Obama doesn't care about internet radio.

"Dear ****:

Thank you for contacting me regarding the Copyright Royalty Board’s rate increase decision and its effect on small webcasters. I appreciate hearing your thoughts on this issue.

The royalty rate for webcasters has proven to be a controversial subject, with small webcasters hoping to become viable, competitive alternatives to large commercial radio stations. As you point out, many of these small webcasters offer a variety of music unavailable to a wide audience through other sources.

Regulations set by the enactment of the Small Webcasters Settlement Act of 2002, which favored small webcasters, recently expired and the regulations had to be revisited. As you know, in March, 2007, the Copyright Royalty Board issued its decision, which establishes new rates for commercial and noncommercial webcasters. The Board considered the comments of small commercial webcasters, who sought continuation of a fee based solely according to revenue. Ultimately, the Board rejected this benefit for small webcasters, opting instead for a flat-rate fee and a per song per listener basis. When making this decision, the Board cited the difficulty of distinguishing small and large commercial webcasters, as well as their own lack of statutory authority to carve out royalty rate niches for the emergent business models promoted by small commercial webcasters.

The Board’s decision can be revised through legislative action, and it is likely that the Senate will examine this issue. I will certainly keep your thoughts in mind when it does.

Again, thank you for raising this issue with me. Please stay in touch.

Sincerely,

Barack Obama
United States Senator


P.S. Our system does not allow direct response to this email. However, if you would like to contact me again, please use the form on the website: http://obama.senate.gov/contact/

Stay up to date with Barack's work in the Senate and on issues of importance to Illinois. Subscribe to the weekly podcast here: http://obama.senate.gov/podcast/";

>:(

tl;dr: "We're going to raise the royalty fees to a ridiculous amount but we will still pretend to care about small webcasters to help preserve our self-image. Vote for me, I'm black lol"

Who are the ones with the financial incentive here?

1) If the copyright holders want to change the fee structure, that is their right to do, excluding any contractual agreements or state and local laws that prohibit it.

2) Said changes in the fee structure should not be retroactive (which seems to be part of the problem here). If there wasn't any contractual agreement stating that they could be charged fees retroactively, the it seems ridiculous to expect anyone to pay retroactive fees that weren't agreed on. Was there an agreement to pay retroactive fees? If there was such an agreement, balls for the broadcasters that signed it!

3) If the broadcasters aren't financially able to do business with the copyright holders (fees too large for a decent profit to be made), then the broadcasters need to find new copyright holders to do business with. Or "gasp", play public domain music and pay no fees at all.

4) Do you get paid to write to your congressman to cry about how your favorite radio station will go out of business? Does the radio station pay you to listen to their broadcast? No? Then what is the incentive for you to help to bail them out? I can understand if you just don't want your favorite radio station go out of business (whatever will you listen to then?). But the people that get really militant about the broadcasters "rights" seem a bit odd to me. What is it that you hope to gain? The market will determine who makes the money here. If you hate the copyright holders so much and want to see them backfire, well, why not just quit listening to their shit in the first place? The only hold they have over you and your broadcasters is that you want to listen to their music.

>>2

I know they have a right to raise their royalty fees, but 1200% (not a typo - twelve hundred percent) is just fucking ridiculous. Having one's music on an internet radio station is like giving free advertising... And money as well.

Internet radio is a free and legal alternative to piracy which actually benefits musicians and listeners since broadcasters can usually pay for the fees with banner ads and such, which don't really bother the listeners. When royalty fees are increased, many webcasters will be forced to stop broadcasting altogether because they won't be able to afford the royalty fees, and many former listeners will resort to piracy to get free music.

I don't care.  They should be able to charge whatever they want.  They stand to make more money big only having a handful of internet radio stations that pay a high rate instead of a shitload a poor ass college students / unemployed nerds only paying a minimal rate.

fuck copyright. i'm an old dev from the 80's and havent seen a single fucking penny for the innovations you all now enjoy (eg. online shopping.)

so fuck copyright.

>>5

good point! the law of the land should take into account your lack of foresight and current poverty

>>6
^jew

>>7

post some of your old programs so i can download the abandonware torrent

any nappy-headed hos worth fucking out there?

>>9
you're deluding yourself. they wouldnt fuck you anyway you ugly twat.

Dumbass. Barack Obama will only inch closer to presidency if he can maintain the status quo of continually destroying the ability of the masses to think clearly, oppressing the poor, empowering the elite, and quashing the possibility for any other alternatives.

>>11
you just described the last 100 years of american politics.

for what it's worth, i don't care about internet radio either

>>12
you just described the last 100 years of freedom hater propoganda*

fix'd

>>14
what planet do you live on? sounds nice. bet there are fairys, magic and unicorns too yeah?

>>15
You haven't made a point. I'm still right.

>>16
about what exactly? If you're >>14 then I fail to see that you made any point at all yourself.

enjoy your hypocrites.

>>17
If the american government really was structured like a text book marxist capitalism you've be slaving in the salt mines not typing away in your neat suburban home at a miracle of technology that you could purchase with an unskilled labourer's wage. Therefore >>11's statement is just bullshit propoganda by freedom haters.

fags like to suck

>>18
maybe you should open your eyes before you walk off that cliff.

>>20
I have and I don't see a cliff in front of me. I see you trying to direct me into a pile of shit.

>>21
how did i direct? apart from asking you to open your eyes. do you make this shit up in your head or are you psychotic and actually hallucinate this shit on your screen?

>>21
P.S. You do know how retarded you sound calling someone a freedom hater when they are also telling you to open your eyes and make your own mind up too don't you?

yup. psychotic. may i suggest a golly good round of shoot-the-student to release some of that tension you're now feeling.

>>23
Well I made up my mind. You're wrong. Capiche? I don't care if some emofags think I am a mindless drone just because I believe people have the right to economic freedom, don't believe their unfounded conspiracy theories, value morality and don't believe it is right to throw bricks through mcdonald's windows.

Dear Senator Obama,

The world is going to shit and the Chinese are taking over but don't worry about that.  OMG poor college kids can't play their internet radio.  Plz drop everything else and help at once.

Signed

A dirty hippie

>>24
wtf man?! seriously. go and seek psychiatric help. you appear to make up shit in your head to ensure you understand the world and others. too bad that all the points you just made are fictitious and only exist in your head.

seek help. today. NOW!

and i'm not fucking joking.

yeah have him committed for his own good.

>>26
Do you believe the USA is imperialist?

>>29
YES I DO, BUT I NEVER SAID I DID UNTIL NOW SO FUCK YOU STUPID HICK

>>30
Well.. I accurately predicted you would. Liberals are all indoctrinated to believe the same thing. You say one thing which is total bullshit that only liberals believe I can only assume you believe the rest of the bullshit aswell.

>>2
Spoken like a true libertarian.

Shame a large number of people feel that using royalty fees in this manner is a coercive business practice.

"3) If the broadcasters aren't financially able to do business with the copyright holders (fees too large for a decent profit to be made), then the broadcasters need to find new copyright holders to do business with. Or "gasp", play public domain music and pay no fees at all."

Perfect liber logic.  All music is equal, all choices are equal.   What "other" copyright holders are you talking about? The Big Media companies are all in collusion.

>>31
Well.. I accurately predicted you would. Conservatives are all indoctrinated to believe the same thing. You say one thing which is total bullshit that only conservatives believe I can only assume you believe the rest of the bullshit as I am a hypocrite and throwing out straw men and talking points like they were part favors.