Your help is needed!

[CelticRadio]

We need your help! On May 22, 2002 the Copyright Arbitration Royalty Panel (CARP) recommendations could become law, and if they do, this and thousand of other independent web broadcasters could vanish from the internet - forever changing how you listen to music.

Momentum is building over the past few days. CNN has had a feature for the past 3 days on this issue.

Please read our frontpage for more details and write to your representative or state senator. We have posted an open letter to Senator Edward M. Kennedy if you want to use our content if you decide to write your representative.

[Mel]

How can I help if I'm in Canada???

[scottish2]

I'll write my congresscritter!

And Mel while you may not have a rep being from Canada you could always write President Bush and voice your opinion as to the fact that if this law passes it will not only effect the US but the entire world and the US Government does not have the right to control the entire world. Or something to that effect. Anyways here is the Presidents E-Mail.

Also be forewarned he may never actuaolly read it but worth a shot anyways.

[email protected]

As for those in the states get your reps addresses here

US House of Representatives
US Senate

We need to remind them who is the boss and that we can have them publically recalled should they want to buck their bosses. How many jobs do you know of where the employee does anything they #### (Excuse my french gals) well please. They work for us not Big Corporate America!!!

[maggiemahone1]

Thanks for posting this again.  This thing upsets me to no-end.  We really need to ban together as a community and try to stop this totally outrageous act against internet radio. When I'm at the computer this is what I listen to most of the time when I'm at home.  Thanks for keeping us updated on this dire situation.

maggiemahone1

[Mel]

Thanks for the suggestion, I'll do i for sure! We can't the sitution get worst!  It makes me so angry to see that they try to rule every thing on the Net! Please let us  breath! We  don't do anything wrong!
Grrrrr!  

[CelticRadio]

Quote (Mel @ May 02 2002,9:21)

Thanks for the suggestion, I'll do i for sure! We can't the sitution get worst!  It makes me so angry to see that they try to rule every thing on the Net! Please let us  breath! We  don't do anything wrong! Grrrrr!

Another idea for people outside of the U.S. is to write to the two senators and representatives from Massachuesetts where we are based. Simply state that you are writing on behalf of Paul MacArthur, Highlander Radio, Braintree, MA.

Read more information at: saveinternetradio.org

[scottish2]

In Fact good idea is this. Forward to them Paul's letter as is. I plan on forwarding his letter to my senators and adding a few lines of personal support to it. That way they can read his story for themselves and see how this new law could be quite harmful to the little guy while once again letting big business abuse it's power.

Great Letter Paul.  

[scottish2]

OK Folks no excuse. I just found this tonight and if it does what it says is a great free way to FAX congress. Just make sure to change the subject line on the E-Mail form that pops up.

http://www.isn.org/lobby/faxcongress.html

Please not this list is not 100% up to date as it still has Klinton (Not a typo ) listed as president so make sure you have the correct reps. Good example is my state my congressman died a couple years ago and replaced yet he's still in this list while the new guy isn't so double check your current reps with this list before sending to someone not in office any more!!!

[Mel]

I just send my email to Senator Kerry. All right guys, it takes 5 minutes so please take the time save the net radios of the country (and of the world!!

Please...  

[scottish2]

Great!

OK guys and Gals thats 3 how many more of you have writting in support of Paul, Highlander Radio & Internet Radio?

If you are listening to the broadcast I ask you to mute the sound for just a minute, 60 Seconds and listen and see what you hear. Did you hear the music of your ancestors playing? I didn't and this is what could happen if we let Big Corporate America screw us again.

I have personally given you all the links needed to put a stop to this. Are you willing to join forces with Paul, Mel & myself to stop Corporate America from running over our rights???

[kylassie]

Well, I certainly have added my two cents worth! I used the form to send out 3 letters, and emailed it to the 2 Senators and our 1 Representative in this area.

[CelticRadio]

You are all great! Thanks so much for your support and helping us this way!

I think on Monday I am going to call both Senator Kennedy and Kerry's office. The saveinternetradio.org site has a script on what to say. I am also going to appeal to Senator Kennedy's office in particular, knowing that he is very "Irish" American and also very influential.

What really does not make sense about this whole thing is that traditional AM/FM radio stations do not pay royalty fees. Why? Because they fought the RIAA over it and won. Their point was that playing a musicians music is considered promoting and is repayment for any sort of rights to broadcast.

But, because the majority of webcasters are small, the RIAA has the perfect opportunity to flex its muscle and in one swop eliminate 1000's of stations that hard working honest Americans have created over the past 5 years. Why? So they can control the content. What was originally agreed to, like traditional radio stations, was that 3% of all revenue generated by the station would pay for royalties. New stations that did not generate revenue initially would not have to pay.

As an example, given the current total listening hours per month for Highlander Radio we would need to pay about $3,000 a month in fees! THat is why all us web broadcasters are upset. The fees are not fair, they are designed to kill our stations.

My personal feeling is that the big music corporations want to charge you a fee to listen to internet radio. Like everything else on the internet today! And this attempt will give them more leverage in charging a fee.

Our one hope is that Congress did not intend for webcasters to be bankrupted out of business. Their mandate was for the copyright office to work with both parties in establishing fair rates. Their intent was for diversity and culture to be created for a benefit to the citizens of the U.S.

Well, hope that explains it all without reading all of this legal pages on the issue. Again thanks for all of your action on this matter! We are going to fight this to the end!

Paul

[scottish2]

Well if that is what congress intened we will have to force them to repeal that law or threaten to vote them out of office or even publically recall them for failure to look out for the interests of their constituents!!!

[scottish2]

Hi Gang

Was listening to the broadcast this afternoon and got a new E-Mail address for you to contact it's for the Librarian of Congress write them as well and complain.

[email protected]

[maggiemahone1]

I sent emails and faxes to my state senators and I am glad to say that Senator Rockefeller (WV senator) sent me an email today and is going to respond by U.S. mail. I am going to keep a positive attitude toward this problem and hope for the best!

maggiemahone1