Help Save Internet Radio

We always become aware of political issues when they effect something in our lives. There is one happening right now that may force the end of something very cool I've only just discovered: SomaFM--an internet radio station. Not only SomaFM, but the thousands of small independent internet radio stations that are a way to tap into and be exposed to non-mainstream music.

For example, I love ambient electronica. It's most certainly not for everyone. It's wordless, minimalist, long, quiet, full of atmospheric textures....and considered boring or just plain weird by some. But for me it's a way to relax, and it never fails to put me in a creative state of mind--one of the few places that brings me happiness & a sense of wholeness. Of all the people I know, only one other digs it as much as me, and he's several states over. We fans are few and far between, but if you count us up nationwide we are a pretty sizable little sub-culture. Getting our hands on this type of music and learning about all the different artists is not very easy. The internet has pretty much been my one and only tool for exploring this genre of music--though the search can still be difficult...following little threads here and there. So, having a radio station that plays nothing but the tunes is an unprecedented windfall for a fan like me. It's like having an unending, always evolving laundry lists of music and musicians to check out--bands and artists I would not have found any other way. And it's a windfall for the artists as well--it's a tool for fans finding them. I hear music on the station, then I go buy the music--helping to support the artists. It's win-win.

And, it's all about to go away.

A bill has been introduced that will save independent internet radio from the huge royalty payments that the CRB recently handed down. Please call your Representative right now (I did it--it was painless) and ask him/her to cosponsor the "Internet Radio Equality Act", H.R. 2060, introduced by Representatives Jay Inslee (D-WA) and Donald Manzullo (R-IL). This bill will set royalty rates that internet radio pays to the same reasonable level that satellite radio pays. US Citizens: Please call the House switchboard at (202) 224-3121 and ask to speak to your representative, and ask them to support H.R. 2060, the "Internet Radio Equality Act" today!

It's not saving the world, but it is making it a bit more pleasant to live on it. Please call.