In case you don’t already know, Pandora is pretty much one of the greatest things to happen to Internet radio.

Simply by selecting a favorite band, you can create a custom “radio station” that plays songs from the artist you selected and artists of a similar sound/genre. For me, it creates an awesome listening experience that allows me to not only enjoy music I know I already love, but also learn about new undiscovered music that really fits my taste.

I pretty much don’t know where I’d be if I didn’t have Pandora at work. Which leads me to the reason for this blog . . .

Today is Internet Radio’s Day of Silence. Pandora, along with other radio stations that broadcast over the internet, are currently fighting the recent increase that drastically raised the licensing fees internet radio sites must pay to stream songs. According to Pandora, it’s fees will triple (starting July 15) and are retroactive for eighteen months. They believe, because of the increase, internet radio sites will start shutting down and music broadcast over the internet will die.

Pandora is urging everyone to call their Congressional Representatives today asking them to sponsor a bill called "Internet Radio Equality Act". They believe it will help fix the problem and save Internet radio.

I’m not one for using my blog as a soap box, but I support this fight. While I agree musicians should get paid every penny they deserve, if Internet radio dies, I can’t help but wonder what outlets undiscovered musicians have left since, lord knows, the good ones aren’t getting any play on Clear Channel or KROQ.

For more information visit www.savenetradio.org