For those that haven't been paying attention the past few months, there has been a huge uproar over the proposed royalty increase that is due to take effect next month. While getting it shot down has strong support from a variety of places, the calls for help don't seem to be doing much. That said, today marked a significant day for Internet Radio, as many broadcasters, large and small alike, voluntarily entered a state of silence.
The objective is to get more people aware of the situation, which SaveNetRadio.org has been preaching about for some time. With the deadline for effectiveness on July 15th and the royalties retroactive more than a year and a half, we've had a lot of coverage on the threat the fee increase poses to many Internet radio stations.
Those who are participating aren't just small potatoes, either. Large companies such as Yahoo! Launch, Rhapsody, Pandora.com, Live365, MTV Online and a plethora of others. Clearly, whether it is big business pushing the content or some guy in his basement, the royalty increases have been met with discontent at every turn.
You can find out more information from SaveNetRadio or see a list of participators. The future of Internet Radio is, indeed, "tentative" at best.