A Message to Our Listeners
Internet Radio "Day of Silence"
Six years ago, WAMU 88.5 launched BluegrassCountry.org as an extension of our dedication to provide diverse programming to the wide variety of audiences we serve. Within the past year, we established a unique collaboration with WTMD in Towson, Md. to stream its Adult Album Alternative music on wamu.org because we recognized a need for this service within our community. At WAMU 88.5, we take great pride in exploring new ways to better serve our audiences through new resources and technologies.
Related Links
- Tell Them Public Matters
- "The Future of Internet Radio," The Kojo Nnamdi Show, May 8, 2007.
- WAMU 88.5 to Join Webcasters in "Day of Silence" June 26
Now, our efforts to provide online music services are in jeopardy. The recent ruling of the Copyright Royalty Board (CRB) to increase royalty rates for online music radio stations would raise costs far above income for most webcasters, forcing many of them to go silent. This would cripple the ability of thousands of Internet radio stations, such as BluegrassCountry.org, to continue to provide an excellent diversity of programming to the growing community of online listeners. The new rates would immediately almost double what it costs WAMU to stream bluegrass music at BluegrassCountry.org, and would increase those costs to nearly triple their current levels by 2010.
Tuesday, June 26, has been chosen as a "Day of Silence" for Internet radio. We will join thousands of Internet broadcasters across the country in turning off our online music streams to symbolize what may happen if the new rates go into effect as planned on July 15. We believe the increase in royalty rates will greatly undermine our public service mission and harm the community of listeners, musicians, and artists whose work is featured through hundreds of online public radio stations.
The "Related Links" on this page provide more information about the effect of the royalty rates on public broadcasting, and an informative discussion that recently aired on WAMU's The Kojo Nnamdi Show. I thank all our dedicated listeners in advance for your patience as we participate in the "Day of Silence." It is our hope that a compromise will be achieved to allow us to continue to provide these valuable online services well into the future.
Sincerely,
Caryn G. Mathes
WAMU 88.5 General Manager
