ENCINO, CA. (Top40 Charts/ Edge Communication) - Bid4Spots (www.bid4Spots.com) today announced that it stands in solidarity with
Internet broadcasters on this 'Day of Silence,' designed to call attention to the immediate threat to
Internet radio due to royalty rate increases set by the Copyright Royalty Board.
'Although Bid4Spots doesn't have a stream to silence, we want the industry to know we stand with the broadcasters in their fight to save Internet radio,' said Dave Newmark, Bid4Spots CEO. 'As a business we're looking forward to getting this issue resolved, so we can all get back to what we like to do – which, for us, is helping broadcasters generate advertising revenue.'
Today, thousands of U.S.-based webcasters plan to turn off the music and go silent, to draw attention to the impending royalty rate increase that, if implemented, would lead to the virtual shutdown of this country's Internet radio industry. On Thursday, June 28, the House Committee on Small Business will hold a hearing to assess the effects of the increase on recording artists and webcasters.
Rockie Thomas manages Bid4Spots' Internet Radio Division and is an independent broadcaster herself. She silenced her stream today. 'These new fees will crush this industry, hurting thousands of broadcasters and millions of listeners worldwide. Broadcasters both large and small are participating in today's Day of Silence, and there's widespread support for the webcasters inside and outside the industry, and from across the political spectrum. We hope the lawmakers will listen to the people.'
The Internet radio industry 'Day of Silence' was organized by Radio and Internet Newsletter (RAIN): 'In this case, 'silence' is an extremely appropriate metaphor, since silence may be what listeners hear from most webcasters starting on July 16th,' says Kurt Hanson, publisher of RAIN: Radio And Internet Newsletter (www.kurthanson.com), and founder of AccuRadio.
According to Hanson, major webcasters like Yahoo! Launchcast, Rhapsody, and Pandora.com will silence their streams along with other Day of Silence participants like KCRW.org, Live365, MTV Online, Radioio, RadioParadise, AccuRadio and many independent online broadcasters.
For more information, visit https://www.kurthanson.com and https://www.savenetradio.org.
