Re: [ARSCLIST] Fw: WAMU 88.5 to Join Webcasters in "Day of Silence" June 26

["Steven C. Barr(x)" <stevenc@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

----- Original Message ----- 
From: Dick Spottswood 
----- Forwarded by Dick Spottswood/dick/AmericanU on 06/20/2007 01:22 PM ----- 
Greg Fitzpatrick/gf2565a/AmericanU 
06/20/2007 01:12 PM ToMR On Campus, WAMU All FT and PT Staff 
cc
SubjectWAMU 88.5 to Join Webcasters in "Day of Silence" June 26
<snip>

Note that this is an EXTREMELY important issue! I speak as the "deejay"
of an Internet-based "radio" blues program...and our Canadian operation
is (so far) exempt from the punitive royalty payments now in force in
the US of A!

RIAA (whom I suspect has some involvement here) is still convinced of
two "facts" (in its opinion!). The first is that making recorded music
available IN ANY WAY (my emphasis) allows its illegal acquisition by
third parties...and the second is that this is the ONLY thing which
has caused the precipitous decline in the sales of recorded music in
any form...!

In fact, these punitive royalties will do is to effectively abolish
"Internet radio!" This, in turn, will make it impossible for many
forms and genres of music to be heard outside the "line of sight"
range of low-power FM radio. In fact, blues programming will be
among the worst of the "casualties"...since the genre is for the
most part available only on educational-FM stations which cannot 
be heard outside their own "back yards!"

To RIAA, each listener to an Internet-radio blues program is a
potential customer who, had not the net program been available,
would have purchased a vast number of current hip hop hit CD's!

To quote Bing, et al...
"Tain't so, honey, 'tain't so..."

Steven C. Barr