Net Radio Marches on Washington-Webcasters and Artists Urge Congress to Save Net Radio

WASHINGTON, May 1 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The SaveNetRadio coalition took its message to Washington today as more than 70 webcasters, artists, and labels met with nearly 100 members of the 110th Congress to ask for their support of the Internet Radio Equality Act. The Hill Walk is part of a two- day schedule in the nation's capital that began yesterday with a Congressional staff briefing and a Pandora live meet-up, followed by a jam session in Washington's popular U Street corridor featuring artists supporting Net Radio.

Today's meetings will focus squarely on urging Congress to support H.R. 2060, introduced on April 26th by Congressmen Jay Inslee (D-WA) and Donald Mazullo (R-IL) to save Internet radio webcasters from the devastating 300-1200 percent increase in royalty fees imposed by the March 2nd Copyright Royalty Board (CRB) decision. The bill has already garnered more than 25 cosponsors in its first business day since introduction.

"Millions of Internet radio listeners, webcasters and artists are fighting for the very future of the vibrant industry they depend on, and today they brought that fight to Congress," Jake Ward from SaveNetRadio said. "The threat looming over Internet radio is very real and will not discriminate. The royalty rate increase imposed by the Copyright Royalty Board will bankrupt small webcasters immediately and put larger webcasters out of business in the coming months. No one benefits from an increase in royalty rates that will bankrupt the industry. As Pandora's Joe Kennedy has said repeatedly, "dead webcasters pay no royalties."

SaveNetRadio also released the attached chart explaining how the royalty increases will affect small and large alike. The chart will be distributed to Congressional staff during today's meetings.

The first payment required by the Copyright Royalty Board decision is due May 15th. That payment alone will bankrupt a large majority of webcasters on May 15th. Since the March 2nd decision, more than 400,000 supporting webcasters, artists, labels and listeners have already weighed in with Congress.