Think about this. Independent Webcasters are no different than all of the local, Independent Artists that play their hearts out every week because they love what they do. We spend a lot of time and money to bring you music and radio unlike the current Corporate Conglomerates play on the FM dial. In my own case, I buy 2 – 3 cds every week just to keep up with these radio stations, which receive the music for free. Not only do I add more music as often as I can, with money from own pockets, but I endorse local, Independent Artists. Artists that you would never get the opportunity to hear if the RIAA and Big Five music labels get their way.



Read More for the rest of the story. If you read only one story on this site, read this one! How does this affect Independent Artists?


If the RIAA and Big Five record labels get their way, they will have even more control over what you get to hear. Dont believe me? Check out the wish list provided to the Copyright Office by the RIAA.

Under the proposed rules radio stations, internet stations, and satellite companies would have to report the following information about every streamed program:



A) The name of the service

B) The channel of the program (AM/FM stations use station id)

C) The type of program (Archived/Looped/Live)

D) Date of Transmission

E) Time of Transmission

F) Time zone of origination of Transmission

G) Numeric designation of the place of the sound recording within the program

H) Duration of transmission (to nearest second)

I) Sound Recording Title

J) The ISRC code of the recording

K) The release year of the album per copyright notice and in the case of compilation albums, the release year of the album and copyright date of the track

L) Featured recording artist

M) Retail album title

N) The recording Label

O) The UPC code of the retail album

P) The catalog number

Q) The copyright owner information

R) The musical genre of the channel or program (station format)



Can you believe that? Do you know how difficult it is to get the ISRC code from a CD? Not to mention the fact that Cassettes and Vinyl do not even have an ISRC code. In addition, they want to track everything you hear. Take a look at the listeners log they want.


1) The name of the service or entity

2) The channel or program

3) the date and time that the user logged in (the users timezone)

4) the date and time that the user logged out (the users timezone)

5) The time zone where the signal was received (user)

6) Unique User identifier

7) The country in which the user received the transmissions



Do you really think this is necessary?


This will give the labels the ability to launch their own music services and decide who you can listen too. There will be no room for some of the less mainstream artists, or Independent Bands. This is about one thing and one thing only, Money. If we let them win now, the momentum will shift and opportunities currently available to you and me will be lost.

Of course, it gets better. In addition to all of the tracking Webcasters would have to do, we will also pay a fee for every person listening to every song played on the station. The rate is .014 per song per listener. I am already paying $100/month just to stream 15 24k and 15 56k streams on the Internet. This does not include the cost of cds, the computer to stream and the audio equipment I bought to make a small home studio for my station. At this time, I have made 0, nada, nothing on my station. I am just one example of all the great stations on the Internet today. This proposal will cause me to shut my station down completely. I can not image maintaining my radio station with the current RIAA proposal under consideration. Once again, the labels will be free to launch their own services and decide what you should hear and opportunities for you and me will be lost.


Chance Sassano

Aka Atomm Nihilo

Gamers Radio Network

Featuring Rock Bone Radio.

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You must hurry. We only have until March 11th to voice our opinion before it is too late!

LIBRARY OF CONGRESS
Copyright Office
37 CFR Part 201
[Docket No. RM 2002]
Notice and Recordkeeping for Use of Sound Recordings Under
Statutory License
AGENCY: Copyright Office, Library of Congress.
ACTION: Notice of proposed rulemaking.


———————————————————————–



SUMMARY: The Copyright Office of the Library of Congress is issuing a
notice of proposed rulemaking on the requirements for giving copyright
owners reasonable notice of the use of their works for sound recordings
under statutory license and for how records of such use shall be kept
and made available to copyright owners. The Digital Performance Right
in Sound Recordings Act of 1995 and the Digital Millennium Copyright
Act enacted in 1998 require the Office to adopt these regulations.


DATES: Comments are due by March 11, 2002. Reply comments are due by
April 8, 2002.


ADDRESSES: An original and ten copies of any comment shall be delivered
to: Office of the General Counsel, Copyright Office, James Madison
Building, Room LM-403, First and Independence Avenue, SE, Washington,
DC; or mailed to: Copyright Arbitration Royalty Panel (CARP), P.O. Box
70977, Southwest Station, Washington, DC 20024-0977.


FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: David O. Carson, General Counsel, or
Tanya Sandros, Senior Attorney, Copyright Arbitration Royalty Panel,
P.O. Box 70977, Southwest Station, Washington, DC 20024-0977.
Telephone: (202) 707-8380. Telefax: (202) 252-3423.