Copyright Royalty Board... handed down new regulations for webcasters to cover the period from 2006 till 2010...

"If back royalties based on the new rates come due July 15 as scheduled, experts in the field say it's likely that even giants like Yahoo! and AOL will shut down their webcasts...

Lobbyists' digital influence
"AccuRadio was launched in 2001 by some of the same people who founded the Radio And Internet Newsletter, an industry news site that's been around since 1999 — basically since there's been a webcasting industry for it to report on. Paul Maloney... [and] Daniel McSwain (pictured right)... [who] also runs his own site, Future Perfect Radio... as a couple of guys about to lose their jobs, they are pissed.

"Many members of Congress, says Maloney, 'are very much not in touch with the cutting edge of technology...' And because they don't understand the digital world, he says, they're easily manipulated by lobbyists for digital businesses. The DMCA is one famous result... 'Lawmakers don't write these laws. Lobbyists write these laws,' says Maloney.

"In 1995 webcasting existed mostly in theory, but the RIAA was already lobbying Congress to regulate it...

"John Simson, executive director of SoundExchange, says he still doesn't believe that Internet radio helps music sales, as he told an interviewer for online trade publication RoyaltyWeek [RAIN coverage here and here]...

Indies take the brunt
"Considering that the RIAA is supposed to help the major labels, its efforts to squelch Internet radio are counterintuitive ... [But] nothing in the law forbids copyright holders from waiving or modifying royalty fees on a case-by-case basis, which a label could agree to do in exchange for a promise that a webcaster would play certain artists. This would allow the industry to 'dictate the look and sound of play-lists,' according to McSwain. 'It takes away any autonomy from webcasters and puts it completely in the labels' hands.'

"McSwain and Maloney (pictured left) are also pretty sure the new royalty rates are an indirect way for the majors to strike a blow against the indies... SoundExchange denies that its goal is to shut down Internet radio, but the fact remains that doing so would eliminate an outlet where indies have a big leg up on the majors...

"What might stop it is the Internet Radio Equality Act, H.R. 2060... July 15 may seem a ways off,... but Maloney and McSwain urge everyone to call their representatives in Congress now...

"If we lose webcasting, we'll lose one of the best resources available to people who really care about music."

This column is from the Chicago Reader, here.

From TechNewsWorld: "Apple, Microsoft, Adobe Systems and Real Networks are the targets of a Santa Cruz, Calif., maker of copyright protection technologies that has sent letters demanding that the tech heavyweights cease and desist 'actively avoiding' the use of its products.

"Media Rights Technologies (MRT) and its digital radio subsidiary BlueBeat.com... (assert) that the four technology giants have produced billions of copies of Vista OS, Adobe Flash Player, Real Player, Apple iTunes and iPod products 'without regard for the [Digital Millennium Copyright Act] or the rights of American intellectual property owners.'

"The Digital Millennium Copyright Act, which became law in 1998, makes it illegal to circumvent technological protection measures that control access to copyrighted works...

"By not using its product, Apple and the other companies are violating the DMCA Latest News about DMCA, (MRT) says.

"'These manufacturers of media distribution devices are trafficking under the DMCA on devices that are illegal because they allow for copyright infringement,' MRT CEO Hank Risan [pictured at left] told TechNewsWorld.

"Together, these four companies are responsible for 98% of the media players in the marketplace; CNN, NPR, Clear Channel, MySpace, Yahoo and YouTube all use these infringing devices to distribute copyrighted works,' Risan said. 'We will hold the responsible parties accountable. The time of suing John Doe is over.'..

"Recipients of cease-and-desist letters are not required by law to respond, but the legal  grounding of MRT's claim appears to be less than certain...

"'I think the lawyers on the other side would argue that any company that comes along with a DRM could say that if you're not actively using their product, therefore you're avoiding it,' Phil Leigh, senior analyst with Inside Digital Media, told TechNewsWorld. 'Sometimes people and things are exactly what they appear to be,' Leigh concluded. 'They're simply trying to get a lot of publicity.'"

Read this entire account in TechNewsWorld here.

Nine members of the U.S. House of Representatives added their names as co-sponosors of H.R. 2060, better known as the Internet Radio Equality Act, yesterday.

A total of 73 House members now back the bill.

The most recent cosponsors include Rep. Marilyn Musgrave (D-CO) is a member of the key Small Business committee.

	Representative Emanuel Cleaver II Missouri's 5th District 2nd-term Democrat
	Representative John T. Doolittle California's 4th District 9th-term Republican
	Representative Chaka Fattah Pennsylvania's 2nd District 7th-term Democrat
	Representative Mazie K. Hirono Hawaii's 2nd District 1st-term Democrat
	Representative Stephanie Tubbs Jones Ohio's 11th District 5th-term Democrat
	Representative Marilyn Musgrave Colorado's 4th District 3rd-term Republican Key committee(s): Small Business
	Delegate Eleanor Holmes Norton District of Columbia (at-large) 9th-term Democrat
	Representative Fortney H. Stark California's 13th District 18th-term Democrat
	Representative John F. Tierney Massachusetts' 6th District 6th-term Democrat