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Save Our Internet Radio - The View from Paradise
saveourinternetradio.com — Don ’t let the RIAA silence your favorite Internet radio station!
RichardPrins- 1327 diggs
- digg it
- paiasoloco, on 10/12/2007, -1/+15I am a listener and I can say it's the best radio that I've listened to, on or off line. It's listener supported and I often contribute. I wouldn't want to see Radio Paradise go.
Let's help Bill and Rebecca!! and all internet radio for that matter.- stupidcomments, on 10/12/2007, -24/+1Yeah, let's just go ahead and let them free load off of other people's work.
Great station or not, the whole article is just a lame excuse that tip toes around the fact that they simply want to break copyright laws by not paying royalties. I love how they use the phrase "mom and pop" to sound all innocent and helpless, and make it seem as though the RIAA is out to get them. The only reason the RIAA is even mentioned is because everyone knows that anything anti-RIAA gets support. It's a shame because the true victims in this scenario ARE THE ARTISTS. If you can't run your business without breaking the law then close up shop, or they'll do it for you at full price.
**gets ready to get dugg down** - doobes, on 10/12/2007, -1/+6Ditto. I would be lost without RP. Let's not only help Bill and Rebecca, let's help all internet radio. Call your congress and make your feelings known. I don't know if it will make any difference, but nothing will change if we don't do anything.
Do it today. Call, e-mail, whatever but get your message across to your federal representative.
chris - jameshales, on 10/12/2007, -0/+12@stupidcomments
RTFA properly. He says that he already pays royalties. From the article:
> That agreement allowed us to operate by paying a royalty equal to 10% - 12% of our gross income in performance royalties. - willief, on 10/12/2007, -0/+13yo stupidcomments. They DO pay royalties. Clear Channel doesn't. So who's the pirate? RTFA. Now the RIAA wants more than their previous agreement.
I've bought more music because of RP, not less. They actually play more than the same 6 "bands of the month" and I get to hear artists that I actually like. Not only is the RIAA acting against the best interest of the artists but driving technology offshore of the US. This is, in effect, taxation and tariffs which drive trade away. - stupidcomments, on 10/12/2007, -14/+1Wow, two idiots in a row. I didn't say they don't currently pay royalties, but I did say that they don't WANT to. It's implied throughout the entire article that they don't want to pay any royalties because "everybody else" doesn't - which is entirely untrue. Go edit wikipedia, you'd fit right in.
- paradyning, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2Yeah I agree. Just read this myself over at the RP site and I'd be devastated if I didn't have it to listen to everyday. I make notes constantly of some of the songs I truly digg (heh heh) and guess what happens then? I go and BUY the music (usually iTunes) but this type of exposure canonly benefit the artists as I'd never normally even hear of some of these people. SAVE RADIO PARADISE...and all internet radio for that matter.... pass on the link to Bill's blog to as many people as you can :
http://www.saveourinternetradio.com/ - technogenius, on 10/12/2007, -0/+4@stupidcomments: they don't want to have to pay 125% of their income. is that so insane? that would be like if you had to pay to work at your job at mcdonalds
RP Rocks - skez, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2sorry to reply in here, just wanted the mirror link at the top
http://duggmirror.com/music/Save_Our_Internet_Radio_The_View_from_Paradise/ - guaranine, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1I listen to RP daily - its the only radio station to which I listen consistently. I contribute quarterly and feel that the money is well spent.
That being said, the "Big 4" and the RIAA are in their death throes - they're dead companies walking; the trouble is - they're in denial. Like headless chickens, they run around the world bleeding cash from their necks while they attempt to preserve an outmoded and highly unpopular 2-mode economic model.
Few folks want to shell out $15 for a chunk of plastic that has 2-4 good songs on it, further necessitating the owner to rip the good stuff to their music player and chuck the disc on a dusty pile with the rest of the useless crap in their lives. Most would rather download just the songs they want and be done with it. That spells doom for the first mode of the Big 4 - controlling music distribution.
The Big 4 are also having to face the loss of revenue from the syndication of their controlled properties - royalties.
Without the fat cash flow from advertisers who use bricks-and-mortar radio, without DRM, without the US federal government as their bed-mate, the Big 4 will steadily lose ground until the only means of generating revenue through this antiquated mechanism will be via lawsuits against the very people whom they need to perpetuate their crime.
The Big 4 are busy dying in time to the lyrics of Soundgarden's cut, "Mailman:" "I know I'm headed for the bottom; But I'm riding you all the way." They know deep in their secret heart, that darkest of places where as the ultimate corporate whores they must hide their greed and cash lust, that they are indeed 'going down.'
The upshot? Well, as the lyric so poignantly put it, they're 'riding us all the way.' - alvarorb, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1Let's help Radio Paradise and all other independent Internet radio stations.
Tell your representative about this. e-mail, call do what you have to do to get the word out there.
Alvaro - midnightmoth, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0If not for Radio Paradise (and Toast Radio, which was my introduction to the incredible potential of internet radio on a smaller scale), I would not be buying any new music at all.
I am forty years old, and both my wife and I love music. I own a $10,000 high end audio system, several portable music players, and when I was a teen, enjoyed making reel-to-reel tapes from albums, to keep the albums from wearing out. I elevated the cassette "mix" tape to a high art with custom labels, etc., and have purchased over 300 CDs at full retail.
Because I am an audiophile, I have no interest in lo-fi MP3 downloads like I-Tunes or any of that. I'm looking to purchase the full-fidelity product, and I don't mind paying a premium for it, so I don't have any pirated MP3's laying about - they're all extracted from my own CDs.
Before internet radio, I would try to read record reviews and figure out what new artists I might be interested in. But, like Mr. Zappa once said, "Writing about music is like dancing about architecture", and I often wasted my money, no matter how carefully I scrutinized the review, nor how much I trusted the reviewer.
Once I discovered music catalogs like "allmusic.com", things became a little easier to sort out, but still, I was often disappointed in my purchases. There is no substitute for hearing full songs from a wide variety of artists, at reasonable fidelity - precisely the service that Radio Paradise provides.
Like many others posting here, once I discovered RP, I was able to put CDs on my "wish list" faster than I could afford to purchase them. It became a Saturday morning institution at our house to start the day listening to RP, with my Palm Pilot PDA software open so I could cut and paste CD artist/title/label info into it as soon as I heard something interesting. Later, I would cross-check the new titles against the allmusic.com database to get some background on the bands, and would transfer the "keepers" to my "definite buy" list in the PDA.
That way, when I walked into a record store, or a relative or friend asked me for a birthday or holiday gift recommendation, I'd whip out the PDA and recite a bunch of titiles - titles from artists like The Notwist, Belle & Sebastian, Ben Harper, Bic Runga, Emeliana Torrini, Fountains of Wayne, Habib Koite & Bamada, Innocence Mission, Iron & Wine, Kirsty MacColl, and many, many others.
SALES OF ALL OF THAT MUSIC ARE DIRECTLY TRACEABLE TO RADIO PARADISE.
Why the music industry would want to kill off an obviously positive internet development, internet radio, whose streaming format and medium level of fidelity are the least likely to contribute to piracy and most likely to generate sales is beyond me. If internet radio is killed, so are my purchases, and the recommendations I make to friends and acquaintances as well.
At my age, I don't have time nor money to waste trying to sort things out based on record reviews. And "radio" (as in any corporate-owned FM or satellite source) is worthless to me - the radio in my car hasn't worked for five years, and it's no loss. All it ever played was "Stairway To Heaven" anyway, or some other thing some bean counter had assigned to "my demographic group."
What Bill & Rebecca are doing with RP has no equal in the commercial world, and without them, I'm ready to throw in the towel as an adult music listener. After seeing the RIAA create hassles over cassettes, block digital tape (DAT), and now try to kill CD recording and internet radio, even though I've been one of their best custormers over the years, I've had it.
Even though we probably won't win, those of us that love music at least have to try, or we'll have no one to turn to but the mass marketers, again.
- stupidcomments, on 10/12/2007, -24/+1Yeah, let's just go ahead and let them free load off of other people's work.
- ScottFromWyo, on 10/12/2007, -0/+7The only radio I listen to, therefore the only source I have for finding out about new music.
- Peat, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2I listen to Radioparadise too. I've purchased several albums in the past year as a direct result of hearing them on Radioparadise. Many of my friends have done the same.
Many of the artist's albums I've purchased are not played on mainstream radio. So it's highly likely that I wouldn't have been exposed to them without RP. - lhbaker, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1Probably 80% of all of the purchases I've made from itunes has been due to hearing a song on Radio Paradise. I can listen to XM online, but I don't; RP is superior in every possible way.
- Peat, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2I listen to Radioparadise too. I've purchased several albums in the past year as a direct result of hearing them on Radioparadise. Many of my friends have done the same.
- JrzyTmata, on 10/12/2007, -0/+10The RIAA has gone too far. By wiping out internet radio, they gain nothing.
- Doggpound, on 10/12/2007, -0/+7They gain plenty from only having big corporations distribute their music because that way they can control what you hear and what you buy. Why do you think you only hear the same few songs over and over on any given large radio station? Its because that is what they are trying to sell at the time.
- LonesomeFighter, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2"The RIAA has gone too far."
that's nothing new. they are always going to far.
- qole, on 10/12/2007, -0/+16I guess the RIAA figures that they can't control Internet Radio, so they have to destroy it. It's the way of every monopolist.
- penkle, on 10/12/2007, -0/+6Internet radio helps expose the art of musicians that otherwise get no airplay. Has there been a poll of musicians to find out what they think of this? I bet that the majority support it and don't want to see it disappear.
- marzcat, on 10/12/2007, -0/+13I am horrified by this thuggery. Radioparadise is a refuge for those seeking new music, and indeed a place where people learn about wonderful new artists and buy their recordings. Having paid their dues without hesitation in the past, Radioparadise has now been asked to give what they cannot. Simply unacceptable.
- Alphamacaroon, on 10/12/2007, -0/+7Write your congressman/congresswoman, mayor, senator, governer and complain about this abuse form the RIAA. RP and Internet radio is too important to let die.
- brstilson, on 10/12/2007, -1/+8Let's see...
Congressman gets two letters, one from you, the concerned voter, and one from the RIAA. The envelope from you has a lengthy letter describing your concern over the RIAA. The RIAA's envelope contains a check for $100,000 as a campaign "contribution."
Who do you think that congressman is more concerned with pleasing? - wonboodoo, on 10/12/2007, -0/+3@brstilson
To start with, there is a maximum contribution you can give to a candidate, and while I don't know what it is off the top of my head, it is well below $100,000. So you think we're better off doing nothing? Got a better solution? Way to be defeatist. If enough people are outraged by this and enough people write letters then that congressman will listen regardless of what the RIAA gives them.
Write your congressman and senators. - brstilson, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2@wonboodoo
I can see your point. The problem is that not enough people probably care. If a ton of people wrote, say, the same senator, then they'd probably take more notice. Pissing off your congressional sponsors to the point they don't sponsor you I imagine is a much rosier alternative than pissing off your voters to the point they vote your ass out of office. - brstilson, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2"To start with, there is a maximum contribution you can give to a candidate, and while I don't know what it is off the top of my head, it is well below $100,000."
It doesn't have to be a campaign contribution, it could be something along the lines of "hey I hear your nephew is looking for a job, well my close associate has an opening for the head of FEMA. It's a do-nothing job, and the pay is a healthy 6 figures, and by the way, how's the vote on net neutrality going?"
- brstilson, on 10/12/2007, -1/+8Let's see...
- pdsmith, on 10/12/2007, -0/+9I've bought more new records because of RadioParadise, Pandora etc than I have ever before. The RIAA are even dumber than we thought if they think that stopping people hearing music is a good way to protect their industry.
- brstilson, on 10/12/2007, -0/+6That's exactly it. You probably bought records from bands and labels that AREN'T under their control.
- WillByng, on 10/12/2007, -0/+6Yep, it's madness! I'm buying CD's (and more of them!) I'd never have bought if I'd not tuned into them on Internet radio. I guess "they" value having CONTROL more than they value the income they'll get from promoting their artists. What a waste!!
- Aethra, on 10/12/2007, -6/+3This is odd, every single comment is at "+0 diggs."
- DAGONthehauge, on 10/12/2007, -3/+4The RIAA shills are here and digging down all negative comments. If they could they log your IP and have a sweat team come over to do cavity searches on you. It's very predictable; pinkertons put in place to enforce something unenforcable. Creates a siege mentality. Paranoia. Enemies everywhere.
The best strategy against that is make them see ghosts, make them affraid of their own shadow. Easy, watch em die. Make em lash out at everyone. - Lyph4, on 10/12/2007, -5/+2The RIAA shills are only here to counter the "Me too'ers" that tend to fill the first 50 or so comments to stories like this.
- DAGONthehauge, on 10/12/2007, -3/+4The RIAA shills are here and digging down all negative comments. If they could they log your IP and have a sweat team come over to do cavity searches on you. It's very predictable; pinkertons put in place to enforce something unenforcable. Creates a siege mentality. Paranoia. Enemies everywhere.
- arof, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2They call for Congress to reevaluate their decisions about digital media and music, something I'm all for, but what's to say that the decision will be any different? This is, remember, the same group that brought us "The Internet is a series of tubes" and is still under the same lobbying pressure of the groups that got us where we are today.
That being said, I also hope as part of this decision they can make illegal the bulling of the RIAA with its lawsuits or at least force one such lawsuit to actually be resolved, not constantly postponed and pushed back by the RIAA's lawyer pool. - HavocBane, on 10/12/2007, -3/+2I agree that the fair thing to do is force every broadcaster to pay the same fees for the music that they play. If the large FM stations have to pay these ridiculous fees of 125% or more, maybe there would be more interest in making the laws a little more reasonable.
This might be a more feasible way to cause an action to save Internet Radio than trying to persuade politicians and the RIAA personally. If people can get big businesses on their side of this cause, they would have much greater resources and a much greater chance at actually making a difference.
Now all that has to be done is to figure out how to make everyone pay the same....
I am all for the underdogs, but I have to be realistic. Freedom is hard, if not impossible, to come by in this world, even in America. - chocomilko, on 10/12/2007, -2/+3Stupid comments, clearly you are not getting the point. I can see you are one of many who are satisfied with status quo and the same mundane 20 or so songs offered by mainstream radio. Someone who doesn't mind being told what you are going to listen to. You are probably someone who needs to have magazines and TV to decide for you what your wardrobe will be. You probably don't appreciate art, or independent films that actually say something. You are OK being a sheep herded around so you don't have to think for yourself. If you weren't, you wouldn't be here making such an ignorant comment. Radio Paradise offers music for people who appreciate diversity. Music that goes above and beyond what any of the FM or mainstream stations have to offer. Not only this, but music where you actually can listen without constant interruptions from advertisements. What they have done is allow artists who would never have been noticed to be heard. Do they want to pay royalties? That's not the issue pin head. The issue is not paying out more than they could ever afford to even keep the station alive. Go back and read the article , they are doing more for unknown artists, and giving them a chance. You clearly haven't got a clue about the love and appreciation for music as art.
- tishmo, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2I agree totally. We need the diversity that RP offers. They are doing something so awesome, and I don't know what I would do without my daily dose of RP. I listen to it everyday, I don't know what Stupid Comments is talking about, but it's true he must not appreciate music as art.
- HavocBane, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2There is no point in making a direct attack on someone just because they have a different opinion than you do. Personally I hate mainstream radio and couldn't care less about popular culture, but this isn't what I was trying to get at. I think that you missed my point entirely.
I know that it is impossible for independent stations and businesses to pay these fees and I know that it is unfair and that they make great music available to the masses at no monetary cost, but I am trying to be realistic here. We live in a society where anything that promotes choice at no cost to everyone scares people. It's sad to say, and I agree that it is wrong, but the world runs on money.
All that I wanted to suggest is someway that people could make a difference. Just trying to get the big companies to go away is not going to work.
In the future, please do not make presumptions about someone merely based on their opinion. It only downplays any important topic at hand. - HavocBane, on 10/12/2007, -1/+1Whoops, sorry about that. I was looking at the wrong thing. I still don't think that you should make presumptions though...
- tishmo, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2Sorry, but I would just ask you to go back and read Stupid's comments. Who is the one attacking? Why is it ok for someone to speak derogatorily about what RP is doing? Saying that they don't want to pay royalties. I mean that makes RP look as though they have no interest in the artist, and that simply isn't true. I'm not trying to be mean here, but your outlook seems negative. I mean you say its impossible for freedom, so what, lets just give up? The reason things are the way they are is because people resign to that kind of thinking. It's sad really.
- HavocBane, on 10/12/2007, -0/+3I definitely see your point, and I don't think that we should just give up, but really, what choice do we have? I don't know anyone who is pleased with the representation that we have in the government, and I completely agree that they probably won't listen to individuals (at least without the "contribution" spoken of).
I am being negative, yes, but I don't see much hope unless we get some bigger support. I am open to ideas here.
Also, I should note that I mistakenly responded thinking that choco was taking about my post. Sorry.
- hcaudill, on 10/12/2007, -0/+3This is devastating news. I’ve listened to Radio Paradise pretty much all day every day since I first discovered it in 2004. I have bought dozens of CDs as a result of discovering new artists on RP. If the music industry was just greedy, that would at least be understandable. What’s makes this hard is how mind-bogglingly stupid they are - do they really think that it’s in their interests to kill internet radio?
- dfeifer, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1The only comment I have is concerning the label difference between analog and digital. I know the Digital link is applied to internet radio, and the analog to normal terrrestial radio. What I DO wonder, is wether Digital will also apply to the new High deffinition radio that is appearing accross the nation. 1057freefm.com has thier listenable thru the internet, but listening to it, there is a definate degredation of quality. The high cost of HDradio is fairly prohibitive for most people. 300-600$ for a basic reciever. and for a car 300-600 for the reciever, and another 500+ for the HD converter descrambler box. I don't have 300$ to replace the broken radio in my car, I won't even think of 1k + for one of these systems.
- vastrightwing, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1The RIAA is on a mission to destroy itself in spite of its own face. This is a fact. They can't stand that their business model is like the buggy whip of the past: OVER! FINISHED! NO MORE! HELLO! WAKE UP RIAA. YOU CAN'T DO BUSINESS THE SAME WAY YOU USED TO! People aren't willing to pay the fare you ask. Now that I’ve vented, I say let the RIAA single handedly destroy their business. I say go for it boys! Have fun. I'll watch and read the news as your receipts dwindle to nothing in spite of your best intentions. There is one thing you forget: you can't sell us something we don't want to buy. Try harder and harder. Make the government mandate that we can't have our iPods and we have to license radio like in the UK. Make it impossible for electronic manufactures to build something consumers want. Relive the Sony BetaMax all over again and again. There's nothing I like more than watching a good messy fight to the finish. Then when the dust is all settled, we can listen to the music the way we want to. The consumers will win this in the end. It’s just that some people are impatient.
- UltraNurd, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1I'm not sure a boycott would actually work - many people would still buy new releases in numbers sufficient to keep the RIAA members afloat (when combined with their government assistance), and meanwhile, my workday would be missing a key source of entertainment.
- DIGGtheBOX, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0I CAN"T BELIEVE IT!!
I am in the same boat as many entering this discussion. I feel strongly enough to join an online discussion for the first time. We've got to get the word out on how to bring this change in law to an abrupt end. I, personally don't know the answer but will sure be searching for one. BILL AND REBECCA, I'm officially joining the unnamed army to fight for you! I personally feel bad for never having the funds to donate to you, even though you've added a priceless amount of enjoyment to my life. Here is my ultimate donation: I will fight to the end to make sure the last seven years of your lives have not been in vain!!!
Internet radio is by far a better medium for exposure than FM could ever be. Every piece of music I've bought in the last two years has been something I heard on Radio Paradise. Without question if it wasn't for Internet Radio I would never have been exposed to these bands. By shutting down Internet Radio, and lets face it, thats what the RIAA is doing here, they are loosing these dollars. I'm not going to buy a song or album of a band that you can hear every five minutes on FM, or XM for that matter.
"The RIAA will never have any heart or soul, but they need to at least, grow a brain" ... SO TRUE!
**LONG LIVE RADIOPARADISE** - gwynwyffar, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0I listen to RadioParadise all day at work, 5 days a week and often when doing work at home on my PC during the weekends. Like many posters above, I've purchased new music that I first heard on RP. I really don't understand what the RIAA is thinking to price these internet radio stations out of the business when so much more music is being heard and eventually purchased due to the 'net radio stations.
- rengeek, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2I have been running an internet radio station since 1999 (http://renradio.com). When the current fees were put in place I had to cut out 2 channels (ones at different bit rates) so I could afford to keep broadcasting. It cut my listenership in half and doubled my broadcasting cost. This new rate will cause me to shut down completely. I just don't have the energy anymore. It really makes me sad that so many niche artist and small bands will never be heard.
- rtrudeau, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1Radio Paradise is the best thing that ever happened to my music collection and the worst thing that ever happened to my wallet. I have been introduced to and then purchased more music in the past year of listening to RP than in the past 10 years put together. Anyone who thinks that internet radio is taking money away from the artists who produce music just doesn't get it. Isn't it wonderful that we have a place to listen to eclectic music, without commercial interruption, 24 hours a day? Long live internet radio! Long live Radio Paradise!
- MindOfWinter, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0Apart from NPR for my commute, I never listen to any terrestrial radio. It's a vast wasteland of commercial crap and crappy commercials.
I've bought far more music (on CD and from iTunes) that I've heard at Radio Paradise and on other Net stations than I ever would have from listening to any terrestrial radio stations.
And this whole "let's charge Internet radio higher royalties" thing is crazy talk. - UltraNurd, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1I've been listening to RP regularly at work for almost two years, as well as previously during two summer jobs. I've been a supporting listener since I was gainfully employed. This internet station represents all that community music should be, in my mind - and it has been directly responsible for the purchase of dozens of songs from iTunes as well as a dozen or so CDs. Not much music - but that's most of the music I've bought in the last year or so.
- ScottFromWyo, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1I'd like to clarify a couple of points, if possible. Of course they're made perfectly clear in the actual article, but...
1. All radio stations currently pay royalties to the composers of the music. FM and RadioParadise both bay ASCAP and BMI and SESAC royalties. This is about royalties for the performer, which is agreed by all (except FM) to be a valid royalty. Reading the article, however, you'll see that the record companies manage to keep essentially all of these royalties without distributing the money to the performers. That's why Bill wrote that it's hard to write the check for 10–12% of his monthly gross--because it never makes it to the artists.
2. 125% of Gross is impossible to maintain for any business (for very long) so it's not reasonable by any standard. If the same fees were forced on FM, FM would be destroyed as well. The merits of that bear investigation. ;-) However even if the number is reduced to some less-but-still obscene number, say 30% of gross, remember that this is in addition to the ASCAP/BMI royalties, employee salaries, bandwidth costs, ---all other business costs. Ask any business owner if they could survive paying 10% off the top, they'd probably say yes. Many would say no. But 20% gets very very hard for any business to sustain. - Diggjwolf, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1I just got off the phone with my Congressman's office http://www.house.gov/writerep/ and emailed the CRB http://www.loc.gov/crb/contact/. If any of you care about the future of Internet radio I suggest each of you do the same as we await for further orders from General Bill.
- DIGGtheBOX, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1Good on ya mate! It's good to see fellow soldiers joining the ranks!
What happened when you called your Congressman's office?
- DIGGtheBOX, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1Good on ya mate! It's good to see fellow soldiers joining the ranks!
- Diggjwolf, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1Had a long conversation explaining the history of RIAA paranoia and how they always managed to survive. I was told they would pass along my feedback to both the Congressman as well as to his staff-member in charge of Technology/Telecom-related issues and contact me with updates. It may not be a vote-getting issue but it's definitely an important one. I'll keep this board posted on any replies I get from them or from the CRB. Next up, I'm calling Greg Kot at the Chicago Tribune and ask him to write an article on the topic. I imagine we can also expect a scathing report from Rolling Stone magazine in their next issue.
- KurtfromLaQui, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0I've been a Radio Paradise listener for almost six years now, and would find it difficult to survive without it's great selection of music.It's hard to find ANY decent music anywhere on the FM dial. In fact, I discovered Radio Paradise back when the last mess occured on the internet, when all the FM stations dropped off because of money issues with advertisers. I hope this mess gets ironed out soon. It would be a tragic waste to see this soure of entertainment disolve and two fine people (Bill and Rebecca) lose what they took so long to build up. Not to mention all of the R.P. community that's there. (I wouldn't want to see those guys wandering out in the streets).
- UltraNurd, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1Oh yeah. Most RPers are certifiable :oD.
- CerebralKungFu, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0The music industry has its sphincter too tightly encircling its neck! Before the rise of internet radio it had been over a decade since I purchased music. Most of the music getting radio airplay was just aggravating commercial garbage and I was just bored to death listening to it. But due to the deep playlists and outstanding variety played on RadioParadise and RadioIO, I've grown to love and enjoy music and real creativity again. I've gradually increased my spending over the past five years and now purchase dozens of CDs at my local music store every year and grab tracks from online sources on a regular basis. If they kill this wellspring of creative playlists then I'll probably just go comatose again, and of course find another place to put my disposable income. I hope they pull their heads out and negotiate fair royalty agreements with fine internet radio providers so we don't fall back to the dark ages of music variety.
- bofis, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0I have long disliked the RIAA and everything they do, I've also been very depressed by the current state of FM radio in our country thanks to Clear Channel and other corporate-radio. However, through it all, I have had Radio Paradise to introduce me to fantastic new music I would not have been exposed to otherwise. It is absurd and wrong that they want to impose even more royalties on Internet Radio broadcasts, especially since their royalties to the RIAA were already higher than that of a real RM station (as in they had to pay while radio stations don't). I hope everyone spreads the word and together we can force a change here, because really I've been to more concerts and purchased more CD's in the years I've been listening to Radio Pardise, than I ever would if my only source of new music was traditional FM radio, which only plays about 10 songs, 3 of which are Aerosmith.
- Apostolou, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1Radio Paradise is the solution to a problem that concerns music lovers not just in the US. In today's Germany your choices of listening to music are severely limited by the fact that most FM stations play the same top 40 day in day out. Event the Oldie-Format stations play old "top 40" hits.
From what I read it seems that the record industry has gotten to the point where they completely control the airwaves in the western world. I can understand that they do not approve of independent Internet stations because they do not play the programming the industry would like them to play.
A lot of people ´have written that they stopped buying music cds until they discovered Radio Paradise. Only then did a lot of people started buying music again. Unfortunately that music is not the music that the industry wants you to buy.
For every "Porcupine Tree", "Blackfield", "Calexico" ... CD that you buy because of Radio Paradise you will not buy a Brittney-, Madonna- or Robby-Product. It's really not about royalties but about control what you hear ... and therefore buy.
This issue is far bigger than just royalties - this is about freedom of information. - evagun, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0If this threat comes true it will be a fatal blow to the internet and free (and commercial-free) information in the world. This is absolutely worth fighting for. Let's hope it will never happen. Not only for the sake of Radio Paradise (which i s simply the best!!) but for the sake of democracy.
- storms1961, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1Solidarity brothers and sisters. Let us do what it takes to keep RP reaching all corners of this globe.
- AlexDinamo, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1I think internet radio is extremely important for cultural diversity. Don't let it die!
- scott.myers, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0I wholly agree that RadioParadise is great and needs our support. I support them in spirit and in deed (money, too!) And, because of this latest insanity, I think even less of RIAA (I didn't think such was possible!) than ever before -- killing-off a source of profit doesn't seem like a sound business tactic to me. Greedy ego-filled bullies (i.e., RIAA)! And they wonder why CD sales are down... go figure. Dummies...
- dick1941, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0I listen to CelticRadio almost every working day. They linked to RP, which is how I wound up here. I will contact my congresscreature and my senators about this issue. I'm not too hopeful about the two senators, since they are pretty well corporate owned, but my congresscreature has been known to respond to public pressure as he is only in his second term and not guaranteed of coasting on name recognition alone. Let's all get to work on this or be prepared to listen to Mindless Radio the rest of our lives.
- lazaerus, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0I had a question that maybe someone could answer... if this passes will the satellite companies (such as DirectTV) have to pay the same outrageous royalties?
If I’m not listening to Radio Paradise I’m listening to satellite radio over the TV, I hardly ever listen to the radio. I purchase more CD’s than I ever have in my lifetime because I get to hear such a diverse range of music from internet and satellite radio. The fact is, my wife doesn’t like it when I listen to Radio Paradise… she says I have too many CD’s already!
The RIAA does what so many greedy organizations do “step over a dollar to pick up a dime.” Won’t be the first time, nor the last, that a greedy company slit their own throat to gather the pearls. - SPACEDOG64, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0I'm sure I echo the majority here by standing firmly behind Radio Paradise and other internet radio stations' concerns over these unjust "royalty" fees. But the cynic inside of me says that unless a group can positively affect the bottom line of those who are in a position of controlling these issues equitably for all concerned, we may be fighting a losing battle. I urge everyone to sign the petition, make the issue highly visible, and hope for a fair resolution to be arranged. I would dearly miss RP, and the sad fact remains that money and power are still the only things that appear to matter to our precious elected officials. There must be a way to break this cycle.
- Jellocat25, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0Unbelievable. Truly. There should be flash mobs in every city with flyers and posters to take to record stores and anywhere else they can with info about this so mom and pop America will be aware of what's going on behind the curtain. I fear that all of this is just preaching to the converted. How do you reach the moronic mainstream?
- siandbeth, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0I listen only to Radio Paradise and hear new music all the time - then I go and buy the CD if I like it enough. I'm sure there are better ways to make sure the Record companies oops I mean Artists can collect royalties from all profiting parties. I will make an effort to call my Congressperson, who is a fair minded and intelligent person (who knew? In goverment no less!) and ask him to please look into this issue
- bigtwistee, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0Its all about greed and political puppetry. The RIAA is using congress to control the competitive landscape in favor of huge congloms like XM Radio and Clearchannel. I would be heartbroken by the demise of Radio Paradise, but the larger issue is who owns and runs this country. Sadly this development proves that it is big business and their lawyers.
- thinkcooper, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0Radio Paradise and SOMA FM are two of the most outstanding resources on the internet. The thought of their potential demise due to an out of balance, heavy handed licensing fee action by the RIAA is worthy of extending the March RIAA boycott. For info on the boycott, check out this link:
http://gizmodo.com/gadgets/riaa-boycott/ - liquidwebsite, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0I can 69th it (hey it's not the 2nd comment, it's the 69th), I too love Radio Paradise.
Can say that most of my exposure to new music is through them and would be sad to see the royalty crush in effect.
30 gigs of mp3's and I still look to internet radio for new music!
And yeah, I buy from iTunes or rip from my 500 cd collection. - charley11, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0Up until the last year or so, I would rarely buy cds. I hate FM radio (especially the car dealership ads...can't turn the radio off fast enough) and the main way that I would discover new music was if I heard something on a movie soundtrack that caught my ear. Since discovering Radio Paradise a little over a year ago, I've bought Patty Griffin's entire collection, most of Elvis Costello's stuff, 4 Porcupine Tree cd's (I'll be buying more), all of BRMC's cd's and at least 30 individual cd's by various artists that I was unfamiliar with such as Tina Dico, Heather Nova, Morcheeba, Kasabian and many more. RP is how I discover music I feel is worth buying. And it's not just indie artists ...I discovered Snow Patrol on RP which I understand gets heavy airplay on commercial radio but I would never have known it. Internet radio reaches a whole segment of the population that FM radio will never reach and we tend to be very passionate about music and we BUY what we love. I buy through the Amazon link on RP as often as possible to support the station as well as give monetary support when possible. We love RP and will do what we can to fight this rate hike.
- awanan, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0Not having Radio Paradise available for me to listen to each and every day for hours at a time would have a huge impact on me. I'm trying not to think of my day without it. This can't be allowed to happen.
I'm much more depressed than angry at this point. :( - EricLee31, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0Long-time listener, long-time contributor. For the record, RP is the only internet station I like enough to contribute to - ever since the death of KSCA in L.A., it's the only station I have found (terrestrial, satellite OR internet) that I like almost all of the time. If for no other reason than to save RP, I am happy to throw my hat in the ring to support renewing the royalty structure that was in place previously.
Moreover, to let internet radio, as a segment, die because of this makes us ALL losers. I'm also writing my Congressman over this.
I concur with many previous posters that my CD purchasing has gone up significantly since discovering RP and a few other internet stations and that activity will naturally cease entirely if I don't hear new music that I actually like and at present, there is NO other outlet for me to do that. - ronniewood, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0A friend introduced me to RP in 2004 and I have listened to NOTHING ELSE since. I would be lost without it. And like everyone else, I buy more CDs now than I ever did. So much music, so little time!
- NHMick, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0@willief and others,
I pretty much listed to RP all day, every day. Since joining RP I've been keeping a list of new artists and music to buy, taking notes as I hear cool new songs that I had not heard anywhere else. That list (in a standard Word document) is now about 4 pages long, and I've purchased more CDs and more itunes music in the past 2 years than I have in the past 10 years combined. We gotta keep RP and Internet radio alive! - Amaruca, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1There's no replacement for Radio Paradise, XM and Sirius are pathetic in comparison.
- stevesancarlos, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0Radio Paradise is an excellent station...but not the only Internet station I listen to. And that's the point. If you love RP, and/or Pandora, and/or SOMA FM, and/or any one of a # of other Internet radio stations, then now is the time to do something. Go to http:saveourstreams.org to learn what you can do. Otherwise the creative, free-form programming that millions of us have come to depend on will be squelched out of existence.
- Sasha2001, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0Its quite remarkable how creative and "dead on" Radio Paradise is with regard to playing great music you've never heard before or great music you haven't heard in a while. I discovered RP through iTunes like, four weeks ago and now it's by my side whenever I'm at the computer. It's great to think what Bill and Rebecca have accomplished, just look at the outpouring of support.
I wasn't alive during FM's earliest days but, is RP anything like that? From Big Head Todd to Alice in Chains, wow. - pbungart, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0How ironic. As other people have noted, I listen to RP (or SomaFM, or other eclectic stations) at my office, would write down new songs/artists that pique my interest, and head down to the indie music store literally on the corner & maybe pick up a cd. Well, the cd store closed last Saturday, & now internet radio is threatened. God, why?
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