Internet radio streamers hope to draw attention to coming higher music licensing fees through a “day of silence” next week. Greater Media is among those that will temporarily take its stations’ webcasts off-line.
Streamers want to encourage listeners to lobby their representatives to support the Internet Radio Act.
Streaming media provider Liquid Compass and program source SBR Custom Channels issued statements of support for the June 26 “Internet Radio Day of Silence.”
“With prior approval, Liquid Compass and SBR Custom Channels will replace a client’s station(s) live stream or side channel(s) with a brief (non-station-specific) pre-recorded looped message encouraging listeners to act by calling or writing their representatives to support the IREA,” they stated.
One take on the situation is offered by Chris Taylor of Business 2.0 Magazine via CNN, who calls the approaching fee increase a “ludicrously high bill (that) could well cripple this promising young industry in its crib.”