Ivar - Posted - 04/23/2007:  23:14:54

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Figure it can't be too many times that the station gets kudos. Just caught Walt Koken tune that was really cool and the site linked me to the CD in Amazon where I bought it. Give and you shall receive...the new economics is here.

If you don't know it check it out, but mostly you gotta like Old Time.

Ivar

sugarinthegourd - Posted - 04/23/2007:  23:35:08

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Well thanks Ivar -- glad you're enjoying it. We aim to please!

John

chip arnold - Posted - 04/23/2007:  23:48:21

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Best listening adventure on the internet. Thanks John.

Play with a plan
Chip

oldwoodchuckb - Posted - 04/24/2007:  03:29:42

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Just tried it with my new soundcard today - John is doing old time music a real service.

Of course I thought that before I could hear Sugar in the Gourd. He has a fine forum where people can discuss tunes without needing to relate them to banjo or just talk about OTM in general. Well worth reading and a good place for writing too.

The Whiskey Before Breakfast variations and "F" tuning tabs are now available on the web at: http://home.thegrid.net/~fjbrad/id20.html. There are mp3s of G tunes in F tuning on the web at http://www.box.net/shared/p06kzxt5lv
Rocket Science banjo is on youtube now. Here are the addresses:
Lesson 1 The Basic Stroke
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HdRuf4X0X7g
Lesson 2 Drop Thumb
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M7gmyrlvtS0
Lesson 3 The Big Cluck
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jy2iCyrsqr0
Julie Anne Johnson
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sGonhCTQKfM

arnie - Posted - 04/24/2007:  07:39:47

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This is an amazing service to the old time music community which features clawhammer/ old time picking style banjo on alot of his cuts. John puts in countless hours of his time into making it happen. There may be economic issues regarding internet radio which may make it extremely hard for him to continue the service. Perhaps John can relate these to us, and let us know how we could help.

Arnie Naiman
http://www.merriweather.ca/Records.aspx?ID=2

rinemb - Posted - 04/24/2007:  08:49:40

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I love SITG internet radio. I am an amateur and don't have a need to advertise, but I would sure support based on John's recommended way to help. I am also a live365 member. Their OT radio is OK, as well, but not like the service SITG provides. Brad

May not the incidence of success, nor the pretense of retirement-Lessen the want of enlightenment.

sugarinthegourd - Posted - 04/24/2007:  09:13:27

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Thanks, folks.

As Arnie says, depending on what happens in the next 20 days, Sugar in the Gourd, and probably every other Internet "radio" service may be forced to shut down.

You can read more here, and if you're in the US you can let your elected officials know how you feel.

http://www.savenetradio.org/

Without getting too much into the politics of it, my feeling is that this is nothing less than an effort by the BIG record companies and their friends in terrestrial radio (who play whatever their payola-paying friends at the big record companies tell them to play) to absolutely KILL Internet radio in all forms.

David Byrne has more here: http://journal.davidbyrne.com/2007/...r_gover.html

John

jojo25 - Posted - 04/24/2007:  09:56:55

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Hey folks

let's raise a big stink here!!!!!!!!!!

I encourage everyone on BHO to contact their reps in congress and tell them that these new rules must not stand

just follow this link...that John has already posted

http://www.savenetradio.org/

It would be a dirty rotten shame if Sugar In The Gourd had to go away

Banjonically yours

Joe

ZEPP - Posted - 04/24/2007:  10:51:16

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I very much appreciate the selfless service that John and those such as he in other musical fields have been providing untold millions of people. I fear the prognosis is not good unless a tremendous number of people get involved...

I've written to my representatives; I hope everyone will.

Cheers,
ZEPP


* zepp@zeppmusic.com website: http://zeppmusic.com/ Skype us at zeppmusic *

sugarinthegourd - Posted - 04/24/2007:  11:31:43

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quote:

---

I very much appreciate the selfless service

---

Hey, I get a lot of enjoyment out of it, and lately I've been breaking even or a bit better! Still, if I were paying myself an hourly wage I would be much better off working at a carwash or something...

David Byrne (I'm a big Talking Heads fan from way back) spends $2000 a month out of his pocket to run his radio show. Clearly, there are limits to how much money people can afford to lose on their hobbies.

The big question to me if these rules pass is: cui bono? ClearChannel Radio and AOLTimeWarnerSonyDisney, that's who. There is clearly no blood to be gotten from this particular stone -- the goal here is to make the stone go away.

Anyway, one of my major motivating factors in starting this station was to promote these artists & this music & promote its SALE (one big reason for the lo-fi streams). Small artists & labels often send me their CDs for free and thank me for playing them. I try to make it real easy to figure out how to buy what you're hearing. I don't see how small artists & indie labels are going to win if SITG shuts down, but then that's really not the point of these proposed rules. The point is to make your listening options as limited as they were 10 years ago, so that the big labels & broadcasters can go back to shoving pabulum down our throats and into our ears...

Oh well, diatribe over...

And to think: WPAQ just went online a couple weeks ago...

http://sugarinthegourd.com
http://www.myspace.com/sugarinthegourd

raybob - Posted - 04/24/2007:  11:37:15

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I just got a confirmation email saying that my message was received by my senator's office. I hope everyone writes their reps to try to save this resource. We listen to SIG a lot, what a shame if it was made to go away.

Ray

http://www.nowhereradio.com/artists...4951&alid=-1

GerryH - Posted - 04/24/2007:  12:19:43

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Just wrote my reps minutes ago. Can't imagine not hearing SITG daily.
GerryH

rinemb - Posted - 04/24/2007:  12:58:16

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Thanks for link, I notified my reps. on the issue. Brad

May not the incidence of success, nor the pretense of retirement-Lessen the want of enlightenment.

banjo_brad - Posted - 04/24/2007:  13:46:51

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I just finished sending the email to my reps, and putting links on my site to the org.



"Banjos and Fiddles and Guitars, Oh My!" (me)
http://ezfolk.com/audio/bands/5
www.PricklyPearMusic.net

oldwoodchuckb - Posted - 04/24/2007:  16:16:37

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I just sent out mine too. It is easy and fast and worth doing. There are supposedly several thousand members ofg this forum - Perhaps somethign should be done to see to it the bluegrass guys and jazz guys get to hear about this. They may not be SITG listeners but ther are other internet radio stations.


The Whiskey Before Breakfast variations and "F" tuning tabs are now available on the web at: http://home.thegrid.net/~fjbrad/id20.html. There are mp3s of G tunes in F tuning on the web at http://www.box.net/shared/p06kzxt5lv
Rocket Science banjo is on youtube now. Here are the addresses:
Lesson 1 The Basic Stroke
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HdRuf4X0X7g
Lesson 2 Drop Thumb
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M7gmyrlvtS0
Lesson 3 The Big Cluck
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jy2iCyrsqr0
Julie Anne Johnson
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sGonhCTQKfM

Ivar - Posted - 04/24/2007:  17:58:40

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Just sent this to my representative. I didn't like giving my info to the other site....

Ivar

----------------------------------------------------------

Hello Mr. Shuler -

Well, I voted for you so I suppose it is time to write to ask for something.

I am a regular user and supporter of internet radio. I have been made aware of proposed changes to the fees levied such stations, to the effect that many--if not most, or all--would be immediately put out of business.

I want to say that, as an American who believes in choices outside of the mainstream, this has outraged me over and above the latest garbage going on inside the Beltway.

I am a lover of Old Time (Appalachian) music, which as you must know owes a great deal of its history and heritage to the district you represent. I play guitar, fiddle and banjo regularly--as in 3-4 hours per day, nearly every day. Most of my exposure to the genre has been through the radio station "Sugar in the Gourd" (at sugarinthegourd.com), and nearly all of the music I have purchased has been through exposure to this particular radio station. The remaining albums I purchased were through a different radio station (somafm.com). Granted, none of it was Britney Spears or the latest gangsta rap disc, but it does reflect my tastes and did put money into the pockets of very diverse and uniquely American companies, most too small to show up on anyone's radar screen.

What does this sort of change mean for those like me? Simply put, we are having our choices severely restricted by coercive economic practices. If that "statistically improbable phrase" doesn't jog your memory, the federal government just spent a whole lot of public money going after a company that shall remain nameless (but starts with an M) that was guilty of exactly the same practices.

I sincerely hope that something can be done to prevent this act from proceeding. I hope that you can help.

Sincerely,

(Ivar)


Life truly begins at 40...

sugarinthegourd - Posted - 04/24/2007:  19:21:51

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Thanks all for the support. Ivar, that's a great letter. Really appreciate it.

John

http://sugarinthegourd.com
http://www.myspace.com/sugarinthegourd

rendesvous1840 - Posted - 04/24/2007:  23:13:58

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Here's the replies from my Rep, and one Senator:


From: Stephanie Tubbs Jones <Stephanie.Tubbs.Jones@mail.house.gov>
To: Mr. Paul Certo <rendesvous1840@adelphia.net>
Subject: College Radio
April 18, 2007
Dear Mr. Certo
Thank you very much for contacting me regarding your concerns with the licensing fee schedule for community and campus radio stations that broadcast via online web streaming.

On February 16, 2005, the United States Copyright Royalty Judges issued a request for Petitions to Participate in the hearings and testimony required to set web streaming rates for the term of January 1, 2006, through December 31, 2010. Many companies, radio stations and artists agreed to participate and over the following months testified on numerous occasions regarding the proposed rates. On March 2, 2007, the three-judge panel of the Copyright and Royalty Board issued its findings and rate proposal. The proposed rate schedule for commercial webcasters is $.0008 per play in 2006 and gradually increasing each year to $.0019 per play in 2010. Due to the converging nature of internet-based non-profit and commercial web streaming, the Copyright Royalty Judges decided that no separate, lower fee schedule was needed. Further, noncommercial webcasters will also pay an annual minimum fee of $500.

The Copyright Royalty and Distribution Reform Act of 2004 allows the Copyright Royalty Judges to set the rates and terms of webcasting fees. Parties that participated in the hearings leading to the rate setting are free to request that the Judges rehear the matter and can appeal to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit.

Integral to this debate is the statutory requirement of the Copyright Act to establish rates that closely resembles the fair market value of the piece of music under consideration. The Copyright Royalty Judges reviewed testimony from a wide range of sources and concluded that this rate schedule is fair to all parties involved. However, we must recognize the delicate balance between the musicians who ought to be paid for their intellectual product and the general public, which benefits a great deal from access to noncommercial radio.

Again, thank you for sharing your thoughts with me and please feel free to contact my office for further information on this or any other topic of interest.
Sincerely,

STJ:sa
Stephanie Tubbs Jones
Member of Congress

Date: Wednesday, April 18, 2007 2:01 PM
From: Sherrod Brown <do_not_reply@brown.senate.gov>
To: rendesvous1840@adelphia.net
Subject: Reply from Senator Sherrod Brown

Dear Mr. Certo:
Thank you for contacting me regarding the possible rise in copyright rates for internet webcasting. The recent decision of the Copyright Royalty Board (CRB) to set rates for Internet radio is one component of the larger issue of how music is paid for in the Digital Age.

The CRB’s decision changed the royalty scheme for small commercial Internet radio providers from a percentage of revenue to a per-song fee. In addition, the CRB determined that Internet radio providers must pay an annual minimum fee of $500 per channel. Noncommercial webcasters would be subject to a new rate structure that includes per-performance rates for webcasters that provide above a specified amount of digital music available per month.

Webcasters are understandably concerned that the decision would increase their royalty payments, and they requested a rehearing by the CRB of its rate decision. The motion to rehear the decision was denied. However, parties also have the option of appealing the decision to the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, within 30 days of publication of the new rates.
I will continue to closely follow the ongoing proceedings and will consider it in the larger context of music availability in the Digital Age. Should legislation be introduced that would alter the CRB's decision, I will certainly keep your concerns in mind.

Sincerely,
Sherrod Brown

Paul here; I don't know if this helped or not. They seem to want me to accept it and go away.The Cleveland area is too urban for the gufamint to worry about what a (Yikes!) BANJO PICKER thinks. Now if we can just get the heads of the big recording companies to say something politicly incorrect, we might get somewhere.



















"As I see it, every newborn should be issued a banjo." .....Linus

tonehead - Posted - 04/25/2007:  16:45:59

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We really enjoy listening to SITG here at work. Interestingly hearing Gene Autry on SITG convinced me to buy the CD " Gene Autry Blues Singer"




Be significant.

banjo_brad - Posted - 04/25/2007:  17:06:06

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I haven't even gotten the courtesy of a "received your email."

I guess my senators are too busy running for President and my representative is too busy with other things to concern themselves with their constituents.

Brad


"Banjos and Fiddles and Guitars, Oh My!" (me)
http://ezfolk.com/audio/bands/5
www.PricklyPearMusic.net

oldwoodchuckb - Posted - 04/25/2007:  19:40:22

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Bupkis here too, but I don't expect anything of Dole. She has the job in order to justify keeping a house in Washington, and goes out of her way to avoid actually doing anything at work.


The Whiskey Before Breakfast variations and "F" tuning tabs are now available on the web at: http://home.thegrid.net/~fjbrad/id20.html. There are mp3s of G tunes in F tuning on the web at http://www.box.net/shared/p06kzxt5lv
Rocket Science banjo is on youtube now. Here are the addresses:
Lesson 1 The Basic Stroke
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HdRuf4X0X7g
Lesson 2 Drop Thumb
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M7gmyrlvtS0
Lesson 3 The Big Cluck
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jy2iCyrsqr0
Julie Anne Johnson
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sGonhCTQKfM

sugarinthegourd - Posted - 04/26/2007:  08:59:37

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BTW, my current playlist features a higher-than-normal amount of banjo stuff... Check it out & let me know what you think.

John

http://sugarinthegourd.com
http://www.myspace.com/sugarinthegourd

arnie - Posted - 04/26/2007:  10:37:11

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Tremendous so far -!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Arnie Naiman
http://www.merriweather.ca/Records.aspx?ID=2

Ivar - Posted - 04/26/2007:  20:40:33

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To All -

Another update on the "save net radio" front. This was sent to me by my "other" radio station (somafm.com). Apparently there were enough people pissed off that the government might actually end up serving the good of the public.

One more letter to Shuler oughta do it.... Okay, now I've done my civic duty for the week.

(Clipped)

A bill has been introduced that will save independent internet radio
from the huge royalty payments that the CRB recently handed down. Call
your Representative right now and ask them to co-sponsor the
"Internet Radio Equality Act", introduced by Representative Jay Inslee.
This bill will set royalty rates that internet radio pays to the same
reasonable level that satellite radio pays.


"The beggar, who suns himself by the side of the highway, possesses that security which kings are fighting for." - Adam Smith

jojo25 - Posted - 04/27/2007:  11:01:52

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there is a bill before the House RIGHT NOW that would save Net Radio
H.R. 2060

go to...

http://capwiz.com/saveinternetradio/home/

To find the phone number for your Congressional representative, visit and enter your zip code. Then call your rep and tell them to co-sponsor this bill

thanks




Banjonically yours

Joe

Ptarmigan - Posted - 04/29/2007:  10:59:50

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Sorry guys, but I don't believe there's much I can do from this side of the puddle.

However, I can assure you that I am a regular listener to 'Sugar in the Gourd', anytime I'm online & I would certainly miss this wonderful resource.

I'm living in a sea of Diddly Dee music over here & 'S in the G' helps to keep me sane - ish!

Worrying times for sure!

I'll keep my fingers crossed!

Claw-Hammered Dulcimer player!
http://www.myspace.com/causewaytraditions

jojo25 - Posted - 05/02/2007:  17:08:07

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here's the reply I got from Tammy Baldwin, my rep,

"As you are aware, the rates set by the CRB will increase 30 percent
retroactively, and then 30 percent again each of the next three
years through 2009. This rate hike will have a devastating affect
on Internet radio providers and their 70 million monthly listeners.
For example, a webcaster who paid $48,000 in royalties last year
may be responsible for as much as $600,000 in royalty fees under
the new plan.

I fear the effects of this rate increase may be detrimental to
localism, diversity and Internet radio providers. This rate hike will
hamper technological innovation and the free flow of information.
Substantial increases such as this will squeeze out small
webcasters and favor large corporate interests which can afford
such exorbitant royalty rates.

You will be pleased to know that I am a cosponsor of H.R. 2060.
This legislation nullifies the CRB's decision that increases Internet
radio sound recording royalties by 300 - 1200 percent. It will also
change the royalty rate-setting standard that applies to commercial
Internet radio royalty arbitrations so that it is the same standard
that applies to satellite radio royalty arbitrations. H.R. 2060 adopts
the traditional four-factor balancing test that Congress developed
in 1976 for use with statutory license royalties. This standard is
currently used to set royalties for CDs, digital downloads,
jukeboxes, cable radio, and satellite radio. Currently this bill is
pending the House Committees on Energy and Commerce and
Judiciary, on which I serve. Please know that I will keep your
views in mind regarding royalty rates as I continue to monitor this
issue and support the free flow of information over the Internet
within the Committees and the full U.S. House of Representatives."

FYI


Banjonically yours

Joe

vrteach - Posted - 05/11/2007:  12:53:00

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I see that there is a bill in the House that is supposed to deal with the fee increases:

http://blogs.pcworld.com/staffblog/...tk=nl_dexblg




Erich
-------
http://vrteach.freepgs.com/banjo/