Dear List Friends,

On May 15, new royalty rates set by the three judge panel of the Library
of Congress (known as the Copyright Royalty Board) will go into effect.
They raise the royalties that all broadcasters, Internet or otherwise
must pay by 150% and they are retroactive to January 2006.

This increase will be devastating to the entire community of Internet
broadcasters, myself included.

Live 365, the largest Internet broadcasting provider in the country, and
for the sake of full disclosure, the host my station, Radio Helios, has
mounted a campaign to lobby congress to reverse this increase.  A bill
has been introduced in congress to halt the rate hike.

Internet radio is one of the most diverse and free forums in the world
to disseminate music, classical or otherwise.  Thousands of interesting
artists are given a place to be heard through small Internet stations.

Without getting into politics (since I know that's taboo!)may I please
make a personal appeal to interested list members to visit the home page
of Live 365 (www.live365.com) and read the information there?  If you
feel compelled, and I hope you will, please write to your representative
in congress, encouraging them to halt this devastating rate increase.

Paying artists astronomically more for each spin of their music will do
nothing for those artists if the venues that play them go bankrupt.

I encourage you, as lovers of great music, to help stop the action that
could silence thousands of small broadcasters.

Thank you for your time and consideration.

Kevin Sutton

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