Rescue Internet Radio: Sign the Petition

This is just a cut & paste job of email I got from freepress.net. Just passing it on.


Rescue Internet Radio: Sign the Petition
Online music is in danger. A recent ruling by an obscure regulatory board threatens to put independent and public radio on the Internet out of business.

The "Copyright Royalty Board" is dramatically increasing the royalties "webcasters" must pay every time they stream a song online. Public Internet radio like NPR is especially at risk.

The rules could shut down nonprofit and smaller commercial Internet radio outlets and force larger webcasters to play the same cookie-cutter music as Clear Channel. So much for new online alternatives.

This is not just another petition. The Copyright Royalty Board isn't used to hearing from the public, so your action can really make a difference. And we need to stop them before the new charges go into effect.

Artists must be compensated for their work. But the new regulations don't even differentiate between public outlets, small upstarts, and the largest commercial companies. The proposed increase would silence many outlets that play independent artists and musical genres you can't find anymore on the radio dial.

As soon as smaller webcasters start to attract a sizable audience, the royalty costs would be astronomical -- and likely fatal. And nonprofit stations like NPR should not be forced to pay so much money that they actually fear an increase in their listeners.

Industry-wide consolidation has destroyed musical diversity and shut out independent and local artists on broadcast radio. We can't let the same thing happen on the Internet.

The Copyright Royalty Board -- or if necessary, Congress -- needs to fix the rules so that artist and musicians thrive alongside a new generation of Internet radio webcasters. Send them a message by adding your name to our petition.

Tell Your Friends

Our goal is collect 50,000 signatures by Monday. Help us get there by telling all your friends that now is the time to take action.

Thanks for all you do,

Josh Silver
Executive Director
Free Press
www.freepress.net

We Are the Media

When I think about what I wrote in the last post, and I look at Zennie's video and I see so many cameras. So many people doing what he's doing. And so many people are doing it on Youtube and Google Video and Live Video and Revver and iFilm and so many other outlets, it makes you realize that in a sense we are becoming, or that we already are the media. That the old paradigm of waiting for some elite group of "journalists" to tell us what's news and what's not is fading slowly and thankfully away. We inform ourselves and we do a much more thorough and complete job of it than the conventional media, who are by definition not democratic and who, because of who owns them, and their closeness to power, must necessarily have their own agendas.

Barack Obama Hosted By Sen. Barbara Boxer In San Francisco

This is a video by Zennie Abraham, one of the people I met at As One San Francisco. He's in one of the videos below. It is a great example of the kind of citizen journalism that Youtube has the potential to produce. And is producing. It gives us a view we don't always get from the conventional media. I'm still trying to get around to the videos of people I met at As One SF and as I do I'm more and more impressed.

Google is the Devil!!!

This is priceless.

As One Gathering San Francisco - Part Cinq

Last Saturday the Youtube community came together in San Francisco. We stepped out from the anonymity of our webcams, to met people in the flesh that we'd only seen as 425 by 350 pixels on a computer screen. As real people. Then we videotaped it so we could go home and watch it on our computers. Cause that's what we do. We're Youtubers. It was kind of like the Summer of Love for nerds. Peace.

Play with our widget: http://www.tubesurferwidget.com

As One Gathering San Francisco - Part Sept

Part 7 in the continuing saga of a bunch of Youtubers wandering around Pier 39, filming each other.

As One Gathering San Francisco - Part Six

More of my video from As One in San Francisco. This is some random footage mostly of Renetto.

http://www.tubesurferwidget.com.

Does YouTube Have Celebrities?

A response video to Khayav, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l1A2d_7EAaw.

Youtube As One Gathering - San Francisco Part Quatre

Having some fun with Renetto at the As One gathering in san Francisco.

Youtube As One Gathering - San Francisco Part Trois

Mr. Safety, is that a chicken between your legs...?

Youtube As One Gathering - San Francisco Part Deux

Part Deux of my footage from the As One Youtube gathering in San Francisco. Spricket24 shakes her groove thang at the gathering after party.

Youtube As One Gathering - San Francisco Part Un

My footage from the As One Youtube gathering in San Francisco last weekend. I am just getting it online. Am I lame or what?

A Very Special Video Valentine

What every girl can expect for Valentine's Day. This one's especially for those ladies without a special someone today, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BaPc5KvdvAQ. A video response to tokenblackchic's E-Valentine!!!!!!!!!!!!!!, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PL4Uzun4CKA.

Baby I Swear No Hot Chick Could Distract Me From....

He swears to the maker of the "Guide to the Hot Chick", http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=boJc3ze6Qjg, that he could never be distracted by a hot chick while sitting across from her. A response video to....

A Word About My Widget

You may have noticed recently that my posts have not been about the coming revolution, but about my widget. I want to assure you all, that though I have been diligently engaged in the process of developing and promoting the tubesurferwidget, my own creation, that I have not sold out to the man. And that any and all profits therefrom, will be used to continue to fight The Global War Against the Man! Now, go play with my widget, http://www.tubesurferwidget.com.

-Fight the powers.

tubeworthy POTD

My tubeworthy Pick Of The Day is kind of random. Just because I haven't posted one so far today. I was scouring the Internets searching for worthy videos, or was it that I was wasting time watching hours and hours worth of videos, and this one was one of the one's that appeared at the end of another video I was watching. You know how they put those two random videos which may or may not have anything to do with what you just watched up at the end of each video and they keep switching them. And recently I figured out you can flip back and forth through that list with the arrows. Ok, I would say I digress, but this entire exercise is digression.

Annnyyyywaaayyyy, I was researching videos of people I want to feature as artists (read that again, wasting time watching videos) and I clicked on this one because I had some ideas about using bluescreen and it was titled, Trying out GreenScreen. I looked at her profile and it said, "I am a very random girl...." So, it's not particularly impressive for anything but the fact that it is quintessentially Youtube. If that means anything at all. I think it does. And I like it. BTW, anyone featured here gets a free Premium version of our tubesurfer widget, a $9.95 value (wow!). We'd give t-shirts but we can't afford them. Now, go play with my widget! http://www.tubesurferwidget.com.

Our First Tubeworthy Artist Pick: HappySlip

HappySlip, a one woman production team, is the true spirit of Youtube. Not to put down two or more person production teams, but to me this medium is especially for individual, talented, but low budget, artistic expression. Most of all it’s about fun. HappySlip is also funny, talented, and not at all hard on the eyes. Her videos are fun, with good production values and without an edge. Many feature hilarious, but loving, impersonations of her family. Especially her mother. I could say more about her, but her videos, especially HappySlip Vlog #1 (at right in the widget) tell her story much better than I can.

The featured video above is one of my favorites. It’s a one woman soap opera where she plays that cliché of all soap opera clichés, twins. One, of course, evil. Happyslip u r tubeworthy. So, r u tubeworthy? Know someone who is? Comment @ our blog at tubeworthy.com, or write us @ tubeworthy@tubesurferwidget.com. Now, go play with my widget.

Criswell Predicts Bears Over Colts in 1956

This stunning Bears over Colts Superbowl prediction was made by the psychic The Amazing Criswell back in 1956. Making him without a doubt the world's first Superfan.

Crossposted @ http://tubesurfer.blogspot.com.

Is That a Widget In Your Sidebar....

....Or are you just glad to see me? Just installed to your left (forgot to put it in when I posted re: the tubesurfer widget below).

Our First Tubeworthy Pick: The Superfan Shuffle!

I don't need to remind anyone that the Superbowl is tomorrow and that the greatest team in the history of the NFL ever (except for the 1985 Bears) Da Bears, are playing some other team (if that team even bothers to show up). La, la, la, la, la...I can't hear you saying Da Bears haven't won or been in a Superbowl since 1985 because I'm a Superfan and my fanship defies all logic or reality. Da Bears are great. Period. Ditka is the greatest coach ever and the Superbowl Trophy should be a Ditka. No disrespect to Vince Lombardi, he just happened to have coached the Packers. Nuff said.

But I need to get to the point. Do I have a point? No, a Superfan does not need a point. The video above Da Superfan Shuffle Music Video is Da tubesurfer's first ever pick of a tubeworthy video. More tubeworthy picks to come. Now, go play with my widget....

Crossposted @ http://tubesurfer.blogspot.com.

Play With Our Widget - tubesurferwidget.com

At tubesurfer they have a serious problem. They can’t seem to stop playing with Their widget. We think that if you play tubesurfer awhile, you’ll understand why. It’s an addictive mashup of Youtube, Myspace and Blogger. With tubesurfer, visitors to your profile can surf your Youtube videos on Myspace, the sidebar of your blog, on your vlog or almost anywhere you can go on the web. tubesurfer is like an iPod sized version of Youtube that you can use to feature all your videos, playlists, and Youtube’s list of featured videos. Check out their widget @ http://www.tubesurferwidget.com.