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Day of Silence

 
    • mwalimu said...
    • User
    • 21 Jun 2007, 20:56

    Day of Silence

    Will last.fm be turning off radio feeds on Tuesday June 26 for the Day of Silence?

    See http://www.savenetradio.org/ for more information.

  • Source: cnettv.com







    Internet radio to go silent on June 26?
    Posted by Anne Broache

    If you depend on the sounds of Internet radio to get you through your workday, don't be surprised if your headphones pipe out little more than dead air next Tuesday.

    In protest of the elevated royalty fees Webcasters are poised to begin owing to the record industry next month, Internet radio operators are planning to stage a "day of silence."

    So far, Live365 and AccuRadio.com have agreed to cease their music programming on June 26, save for brief audio public service announcements sprinkled throughout the day, according to a Wednesday report by Kurt Hanson of the Radio and Internet Newsletter,. So has the online presence of KCRW, the Southern California-based public radio station. Other public radio broadcasters and larger operators, such as Yahoo, RealNetworks' Rhapsody service and Pandora, may also sign on, Hanson said.

    A number of small commercial Webcasters are also on board with the idea, and all told, thousands are expected to participate. Smaller Webcasters staged a similar protest five years ago in response to a similar rules change by the U.S. copyright officials.

    At issue are fee hikes that the Internet radio community says could bankrupt its services, particularly those run by smaller operators. SoundExchange, the non-profit collection entity that lobbied for the changes, has repeatedly argued the changes are fair and necessary to ensure artists are compensated adequately.

    Opponents of the changes are still hoping for a reprieve before the July 15 date on which the royalties are scheduled to kick in. They are continuing to pressure politicians on Capitol Hill to pass bills that would overturn the royalty rate increases and align them with those required of other digital services, such as satellite. Some groups have also asked a federal appeals court to delay the rate changes.
    Internet radio to go silent on June 26?
    Posted by Anne Broache

    If you depend on the sounds of Internet radio to get you through your workday, don't be surprised if your headphones pipe out little more than dead air next Tuesday.

    In protest of the elevated royalty fees Webcasters are poised to begin owing to the record industry next month, Internet radio operators are planning to stage a "day of silence."

    So far, Live365 and AccuRadio.com have agreed to cease their music programming on June 26, save for brief audio public service announcements sprinkled throughout the day, according to a Wednesday report by Kurt Hanson of the Radio and Internet Newsletter,. So has the online presence of KCRW, the Southern California-based public radio station. Other public radio broadcasters and larger operators, such as Yahoo, RealNetworks' Rhapsody service and Pandora, may also sign on, Hanson said.

    A number of small commercial Webcasters are also on board with the idea, and all told, thousands are expected to participate. Smaller Webcasters staged a similar protest five years ago in response to a similar rules change by the U.S. copyright officials.

    At issue are fee hikes that the Internet radio community says could bankrupt its services, particularly those run by smaller operators. SoundExchange, the non-profit collection entity that lobbied for the changes, has repeatedly argued the changes are fair and necessary to ensure artists are compensated adequately.

    Opponents of the changes are still hoping for a reprieve before the July 15 date on which the royalties are scheduled to kick in. They are continuing to pressure politicians on Capitol Hill to pass bills that would overturn the royalty rate increases and align them with those required of other digital services, such as satellite. Some groups have also asked a federal appeals court to delay the rate changes.






    Will last.fm be taking part in this event?

  • My first thought is the sheer irony of a sound-based industry eliminating sound to make a point, but, that's probably the point.

  • I think Last.fm should shut off the radio streams. They broadcast to Americans, and they have to pay the royalties too (I believe... someone correct me if I'm wrong). Many other big online radio companies are going off, such as Pandora, Live365, MTVOnline, and Rhapsody.

    great_magician said:
    My first thought is the sheer irony of a sound-based industry eliminating sound to make a point, but, that's probably the point.


    When animal lovers heard that the royal family did undo harm to animals while hunting (I assuming they mean repeative stabbings, instead of a clean kill), they cooked that type of animal (if memory serves, it was a fox) and ate it. As such, I'm not surprised that the netradio industry will shut off there streams, if people don't get congress to revert the fees soon, that's all we'll be getting.

  • Ok, so is there any update on what lastfm will be doing?

  • terinjokes said:
    When animal lover heard that the royal family did undo harm to animals while hunting (I assuming they mean repeative stabbings, instead of a clean kill), they cooked that type of animal (if memory serves, it was a fox) and ate it. As such, I'm not surprised that the netradio industry will shut off there streams, if people don't get congress to revert the fees soon, that's all we'll be getting.


    Thread: http://www.last.fm/forum/23/_/288795

    That and this internet radio dealie aren't really comparable. Internet radio companies are essentially going on strike, thereby denying us and others of a service or function which we presumably value (I know I do). McGowan, however, is just a douch.

  • great_magician said:
    terinjokes said:
    When animal lover heard that the royal family did undo harm to animals while hunting (I assuming they mean repeative stabbings, instead of a clean kill), they cooked that type of animal (if memory serves, it was a fox) and ate it. As such, I'm not surprised that the netradio industry will shut off there streams, if people don't get congress to revert the fees soon, that's all we'll be getting.


    Thread: http://www.last.fm/forum/23/_/288795

    That and this internet radio dealie aren't really comparable. Internet radio companies are essentially going on strike, thereby denying us and others of a service or function which we presumably value (I know I do). McGowan, however, is just a douch.




    So is that to assume that last.fm will not go down for silence day?

    • mhex said...
    • User
    • 23 Jun 2007, 10:10

    added an event

    • saar_jt said...
    • User
    • 23 Jun 2007, 12:50
    Well I'm in mhex, it's simply a matter of principle! (I'm european) If you love music and all it means, how can you not support this?

    • Indyan said...
    • User
    • 23 Jun 2007, 16:46

    I really hope that they do

    I really hope that Last.fm do go silent for a day to support the cause and support other online radio stations.

  • if they don't, and internet radio dies...I will be fairly upset

    I found this article on TechCrunch today:

    http://www.techcrunch.com/2007/06/22/lastfm-not-joining-national-day-of-silence/

    Is it perhaps a case of CBS deciding to let the competition die?

    I really hope that's not the case...

    • mhex said...
    • User
    • 23 Jun 2007, 18:35
    Thank you Sarah. You're right and i'm european too. But when this starts in the US it will come to Europe too someday. On the other side i often used US webradio in the past and would love to do it again in the future.

    I add a description to the event. Attending this event does not mean that one stops using last.fm on Tuesday. It's just a sign of support for the event. In the end it's last.fm's part to join the Day of Silence that means stopping the radio feeds.

    jewlofthelotus: Yes i was inspired by this techcrunch article.

    cu

    m.

    • zachhale said...
    • Subscriber
    • 23 Jun 2007, 18:43
    Come on last.fm! You have to support the cause!

    • ilyanep said...
    • User
    • 23 Jun 2007, 22:03
    Is there anyone we can contact at Last.fm to urge them to do this [or even better reduce the stream with public service announcements on the issue in between]?

    I'd really really like it if Last.fm did it.

    • aWak3N said...
    • User
    • 23 Jun 2007, 22:27

    attending the event

    hi guys! if last.fm does not participate i will be very disappointed of them. i always thought they were cool folks but...
    everyone who's reading this attend this event in order to persuade last.fm people to take part at this event:
    http://www.lastfm.de/event/272101

    ps: time is runnig out...

  • Another vote for Last.fm to join the blackout. For what it's worth, I will not use Last.fm that day as a show of solidarity.

    The new rules are horrible, and they're only going to happen because not enough people are aware.

    Is Last.fm avoiding this issue because it's owned by CBS? If so, that's really, really lame. Way to be corporate, guys.

  • And Another

    I also vote for Last.fm to join in the blackout.

  • Is Last.fm just a chicken Traitor!!

    I am so impressed by the passionate, articulate and well planned campaign that the internet radio industry is mounting against the ridiculous CRB stance. Last.fm is (or was) both a leading instigator and also a prime beneficiary of this revolution in music media awareness and distribution. It must join in otherwise it will be quite rightly seen as a traitor to the industry that spawned it.

    • Stormx said...
    • User
    • 23 Jun 2007, 23:38

    Shut it down!

    Check my profile: 61,006 plays. I will never EVER visit last.fm again if they don't shut down on the 26th or at the very least show a large amount of support for the cause. I invite everyone to join me, I'll be making a group very soon.

  • Turn it off, guys!

    If they don't (And I sure as hell hope they do) shut it all down on the 26th... well, that's a sign the Last.fm I knew back in the Audioscrobbler days is dead.

  • Stormx: Natch.

    Yes, it is quite irresponsible to remain silent on such issues. (no pun). What are some services that will replace this? Lets begin to talk about their functionality, and how a change of provider will be enacted. (not affiliated with ilike.com)

    when the going gets tough, the tough get hoeing. Er. If you can't beat them, cheat them. Er. I'll look up at the stars and then decide which way to go.
  • Sorry guys but this isn't going to acheive anything. I'm 99% sure that the people drawing up the new legislation on internet radio won't even notice.

    • mhex said...
    • User
    • 24 Jun 2007, 07:21

    here's the savenetradio.org event again

    • [Deleted user] said...
    • User
    • 24 Jun 2007, 10:38

    This could be the day I leave last.fm...

    [ As Stormx mentioned above: ]

    This is a day that last.fm should observe and if that doesn't happen, that will be the day I cancel my last.fm account.

    I always liked last.fm over the competitors because of the community and the general spirit of the people who run last.fm but last.fm not going silent on that day means it is just another corporate sellout.

    Lets hope last.fm does the right thing...

    • dankine said...
    • User
    • 24 Jun 2007, 11:24
    Jeevan said:

    This is a day that last.fm should observe and if that doesn't happen, that will be the day I cancel my last.fm account.



    hahahahahahahahaha.

    "Those who can make you believe absurdities can make you commit atrocities"
    "I don't want to believe, I want to know"

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