Washington - Thousands of U.S. webcasters on Tuesday went silent, staging a day-long blackout in protest of sharply higher music royalty rates set to take affect on July 15.

Many smaller webcasters have warned that the 300% rate increase will put them out of business, unless Congress intervenes through the proposed Internet Radio Equality Act.

Among those participating in the blackout were Yahoo, Live 365, Rhapsody, MTV Online, Pandora and AccuRadio, as well as scores of others at the local and national level.

On July 15, Internet-only webcasters and broadcasters that simulcast online could be forced to pay 17 months worth of retroactive royalty payments at the higher rates, following a recent decision by the Copyright Royalty Board (CRB).

"During the National Day of Silence webcasters will urge their listeners to contact their congressional representatives and ask them to support the Internet Radio Equality Act and preserve the future of Internet radio," said Jake Ward, a spokesperson for the SaveNetRadio Coalition.

Related Links:
http://tinyurl.com/3xjegm

http://www.savenetradio.org