I have webcasted here in years prior, but recently started up a new webstation here in the midst of all this CRB stuff. I hope that the powers that be come to their sences and keep this legal and affordable for everyone. I have always enjoyed music, music has gotten me through some hard times, and some of the music I play on my station is truley unheard of elsewhere. It's not about ripping artist off, it's about sharing the music we love with the world legally. I don't mind paying reasonable royalties, but behind the website and the avatar on my station page is a simple, paycheck to paycheck man with a family to support. Webcasting is not my bread and butter business, it's one of my hobbies. If BeanJelly Radio becomes even a remotely successfull station, then under these rates, the amount of money I would have to pay would be more than the gross pay I make at my full time job in the real world.

"Life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness". That's a phrase that carries and retains power. That's a phrase that took on extra meaning for me when my pursuit of happiness took a drastic upswing on June 27th 2008 when I started my internet radio station on Live365.com. June 27th, by the way is also my birthday. The date I was born nearly 40 years ago into this country. As far as I'm concerned, I entered into a contract with my country the day my birth certificate was signed and I was named a citizen of it. You music industry types understand the concept of contracts, right? "Life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness". That was explicitly stated in the contract made to me by my country, written by the very founders of this country itself. Well, I would like to tell my elected officials and the representatives of the recording industry's withered old guard, that as far as I'm concerned, I've been holding up my end of the bargain, and I expect my country to have the integrity to do the same. I have been pursuing my happiness and I have found it in music. I have found it in starting my internet radio show. I have found it in celebrating the ways that the human race creates, enjoys and shares music are evolving into a new era. My happiness, by the way, is non-negotiable. The future of music is already being made by those intelligent enough to see that these new business shifts were a long time in coming - compensation for the creative will never be lacking. Why should internet broadcasters have to pay extra for the shortsightedness of a bloated industry that catastrophically dropped the ball? An easily lobbed softball, I should add. The pursuits of internet radio's strongest opponents moved far away from happiness somewhere along the way and I prefer to be where I am in my own pursuits. Scooping up happiness in armfuls and trying to throw it around to everyone else around the world, with whom I have a much larger contract to uphold. I'll say it one final time, in part because it in itself is music if you pay attention: "Life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness". And I'll add another pesky phrase that seems to have staying power: "Money doesn't buy you happiness". It is absurd to me to imagine anyone could not do the math.

I know that the royalties are mainly aimed at the bigger broadcasters and sites selling music they don't own. But we as the small broadcaster will never have a chance if they win against those who are cheating the system which don't care because they have the money to pay any high fines. In the mean time I see it forcing the small broadcaster to one break the law and risk getting caught. 2. Not trying at all never giving their dream or creative style to have a chance. But most importantly. Those who can can't afford to play the old music because it won't be profitable. They'll always be reaching for the new hot material. Older artists who didn't plan ahead and got jerked by companies will wind up on welfare roles. So were do you want a be when your a senior? On a page in book just fading away and forgotten because of the necesity to survive by choosing only the new hot artists. Are one of the few who looked at the price and said I can't afford that. Just throw in the white towel. Seems to me the old timers still alive would be worried the most about their music being played. The newer generation would be worried because one day they'll be one of those old timers and no longer a hot enough item to market. I think it should be up to the artists who created the music to decide what is fair. But they have to realize what is fair to us if they want a survive in the music industry. It is us the broadcasters who keep them alive no matter wether its am/fm radio or internet radio. They use to send demo's to radio stations just to get airplay. Now we have to pay? Times have changed. The cd market sales is limited to cd's you can burn on. Solution isn't easy but they do need to lighten up if they want the market to grow and make money. They need to fight to keep every broadcaster they can online.

I have always dreamed of running a variety radio station and live365.com helped me reach that dream in November, 2007. Now to find out that I may have to pay up to a 300% increase in Royalties, has me thinking that the "Big Boy Broadcasting Companies" may have a lot to do with that. They own the airwaves and that's not enough! E-mail your representative and tell them enough is enough. If that bill passes, Star 99 Spring Hill will end up closing shop before it even begins.

Thrash Unlimited Radio was created to provide an avenue for international thrash metal artists. We locate bands in the most remote areas of the world and bring their music to the airwaves. Most of these bands have NEVER been heard outside of their native countries and most do not have any type of "recording contract." Implementing the CRB's royality rates would surely shut us down and these bands will not be heard. There is indeed something criminal here...

I been on the air for over a year. I think Live 365 is a wonderful thing because, you get a chance to create and produce information to the World on things like AiDS, Drugs and ect. Not just Music. Lets get to the point. If this is taking away where is the freedom in that? From Kplatinum. Thank You Kplatinum

I started my station to turn people on to music that is not heard on corporate radio. Over 90% of the music I play is by artists/musicians that are not on a large label or for that matter, any label at all. So soundexchange collects royalties from me that the musicians I love and want to help will never see. I would like to know what they do with the money that should be going to these musicians. I would have to guess most of it is being spent on lawyers, lobbyist and congress people.

I have been broadcasting on live365 for 7 years and it was free when I started.I am trying to make my station a viable source for new music and I am a trained Radio Announcer as well so I know what it takes to make a radio station fly.I havent made a dime commercially,I pay to broadcast.That seems backwards to me.I should be paid to deliver all this un-discovered music to the world.I have countless fans worldwide and my knowledge of my chosen genre is as good as any Commercial terrestrial radio announcer.The royalties should only apply to me when I derive income from my station.Paying less to broadcast with v.i.p. hours IS NOT INCOME.

Since 1996, Grateful Dread Public Radio has existed to do several things: disseminate information, news and viewpoints excluded from the mainstream media; promote progressive ideas and activism for the purpose of making a better, cleaner, fairer, more peaceful and compassionate world for all; and give exposure to independent artists generally ignored by the corporate media. The goal is not to make money. We are member-supported so that the station expenses are covered. That's it. The immoral efforts of corporate goons to shut down netradio and limit the choices available to listeners is exactly the reason why what GDPR does is so necessary. What we do is not a hobby. It is not a lark or a game. It is community service and it makes no sense to me, none at all, that the corporate creeps are so greedy and feel so threatened that they need to kill an industry that benefits the public. Sorry, not everyone wants to hear the mainstream line or listen only to Maroon 5. It is anti-American for the corporate suits to be so controlling and to do such harm to the general population.

My partner and I just started broadcasting music on Live 365 in January. We are playing mostly 70's music, but we also have a community show that tells the world about Stuart, Patrick County, VA, USA. Some of the music we play also highlights the heritage music (old time string/bluegrass) from our area. We have since began broadcasting our local high school sports live, since we have this capability with high speed internet. With new regulations, it will be impossible for us to maintain our station without going broke. While we do get sponsorship for some of our programming, it by no means pays all of the bills, with the new rates. Please help keep internet radio alive, it is the 'wave' or stream of the future... Pamela Nowlin/Lemont Bryant Fun Facts Radio and More... www.BetterThanRadio.us