The PERFORM Act of Desperation
XM Radio - Grassroots
The PERFORM Act is yet another attempt by big record companies to thwart progressive technology and the free market it encourages. Conduct a search for the PERFORM Act and see how many independent music and digital rights groups come up against it, for good reason.
This from Digital Knowledge, a "Washington DC based advocacy group working to defend your rights in the emerging digital culture":
"This bill would prevent satellite radio subscribers from recording and listening to programming that they have paid for, unless they pay an additional license tax to the record labels on a song by song basis (which, in addition to cost, would severely limit the repertory that could be offered to the public." (a quote from Bob Schwartz, a copyright/tech lawyer)
From Blogcritics.org, "a sinister cabal of superior bloggers on music, books, film, popular culture, technology, and politics."
"XM Satellite Radio is the latest target of the RIAA. They have filed suit in New York over a new radio device that XM just put out called the Inno. This is no small matter, either. The RIAA is suing for $150,000 per "violation." In this case, a violation would be considered a single song recorded onto this device off of the live XM Airwaves. While this is an outlandish number difficult to imagine, even some fraction of that amount per "violation" could send this infant radio/technology company into an unrecoverable tailspin."
Here is the bill as it is explained on Senator Diane Feinstein's website. She is sponsoring this bill. If you read it, it sounds reasonable enough, until you start thinking about cassette tapes. Imagine if we had to pay for using cassette tapes to record entire radio shows or any song we wanted. Or think of the entire concept of TIVO being eliminated. Using these analogies, I can't see how this bill is beneficial to anyone but the record companies. Why can't I tape all the Frank Sinatra songs I find on satellite? Satellite is already paying record companies to play this music, I am paying for my subscription, I should be able to record what I want. With XM receivers I can't give my recordings to anyone, I can't download them or put them on my Ipod, so what exactly is the problem?? Satellite is a closed system. I should have the right to record what I want because there is little chance I can exploit what I record.
In my opinion the record companies should be paying satellite! (Although I hope that never happens, they pay ground radio and look what we drivel get) Terrestrial radio is all but dead as far as music is concerned. Because of satellite I'm listening to artists and music styles I would never hear (unless someone made me a tape, heh heh). Because of satellite I am buying more music! I AM BUYING TICKETS TO SHOWS! I turn on terrestrial radio, and I buy nothing because there is nothing for me there!
Big record companies don't care about musicians or their fans. They care about money and staying dominant. Big record and big radio are scared that the newly powerful indie market and satellite will knock them off their mountain. I hope they do.
Defend free market satellite radio. Send a letter to your representatives against The Perform Act.
XM Radio - Grassroots
The PERFORM Act is yet another attempt by big record companies to thwart progressive technology and the free market it encourages. Conduct a search for the PERFORM Act and see how many independent music and digital rights groups come up against it, for good reason.
This from Digital Knowledge, a "Washington DC based advocacy group working to defend your rights in the emerging digital culture":
"This bill would prevent satellite radio subscribers from recording and listening to programming that they have paid for, unless they pay an additional license tax to the record labels on a song by song basis (which, in addition to cost, would severely limit the repertory that could be offered to the public." (a quote from Bob Schwartz, a copyright/tech lawyer)
From Blogcritics.org, "a sinister cabal of superior bloggers on music, books, film, popular culture, technology, and politics."
"XM Satellite Radio is the latest target of the RIAA. They have filed suit in New York over a new radio device that XM just put out called the Inno. This is no small matter, either. The RIAA is suing for $150,000 per "violation." In this case, a violation would be considered a single song recorded onto this device off of the live XM Airwaves. While this is an outlandish number difficult to imagine, even some fraction of that amount per "violation" could send this infant radio/technology company into an unrecoverable tailspin."
Here is the bill as it is explained on Senator Diane Feinstein's website. She is sponsoring this bill. If you read it, it sounds reasonable enough, until you start thinking about cassette tapes. Imagine if we had to pay for using cassette tapes to record entire radio shows or any song we wanted. Or think of the entire concept of TIVO being eliminated. Using these analogies, I can't see how this bill is beneficial to anyone but the record companies. Why can't I tape all the Frank Sinatra songs I find on satellite? Satellite is already paying record companies to play this music, I am paying for my subscription, I should be able to record what I want. With XM receivers I can't give my recordings to anyone, I can't download them or put them on my Ipod, so what exactly is the problem?? Satellite is a closed system. I should have the right to record what I want because there is little chance I can exploit what I record.
In my opinion the record companies should be paying satellite! (Although I hope that never happens, they pay ground radio and look what we drivel get) Terrestrial radio is all but dead as far as music is concerned. Because of satellite I'm listening to artists and music styles I would never hear (unless someone made me a tape, heh heh). Because of satellite I am buying more music! I AM BUYING TICKETS TO SHOWS! I turn on terrestrial radio, and I buy nothing because there is nothing for me there!
Big record companies don't care about musicians or their fans. They care about money and staying dominant. Big record and big radio are scared that the newly powerful indie market and satellite will knock them off their mountain. I hope they do.
Defend free market satellite radio. Send a letter to your representatives against The Perform Act.
XM Radio - Grassroots
posted by Bostonbootgirl at 9:15 AM
2 Comments:
Money, money, money... it's all about money. Admittedly, I haven't been in touch with my XM for a couple months, but do you see any artists stepping up and saying, "Hey, we need more money for the music from satellite." It's the record companies themselves and, for a little conspiracy... :), I wouldn't be surprised if the big companies who would normally have commercials on these mediums are stepping in because they're being pushed aside. No commercials on the satellite music stations, no commercials on many Internet radio sites, no commercials with TIVO... they're losing money.
Indeed, money makes the world go round.
I don't have satellite radio here (although I've heard it mentioned) so I've turned into an old fogey and listen to talk-back radio on the AM dial. FM stations here are crap on a crap sandwich.
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