| Weenie Juke Radio is Off The Air
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 July 15th, 2007 - Thanks to Sound Exchange, the RIAA and the Copyright Royalty Board of the Library of Congress, the Weenie Juke has been forced to shut down.Were we to stay on the air, we could be forced to pay unfair performance royalty rates that equal approximately 100% of our total revenue, and which would equal more than twice that as rates increased each year until 2010. We are not against paying royalties and fully believe in supporting artists who make music, even though most of the artists we play have long been dead and gone. We also believe in paying for music and have encouraged listeners to purchase CDs from the labels that put out the country blues music we love. We are, however, against extortionate rates determined by those who care nothing about music and musicians -- only about cash. Not cash in the hands of artists, but in the pockets of executives, corporate lawyers and shareholders. Should Sound Exchange’s rates stand, hobby webcasters, medium-sized webcasters and even large webcasting companies will be forced to stop broadcasting, as no individual or company will be able to afford the fees. The current “reprieve” proposed by Sound Exchange is purposefully vague, and it is unclear what we would be legally bound to pay were we to stay on the air, since their existing rates and policies still stand as of July 15, 2007, until newer, more sensible rates have been negotiated or Congress passes the Internet Radio Equality Act. The statement by Sound Exchange that they will not enforce the royalty rates yet applies only to those large companies that went before the Copyright Royalty Board. It is unclear what the position is on small webcasting operations like the Weenie Juke. This is why we encourage U.S. listeners to continue calling your representatives in Congress and the Senate. Visit the SaveNetRadio website at www.savenetradio.org to see how to voice your opposition to the Sound Exchange rates and get stations like the Weenie Juke back on the air. Ask them to support H.R. 2060 in the House and S. 1353 in the Senate – the Internet Radio Equality Act. The Internet Radio Equality Act recommends that webcasters be subject to a percentage-based royalty system similar to the 7.5-percent-of-revenue fee structure paid by satellite and cable radio broadcasters. Don’t let Sound Exchange, the RIAA and big business tell you what music you can listen to, or determine where and how you can hear it. This is not about getting royalties for actual performing artists, whom Sound Exchange claim to represent. It is an attempt to preserve the hold on the music industry by a few large record corporations who have not been farsighted enough to change their business model to cope with the new market created by the Internet. It is about corporate bullying, and if it stands, it will hurt, not help, independent artists and musicians everywhere. Send a message today. For all of our supporters and our listeners around the world, we are sad that we have to shut down the Juke and hope to be back on the air when a reasonable model for performance royalties has been negotiated. Cordially yours, Weenie Campbell |
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