What I want for my birthday:

"Seventeen has turned thirty-five; I'm surprised that we're still living." -- John Mellencamp

Good day. You all will be happier to know that I am in a much happier place than I was a year ago.(That post has long since vanished into cyber atoms). Besides, I came to the realisation that people get very disturbed when I write posts when I am very angry. So I haven't written an angry post since my last birthday. I have done my level best to mask my anger into more sarcastic or thoughtful posts that people have come to expect from me. It seems to have succeeded more at making my point than just venting that, I can see, people have had enough of.

Today I am not upset at anything, other than I don't have enough time today to celebrate.

I do have a few things I would like for you to do my birthday. I don't ask for much:

1.) Listen. Perhaps you have heard that on 2 March 2007, the Copyright Royalty Board in Washington D. C. has decided that all internet-based radio should pay three times the royalty rates they are paying right now to run their stations, increasing the rate to .19 of a cent per song, per listener. This rate goes into effect on 15 May 2007, retroactive to 1 January 2006, with payments immediately due that day. This will immediately bankrupt nearly every internet-based radio station resulting in many stations going off the air.

Internet Radio already has to pay twice what commercial radio already pays. compared to zero that commercial radio has to pay. This draconian ruling will permanently damage Radio for several reasons:

• Most internet radio station operators perform their service without any remuneration from advertisers; they either run their stations as an out-of-pocket expense or they solicit donations from listeners to pay for bandwidth bills.
  
• Many of these stations are owned and operated by educational institutions (e.g. college, high schools) or a non-profit entity (e.g. public or community radio stations); basically, stations that normally would be "left-of-the-dial" on terrestrial radio. They pay for their bills the same way private internet radio operators do, out-of-pocket or donations. They ain't rich either.
  
• Independent artists, non-mainstream artists, writers, poets, speakers and anyone else who make and create works that exist outside the corporate-approved realm of sound will lose a very important mainline to the world's population. In a medium where the second-most-important thing is to BE HEARD, losing that audience is death of art, plain and simple.

Yes I have a vested interest in this, as my music is being played on Live 365, IAC, Nowhere Radio, and who knows how many others. This past year alone, those stations have helped get my music heard by many people around the world. Without their service, no one outside of the USA, much less Chicago, Boston and Oregon would know what the heck I'm doing, even though I do have the obligatory website and the MySpace account to go with it. But as all things on the internet, it all goes hand in hand.

http://www.savenetradio.org is where I am pointing you to help me fight this RIAA-approved tyranny. There, you can keep abreast of the efforts to stem this tide.

There is also an online form which will automatically send am e-mail to your senator and congresscritter . This is a very wise move, because with Congressional intervention, there might still be chance. Okay?

2.) I will happily accept donations to my iTunes fund. Go through iTunes, Buy iTunes gifts, and send an email to ednoledatlivejournaldotcom.

3.) Listen to Joni Mitchell, then to Bob Marley. Revel in the dichotomy.

F.) If you are living anywhere near Portland, Oregon, Go see author Jemiah Jefferson read at the Someday Lounge tonight from 5:30 to 7:30. Included in tonight's reading is a world-premiere of a new work in a decidedly new direction. No doubt it will be fantastic.

4.) For my own personal entertainment, convince me why I should run for president.

I love you all as usual.