Staying on the Internets...for Now

If you've been following the battle over the new royalty fee structure that SoundExchange would like to impose, then you know that everything's up in the air right now. SoundExchange has promised not to pursue legal action against the coalition of Web broadcasters who are fighting the new rates (including NPR), some small nonprofit stations have ceased operations, and those who aren't part of the coalition are taking a wait-and-see approach while they continue broadcasting.

Congress failed to vote on a 60-day reprieve for Webcasters, apparently believing that this issue will wait until after their summer recess. Who cares if the little guys get shut down while the big corporate interestes are protected? After all, tiny Webcasters don't donate to Congressional campaigns, do they?

Here's how all of this relates to WMFO: If you've listened to my show (and if you haven't, then why not?) you know that there are no commercials, unless one happens to be embedded in something that I'm playing. We are a 100% commercial-free nonprofit radio station financed entirely by the trustees of Tufts University. Any donations that we receive are used for equipment or replacing the CDs that vanish from the station.

Our terrestrial broadcast is not subject to any royalties at all. This is true of all AM and FM stations. However, our transmitter is a mere 100 watts and we're in the shadow of a very powerful transmitter on the same frequency. Neither of these things can be changed without a very lengthy licensing appeal through the FCC, which would also allow other interests to swoop in and snatch our broadcast license.

We've only been on the Internet for a couple of years, but it's helped a lot of people discover the unique freeform programs that we broadcast. None of us get paid for our time--we're either students with an interest in radio or community volunteers. There's a ton of stuff played on WMFO that you're just not going to hear anyplace else.

Any increase in fees or royalties is likely to get our Web streams turned off. Tufts doesn't really know why it has a radio station, other than to give a creative outlet to interested students. There's no mass communications or broadcasting program at Tufts, so the station is a labor of love for everyone involved.

Knowing that, and imagining that there must be other community or college stations in the same situation, I can't help but wonder why nonprofits would be subject to fees at all. If we're not making any money, then how can we pay any out? And do we really want to cut off community access to the airwaves? If the technology exists to allow people to broadcast globally, shouldn't we be able to use it?

I'm not speaking to the cause of for-profit stations, but they should be allowed to continue broadcasting at fair and equitable royalty rates. My concern lies with nonprofit stations, which should be exempted from any fee structure, because we lack the ability to pay.

It's going to take an act of Congress to solve this problem. Follow the link to savenetradio.org. Contact your Congressional representatives. Ask them why nonprofit stations aren't exempted when for-profit terrestrial stations are.

Stimulus Progression 5 (mp3s)

The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face (2:08)
How Little We Know (2:48)
C’Mon Smile (2:03)
I Am Woman (1:49)
It Never Rains in California (1:56)
Dynamite Dan (2:07)
He’s My Guy (2:43)
Last Tango in Paris (2:31)
Living Together, Growing Together (2:22)
I Believe in Music (1:49)
The Last Happy Song (2:14)
Let’s Have a Party (2:16)

Bonus: This Old Amorello (3:50)

Another round for the MUZAK Appreciation Society, this time 1973’s STIMULUS PROGRESSION 5. Most of the MUZAK demonstration albums from the early 70s use this same front cover, and you’ll recall a small piece of this same image on the STIMULUS PROGRESSION album from 1976.

The oil painting by Ray Harrow is a Jackson Pollack-style visual representation of the effect of MUZAK on listeners. Most of the albums also feature a graph on the back that shows a lot of colored lines going upward and makes as much sense as the Bio-Rhythm cards dispensed by machines at the same time this music was produced.

This is a great slice of ‘70s easy listening arranged by Mr. Nick Perito, who also contributed two original tracks to the album: Dynamite Dan and Let’s Have a Party, both must-haves for you cherry-pickers out there, along with I Am Woman.

These tracks are all shorter than those on the 1976 album, so why not grab all of them and relive the days of strolling through the supermarket or waiting for the doctor? If you’re looking for something light and relaxing to while away a hot summer night, you’ll find that this collection hits the spot.

This week’s bonus track is another cut of comedy from myself and Paul Day. This Old Amorello was written as a sendoff for the chairman of the Massachusetts Turnpike Authority after part of the Ted Williams Tunnel collapsed. Since the National Highway Transportation Board just released their report on the collapse, I figured it was worth a dust-off.

Programming Note
Complete KAOS airs for the second and last time tonight. If you missed it, here’s your final chance to hear Roger Waters’ 1987 album with all of the demos and extra dialogue added. Tune in at 6PM Eastern on 91.5FM in Boston or on the Internets courtesy of those links up in the right corner.