Thug Life Army

With all the changes that have come about, and that are going to come about, to commercial hip hop radio due to the Don Imus affair, it is more important than ever to save internet radio. Internet radio is one of the last resources we have for real hip hop. We as the community of hip hop need to keep it real and since commercial radio doesn’t, or now can’t, internet hip hop radio is an important part of hip hop culture.

Internet radio is in danger of becoming a thing of the past. This will not only affect the hip hop community but the death of internet radio will change the landscape of what we not only what music we hear, but what news and opinions we will hear and by who.

Many hip hop based internet stations will have to shut down, (TLARadio.com and CRNLive.com included) if H.R. 2060 - the Internet Radio Equality Act is not passed. They always say you don''t know what you got till it's gone and we surely don''t want to find out to late. Hip Hop stand up - use our numbers to save net radio.

Representatives Jay Inslee (D-WA) and Donald Manzullo (R-IL) have introduced the Internet Radio Equality Act. Please ask your representative to co – sponsor this bill. This bill just introduced in Congress that will save Internet radio from the devastating royalty fee increases that will put thousands of Internet webcasters out of business on May 15th.  Please call your Representative in Congress as soon as possible and urge them to co-sponsor H.R. 2060, the Internet Radio Equality Act. Please visit SaveNetRadio.org to find out how to get at your rep and ask them for their support.

With that said 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.

Visit SaveNetRadio http://www.savenetradio.org