Music has always been an important part of my life since as far back as I can remember. By age 4 I was hooked on the popular music of the day: Van Halen, Michael Jackson, Duran Duran. And my parents love for Motown and rock & roll from the 60’s broadened my musical horizons. Today music is just as important to me. I stay up-to-date with what my favorite artists are doing, and also try to find new music that will get me excited with their new sounds or great lyrics. Unfortunately, FM radio has become very uninspired, and with the exception of WXPN (UPENN radio), there is no chance of me finding any new music worth exploring. Enter: Internet Radio.

I’ve been listening to internet radio since 1998-1999. I remember listening to Shoutcast and Live 365 stations while in college. And after Apple released iTunes, I started listening to the variety of stations they have in their radio section. Radio Paradise, WOXY, and KEXP make my work day go much smoother, and have also introduced me to a number of new bands. I have purchased many CDs because of these stations. Now the powers that be want to make life a lot harder on internet radio stations. A new law is set to go into effect in July that will raise royalty rates for webcasters. These rates are so high that many radio stations will not be able to continue operating. This is just another example of the record industry biting the hand that feeds it. Visit savenetradio.org for more information, and what you can do to help.