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The Library's Ruling Last week, Librarian of Congress James Billington laid out the final decision on royalty fee rates that Internet radio stations must fork over to the recording industry. Although the rates were reduced to half the original proposed fee, Webcasters have still cued up a funeral dirge, and claim Internet radio has been dealt a deathblow. Internet radio stations, regardless of size or profit, must now pay .07 cents per song, per listener, to record labels. The Webcasters, who have bitterly opposed the issue since it was first proposed in 1998 by the U.S. Copyright Office, say the reduced rate is still far too high, while the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) insists the fees are still too low. Mere hours after the decision, Internet radio stations began to shut down - netrockradio.com has announced its demise, citing fees that were "specifically designed to shut down small webcasters" and "make it impossible for a non-profit station to survive." The Digital Media Association, a trade organization for webcasters, says it will press Congress to overturn the decision and create an even lower fee. However, given the molasses-like pace of congressional legislation, such an appeal is not likely to happen any time soon, and Webcasters have all of 45 days to cough up the money they now owe retroactively from 1998. And what will be the fate of IPM, the independent, non-profit Detroit-area station featured in this story? "My reaction is....pensive," says the show's creator Bob Perye. "I don't play RIAA music, so I won't be paying RIAA fees, but I'm still concerned. I'm not convinced we've seen the end of this." Perye is fiercely committed to keeping IPM up and running. "IPM will be fine for the foreseeable future, knock on wood," he says. "There may be a need for lawyers and such, but I do not foresee RIAA fees putting me in the hole. I'll move the server to Canada before I buckle to those assholes." - S.K. |
Things are running a bit late at In Perpetual Motion.
The Internet radio program, dubbed IPM, is scheduled to begin at 8:30 p.m. sharp, but Red Wings fever has taken over. The show’s creator and director, 28-year-old Bob Perye, pads barefoot around his Madison Heights, Mich. living room, which has been converted into a broadcast studio.
Stationed between two computers, a mix table sits directly behind the television, where the crew of guest DJs is transfixed by the Red Wings’ Stanley Cup finals game against Carolina. Mic cables are draped over shabby chic couches and coffee tables, and the walls are plastered with autographed promo photos of independent artists who’ve been featured on the show. The DJs crack dirty jokes and debate the taste of a new blueberry-flavored malt beverage they are sampling, which is henceforth referred to as "the blueberry shit."
Perye -- aka "Director Mac" -- is counting down the seconds until the show goes live. He leans over to turn down the volume on the TV, and a roar of dissension erupts from the couches. He picks up his mic and mumbles "30 seconds" through a mouthful of tabbouleh.
"You are In Perpetual Motion," he announces over a dreamy track with swirling female vocals. The peanut gallery picks up mics and commences with the wisecracks, as Perye ticks off the artists to be featured on tonight’s show.
Like many Internet radio shows, IPM focuses on the niche market of independent and underground music. The format is a melting pot of electronica, industrial, synthpop, darkwave and gothabilly.
After the six-hour show is recorded, it goes up on the IPM Web site, www.ipmradio.com. Listeners -- about 2,000 per week, Perye estimates -- can download the show and play it anytime.
Suddenly expletives spew forth. DJ Saint has just spilled "the blueberry shit" all over his computer console, and the Wings nearly scored a goal.
Chaos ensues. It’s a typical night at IPM.
The show has a rotating staff of guest DJs, as well as voyeurs who just like to hang out while the shows are created. IPM isn’t like a traditional radio program; it’s more of a live party broadcast, with hour-long blocks of music interspersed with wacky commentary from the staff.
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One Fifth of Iraq Funding Goes to Private Contractors War on Iraq: If spending continues at the current rate, the U.S. will have spent 100 billion dollars on military contractors in Iraq by the end of the year. By Willam Fisher, IPS News. September 6, 2008. |
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