[DMCA-Activists] Webcasting Royalties Hearing TOMORROW

[Jonathan Watterson]

Tomorrow (Wednesday 15 May) the Senate Judiciary Committee will hold a 
hearing on the topic:

	"Copyright Royalties: Where is the Right Spot on the Dial for 
Webcasting."

If you'll recall, the DMCA slammed webcasting radio stations with 
burdensome fees that go to the RIAA (not to the songwriters, as broadcast 
royalties traditionally go). They seem to be prepared to re-think the fee 
policy. However, the speakers at the hearing are expected to tilt heavily 
toward the record industry, and hence toward high fees for web stations.

More info: http://yro.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=02/05/14/0153208

Is your senator on the Judiciary Committee? 
<http://www.senate.gov/~judiciary/members.cfm> If you're from 
Massachusetts, California, Illinois, New York, Kentucky, or Washington, 
the answer is yes. Not to mention VT, DE, WI, NC, SC, UT, IA, PA, AZ, and 
KS. Call your senator and tell them that you support lower fees for 
webcasters, and that the fees should go to songwriters' organizations like 
ASCAP and BMI (like all other broadcast royalties), NOT to the RIAA.

J