Internet Day of Silence

Today is the "Internet Day of Silence" if you haven't noticed. It's the day when, in solidarity against the royalty rate hikes for webcasters, Internet radio stations have gone silent. The rate hike will put virtually all Internet radio stations out of business. Radio Paradise has become a mainstay of my existence. They are playing nothing but crickets. I don't know about anyone else, but the silence is driving me crazy.

I called both my Senators and my Congressman long ago. I've made a number of blog posts ( here, here, and here) about this issue, and have sent in as much money as I can spare towards this cause. Please everyone do this same. This is more than just about music it's about protecting our rights as Americans to hear non-corporate filtered media. This rate hike is just another way to stifle Americans sense of freedom. We are being turned into China where all the media outlets are controlled, your pay is infinitesimal, and if you try to unionize or complain you get shot in the head.

We can stop this. We have to stop this. Please, call your elected officials today!

Update: Last.fm is not participating in the Day of Silence, stating that web broadcasters should "grow up". The smug bastards were just bought by CBS for millions of dollars. People using this service should probably reconsider.