Comments on: One Step Closer to Saving Net Radio http://www.joemanna.com/blog/one-step-closer-to-saving-net-radio/ Tech News, Social Media & Politics From a Geek Thu, 20 Nov 2008 14:52:55 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.6.3 By: So, Internet Radio is Dead … Now What? - DygiScape http://www.joemanna.com/blog/one-step-closer-to-saving-net-radio/#comment-6582 So, Internet Radio is Dead … Now What? - DygiScape Tue, 15 May 2007 01:25:48 +0000 http://www.joemanna.com/blog/one-step-closer-to-saving-net-radio/#comment-6582 [...] Pandora and the impact of Copyright Royalty Board’s royalty rate increase. I predict that the Internet Radio Equality Act will die in the House. There is just too large of a gap between politicians and Internet users. [...] [...] Pandora and the impact of Copyright Royalty Board’s royalty rate increase. I predict that the Internet Radio Equality Act will die in the House. There is just too large of a gap between politicians and Internet users. [...]

]]> By: Junkyard Willie http://www.joemanna.com/blog/one-step-closer-to-saving-net-radio/#comment-5429 Junkyard Willie Thu, 03 May 2007 05:44:25 +0000 http://www.joemanna.com/blog/one-step-closer-to-saving-net-radio/#comment-5429 Ah what the hell, I couldn't resist: 09-F9-11-02-9D-74-E3-5B-D8-41-56-C5-63-56-88-C0 Ah what the hell, I couldn’t resist:

09-F9-11-02-9D-74-E3-5B-D8-41-56-C5-63-56-88-C0

]]> By: Junkyard Willie http://www.joemanna.com/blog/one-step-closer-to-saving-net-radio/#comment-5428 Junkyard Willie Thu, 03 May 2007 04:31:05 +0000 http://www.joemanna.com/blog/one-step-closer-to-saving-net-radio/#comment-5428 Ah, the good old days- when copyright enforcement was lax and Maddox was funny. I think it's important to draw the distinction between arguable fair use such as streaming internet radio and outright infringement, such as teenage torrent users trafficking terabytes of Will Ferrell movies and Fall Out Boy albums. The RIAA/MPAA *wants* those two connected in the mind of the public to de-legitimize the internet radio stations (guilt by association). What's needed is to show the viability of non-infringing distributed business models (e.g. legal download services serving non-DRM'ed music, non-RIAA affiliated independent music, etc). I'm as big a critic of the RIAA/MPAA as the next guy and certainly won't get on the "I've never downloaded" high horse- because I have- but saying "every time they try to enforce copyright law I'll break it more often" is giving them what they want. It's like speeding faster every time they lower the speed limit- ironic yes, gratifying maybe; but it only lets the authority say "I told you so" as they justify more restrictions. I say *don't* give them what they want- don't live up to the stereotype of the filesharing freeloader; take your money to legal services, support non RIAA artists, and sign petitions. Hell, write your congresscritter- doesn't Slashdot have like 3x10e9 hourly visitors or something? Imagine getting that kind of unified front to a politician- they would recognize that for the huge voting bloc that it is. They even support illegal immigration these days in the hopes that the 12mil illegals will vote for them some day. Imagine one of their staffers saying "uh sir, 65mil internet users want minor changes to obscure copyright law- if we can swing it they're ours." If you can get enough people to present the temptation to pander inherent in all politicians, maybe you can overcome the financial temptations that RIAA/MPAA entice them with. Ah, the good old days- when copyright enforcement was lax and Maddox was funny.

I think it’s important to draw the distinction between arguable fair use such as streaming internet radio and outright infringement, such as teenage torrent users trafficking terabytes of Will Ferrell movies and Fall Out Boy albums. The RIAA/MPAA *wants* those two connected in the mind of the public to de-legitimize the internet radio stations (guilt by association). What’s needed is to show the viability of non-infringing distributed business models (e.g. legal download services serving non-DRM’ed music, non-RIAA affiliated independent music, etc). I’m as big a critic of the RIAA/MPAA as the next guy and certainly won’t get on the “I’ve never downloaded” high horse- because I have- but saying “every time they try to enforce copyright law I’ll break it more often” is giving them what they want.

It’s like speeding faster every time they lower the speed limit- ironic yes, gratifying maybe; but it only lets the authority say “I told you so” as they justify more restrictions. I say *don’t* give them what they want- don’t live up to the stereotype of the filesharing freeloader; take your money to legal services, support non RIAA artists, and sign petitions. Hell, write your congresscritter- doesn’t Slashdot have like 3×10e9 hourly visitors or something? Imagine getting that kind of unified front to a politician- they would recognize that for the huge voting bloc that it is. They even support illegal immigration these days in the hopes that the 12mil illegals will vote for them some day. Imagine one of their staffers saying “uh sir, 65mil internet users want minor changes to obscure copyright law- if we can swing it they’re ours.”

If you can get enough people to present the temptation to pander inherent in all politicians, maybe you can overcome the financial temptations that RIAA/MPAA entice them with.

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