On Tuesday, June 26, thousands of U.S.-based webcasters plan to turn off the music and go silent in a unified effort to draw attention to an impending royalty rate increase that, if implemented, would lead to the virtual shutdown of this country's Internet radio industry.

Internet-only webcasters and broadcasters that simulcast online will alert their listeners that "silence" is what Internet radio may be reduced to after July 15th, the day on which 17 months' worth of retroactive royalty payments -- at new, exceedingly high rates -- are due to the SoundExchange collection organization, following a recent Copyright Royalty Board (CRB) decision.

"In this case, 'silence' is an extremely appropriate metaphor, since silence may be what listeners hear from most webcasters starting on July 16th," says Kurt Hanson (pictured right), publisher of RAIN: Radio And Internet Newsletter (www.kurthanson.com), one of the event's organizers. Hanson is also founder of AccuRadio.

Major webcasters like Yahoo! Launch, Rhapsody, and Pandora.com will silence their streams along with other Day of Silence participants like KCRW.org, Live365, MTV Online, Radioio, RadioParadise, and AccuRadio (for participant list, see below).

Many webcasters are planning to shut off access to their streams entirely, while other webcasters plan to replace their music streams with long periods of silence (or static or ocean sounds or similar) interspersed with occasional brief public service announcements on the subject.

This "Day of Silence" is an encore of a successful media event initiated by RAIN and organized by small webcasters on May 1, 2002 in response to a similarly royalty rate ruling from a Copyright Arbitration Royalty Panel (CARP) five years ago. That event garnered national attention and was subsequently followed by a rate cut by the Librarian of Congress and the passage of the Small Webcaster Settlement Act for the period 1998-2005.

For media inquiries, contact Kurt Hanson (e-mail here), Paul Maloney (e-mail here), or Dan McSwain (e-mail here) at the RAIN offices, 312/527-3879.

This is a partial, quickly-growing list. Please let us know if you are a webcaster and plan on participating in Tuesday's "Day of Silence." E-mail us here.

KPFA Radio (Berkeley, CA), Iceberg Radio (U.S. streams), KUSF (San Francisco, CA), BluegrassCountry.org/WAMU.org, KZSU (Stanford, CA), Sky.fm, WCPR Castle Point Radio (Hoboken, NJ), KPBX (Spokane, WA), WDYN (Rochester, NY), My Flex Radio, Christian Rock.net, Tundra Trash Radio, LastCall-Radio, Emphatic Radio, TwangTownUSA, Jesus Freaks Radio, Etherbeat, The Wolf Radio, ChronixRadio

Wizard Radio, Born Again Radio, Pearadio.com, Ear.fm, WGLI (Bablylon, NY), WMUK (Kalamazoo, MI), Head-On Radio Network, Zecom/Gemz Radio, monkeygrip music cafe, KFCF (Fresno, CA), LuckySevenRadio.com, Blue Power/Guitar Speak, WPNA (Oak Park, IL), WPRY (Perry, FL), 525 Power Tracks, Wild West Radio, Jazz Radio 24/7, RadioZX, InnerStreams Radio, WNYC2

WRPS/WebRadioPugetSound, Puregold Rock ‘N Roll, NeverEndingWonder Radio, RadioMilwaukee, Gotradio/100hitz, KDUN (Reedsport, OR), GDRadio.net, Pirate Radio KQLZ (Los Angeles, CA), KXPR/KXJZ (Sacramento, CA), NiceNoise.Net, BlackLight Radio, Pure Pop 24/7, Smooth Jazz and More, Reggae Nostalgia, WCH Radio/The Wave, WYGS Southern Gospel Radio Network, Bid4Spots

WRAJ Internet Radio, Big R Radio, Rock Nation Radio, Texas Broadcasting Network, WDAV (Davidson, NC), En Sound Radio, Sounds of America/This Is Your Music, Southern Christian Broadcast, The Roy Cost Show, Fresh FM (Canada), Stickman Radio, Jefferson Public Radio (Ashland, OR), WLUR (Lexington, VA), KRDE (Globe, AZ), 60’s Chicks Radio/Seasons & Celebrations Radio, STAR 107.9

Soft 'N Easy Net Radio, 181.fm, Classic Metal Show Radio Network, Whisperings: Solo Piano Radio, RadioJavan.com, Radio Bop, Prog Palace Radio, All About Country, RadioNC Online, PowerHitRadio, All Memphis Music, Radio X Network, KUIW (San Antonio, TX), PopFusion Radio, Ozone Radio, Zimmer Radio (Joplin, MO), Loud City, Power Radio International, WEOS (Geneva, NY), WGSR.us

KALW (San Francisco, CA), The Miz Radio, GalaxyStorm Radio, MaxMarch Radio, KRUA (Anchorage, AK), Radio Odyssey, Indie Airplay, Grooveradio, LastCall-Radio, Melted Metal Web Radio, The Hot Cakes and Sausage Morning Show, KVMR (Nevada City, CA), OutboundMusic, Radio Keneally, KHPZ Radio Network, Italian Graffiati, Radio Skipper, Whitedove Radio, Cape Praise Radio, Cape Christian Radio

Kansas City Online Radio, Variety-FM Gold, Mix Utah, KCWU (Ellensburg, WA), Japan-A-Radio, Radio Underground, The Geek Radio, Small Webcaster Community Initiative, Radio Orenovscotia/Radio Atlantiapax, UpStageRadio, Energy93, SlowMotionDisaster/KilledByDeath, WEMU (Ypsilanti, MI), Big Blue Swing, Grooveshark, ShockNetRadio, Power House Mix, Barcelona Jazz Radio,

WAjP Net Radio Network, RadioYHot/Rock/ZRadio, Delicious Agony Progressive Rock Radio, KHUM/KSLG (Humboldt County, CA), HotNGold, Stop and Go Radio, Radio Voz de Gracia, Beauty From Ashes Radio, Polka Jammer Network, TUN3R.com, Sun-Music, #1inMusic, Rap Planet Broadband, Beatles Radio, KUIW.org, RadioRadio, Beatles-A-Rama, WinniRadio, KOOL Mix Radio, Radio66

Apex Broadcasting stations (Charleston, SC), Christian Music Radio, SCIR.net, OWL Radio, Energy 98, WUSC (Columbia, SC), Hussieskunk, Community Radio Group stations (Joplin, MO/Texarkana, AR/TX), BlakeRadio Network, WAER (Syracuse, NY), WBEB/Philadelphia, Christian Broadcasting System, WMEX (Rochester, NH), NativeRadio.com, Mixutah.com, BCN Online, WPRB (Princeton, NJ)

Radio Free Charleston, Radio Dismuke, Crawford Broadcasting (Rochester stations), BeyondTheOrdinary, BeatMixing, The Guitar Channel, Smack Networks, Mountain Echoes Radio, KTRU (Houston, TX), KXUL (Monroe, LA), KZSU (Palo Alto, CA), SCADRadio, WONY (Oneonta, NY), WSUM (Madison, WI), WSWI (Evansville, IN), JACK.FM, Gremlin Radio, Majyckradio, Christmas Melody/SmoothChoice

KALX (Berkeley, CA), MPYR Radio, HardRadio, WRLT (Nashville, TN), sfSoundRadio, BostonPete.com Radio, KSSU (Sacramento, CA), Midnight Blues, 108 The Rocker Online, MegaShuffle.com, Euro-Rock Radio (U.S. streams), Chillout2NewYork, TheTimeMachine.fm, A3radio.com/AnnArborLive, Women Rock Radio/NTG Radio, TimsRadio.com/FlamencoRadio.net, RadioShows, LG73 (Canada), SpiritCo1.com

CultRadioAGoGo, Orbital Grooves, Radio DePaul, Radio Darkness, Zydeco Online, WHEM (Amagansett, NY), Dred Radio, WKUF-LP (Flint, MI), KOMO (Seattle, WA), Radio TuIdentidad, The BuzzOutRoom, V103 Radio, Broke N' Beat Radio, Hot97.com, 1Club.fm/WBMX.com/0180s, KADI (Springfield, MO), First Natchez Radio Group stations, Chicago Radio Network/Thug Life Army Radio, A World of Blues

KFJC (Los Altos Hills, CA), Access.1 Communications, Offshore Music Radio, KWFC (Springfield, MO), Rhythm96, WPCI (Greenville, SC), Webmaster Radio, Pirate Underground Radio, Boskey Radio West, AllFurRadio, Jammin’ Hitz Radio, KRRC (Austin, TX), Radio Enigma, Rocket Radio, Winds of Praise, FONYE Radio/FONYE Gospel, Music Tampa Bay, NetRadio100, DementiaRadio, Rapid Radio

No Holds Barred, StreetBlast.com, WNKU (Highland Heights, KY), Hope Mountain Radio, WMPH (Wilmington, DE), 1710A7BN.com/HillBilly97.com, BassDrive, OldSkool101/Rock100Diz, Shirley & Spinoza Web Radio, WMHB (Waterville, ME), Delmarva Broadcasting Company stations, MusicNerve, WNCS/WDOT/WRJT "The Point" (Vermont), SuperStationXRB, HometownRadio.us/RealGoldRadio

Radio DavidByrne, Vermont Public Radio, WGCR.US, World Gospel Jazz Broadcast, The Under World Radio, Radio Done Studio, DekaDance-Radio, the miXed taPe, NRC Broadcasting (Denver, CO), The World Wide Radio Network, The WebChat Radio Network, IR & RS channels, Public Radio Partnership (Louisville, KY), Pittman Broadcasting Services stations, Sierra H Broadcasting, My Sonic Tonic

Cool Classic Country, Second Life Public Radio, KSCS/BKCW (Edmond/McAlester, OK), POJRadio, Star769 Radio, KSOP (Salt Lake City, UT), Spider Radio, Mystic Soundscapes, WTSC (Potsdam, NY), Phoenix Radio Network, Supermusic Radio, WDOS-FM/WDOS Pulse, First Class Hip-Hop, Radio Margaritaville, Global Public Radio/The Ranch Online, The Monks Media Radio Network, East Hill Radio

TrackOne Radio, Tunes4HIM.com, LT3M.com, WRUW (Cleveland, OH), WCSB (Cleveland, OH), KWTF, 9412, Dark Dragon Radio, North Bay Radio, radiowayne, Station112, The Island, Surf City Sounds, Davidson Media Group, The Big Joe

More information and coverage of the Day of Silence is available here:

RAIN announcement (here)
KCRW announcement (here)
Chicago Sun-Times coverage (here)
Wall St. Journal coverage (here)
ABC 7 KGO-TV/San Francisco coverage (here)

CNNMoney/Business 2.0 coverage (here)
Mediapost coverage (here)
Radio Ink coverage (here)
Audio Graphics (here)
RAIN's 2002 Day of Silence (coverage here)

It's recommended that you visibly alert your listeners as to why you are not streaming your normal programming, and how they can get involved in the effort to save your business and the industry. You may want to copy and paste the following text, taken from SaveNetRadio.org, to your home page.

Here's a banner to include (make it links to: 'http://capwiz.com/saveinternetradio'). SaveNetRadio has more banner material available here.

Audio announcements available for download
Ken Dardis (AudioGraphics and Spacial Audio) and Mountain Echoes Radio have both produced a series of PSA announcements webcasters may use before and during Tuesday's Day of Silence. WZFB has produced long form audio programming for webcasters to use if they wish. You can download this audio from the SaveNetRadio here.

Press release for you local media
If you'd like to issue a press release to encourage coverage of your activities in your market, you may download a template here (.pdf) or here (.doc), and customize them.