Pandora update, and a reality check (this is a DiMA vs NAB fight, not a people power fight)

This post appeared on the Pandora blog less than an hour ago:

Thanks to everyone who has been calling over the past 24 hours - we've heard from many offices that calls have been raining in. The House vote is coming up this afternoon. The NAB is trying furiously to derail the bill.

Tim Westergren, who wrote this post, then went on to say:

This has become a direct fight between the lobbying power of the large broadcasters and the collective voice of constituents.

Now someone reading that post might get the idea that "people power" is going to prevail in this little fight. As in, "if we all hold hands we can keep our radio" or "put Obama-related CHANGE in the White House" or "send Sarah Palin to scare the Beltway Boys" or whatever.

But that isn't what Westergren said. He referred to a "collective voice."

Or, in other words, another lobby - in this case, the previously referenced Digital Media Association (DiMA).

You see, lobbyists are like lawyers. Lobbyists are evil, predatory scum...except, of course, for your own lobbyist.

In this particular case, my lobbyist is the Digital Media Association. Who are they?

The Digital Media Association (DiMA) is a national trade organization devoted primarily to the online audio and video industries, and more generally to commercially innovative digital media opportunities. We are at the forefront of business and policy debates affecting the growth and development of these enterprises, and are recognized by public and private sector leaders as the national association that best understands the complex policies and issues surrounding digital media, including copyright, competition and consumer rights.

Just like the National Association of Broadcasters has members such as Clear Channel, the Digital Media Association has its own membership.

DiMA Members

Amazon
AOL
Apple
BestBuy
CNET Networks
iMeem
Live365
LoudCity
MediaNet
Microsoft
Motorola
MTV Networks
Muzak
Napster
Nokia
Pandora Media
RealNetworks
Sandisk
Slacker
Sony Connect
Spacial Audio Solutions
Thomson
TouchTunes
Yahoo!
YouTube

Disclosure: I just discovered that, for what it's worth, my own employer happens to be a member of DiMA. So you can now refer to me as a corporate shill. :)

So, while our public expressions of support for H.R. 7084 are probably appreciated, they are not going to make a big difference in this matter. Congressman Joe Baca has not responded to my letter of last night, he might pay more attention if DiMA Executive Director Jonathan Potter were to drop by his office for a little chat.

Unless, of course, Anne Brady of NABPAC gets there first. And the NAB has donated to a number of Congresspersons in 2008:

Altmire, Jason (D-PA) $3,000
Arcuri, Michael (D-NY) $3,000
Barrett, Gresham (R-SC) $5,000
Barrow, John (D-GA) $5,000
Barton, Joe (R-TX) $6,000
Bean, Melissa (D-IL) $7,000
Berkley, Shelley (D-NV) $2,500
Berry, Marion (D-AR) $4,500
Bilbray, Brian P (R-CA) $1,000
Bilirakis, Gus (R-FL) ($1,000)
Blackburn, Marsha (R-TN) $1,500
Blumenauer, Earl (D-OR) $1,000
Blunt, Roy (R-MO) $7,500
Boehner, John (R-OH) $2,000
Bono, Mary (R-CA) $4,000
Boozman, John (R-AR) $2,000
Boswell, Leonard L (D-IA) $5,000
Boucher, Rick (D-VA) $3,500
Boyd, Allen (D-FL) $1,500
Brady, Kevin (R-TX) $1,000
Braley, Bruce (D-IA) ($1,000)
Broun, Paul Jr (R-GA) $3,500
Burgess, Michael (R-TX) $1,000
Butterfield, G K (D-NC) $5,000
Buyer, Steve (R-IN) $5,000
Camp, Dave (R-MI) $1,000
Cannon, Chris (R-UT) $2,000
Cantor, Eric (R-VA) $2,500
Capito, Shelley Moore (R-WV) $2,000
Capps, Lois (D-CA) $1,000
Capuano, Michael E (D-MA) $1,500
Carnahan, Russ (D-MO) $3,000
Carson, Andre (D-IN) $5,000
Carter, John (R-TX) $1,000
Chabot, Steve (R-OH) $5,000
Clyburn, James E (D-SC) $3,500
Coble, Howard (R-NC) $2,000
Cole, Tom (R-OK) $2,500
Conaway, Mike (R-TX) $6,500
Conyers, John Jr (D-MI) $4,500
Courtney, Joe (D-CT) $1,500
Crowley, Joseph (D-NY) $6,500
Cuellar, Henry (D-TX) $500
Culberson, John (R-TX) $1,000
Davis, David (R-TN) $3,500
Davis, Geoff (R-KY) $1,500
Davis, Lincoln (D-TN) $3,000
Dent, Charlie (R-PA) $2,000
Diaz-Balart, Lincoln (R-FL) $1,500
Diaz-Balart, Mario (R-FL) $5,000
Dingell, John D (D-MI) $8,000
Donnelly, Joe (D-IN) $1,000
Doyle, Mike (D-PA) $1,000
Drake, Thelma (R-VA) $2,000
Dreier, David (R-CA) $1,000
Edwards, Chet (D-TX) $6,000
Ellsworth, Brad (D-IN) $4,000
Emanuel, Rahm (D-IL) $5,500
Feeney, Tom (R-FL) $2,000
Ferguson, Mike (R-NJ) $1,000
Fossella, Vito (R-NY) $1,000
Gerlach, Jim (R-PA) $1,000
Giffords, Gabrielle (D-AZ) $3,000
Gillibrand, Kirsten E (D-NY) $2,500
Gillmor, Paul E (R-OH) $1,000
Gingrey, Phil (R-GA) $1,000
Gonzalez, Charlie A (D-TX) $6,000
Goode, Virgil H Jr (R-VA) $1,000
Goodlatte, Bob (R-VA) $2,000
Gordon, Bart (D-TN) $5,000
Granger, Kay (R-TX) $1,000
Green, Al (D-TX) $1,000
Green, Gene (D-TX) $10,000
Griffith, Parker (D-AL) $7,500
Hall, Ralph M (R-TX) $3,500
Halvorson, Deborah "Debbie" (D-IL) $5,000
Hare, Philip G (D-IL) $3,000
Hensarling, Jeb (R-TX) $2,000
Herseth Sandlin, Stephanie (D-SD) $1,000
Hill, Baron (D-IN) $6,000
Hoekstra, Peter (R-MI) $1,000
Hooley, Darlene (D-OR) $2,000
Hoyer, Steny H (D-MD) $4,500
Hunter, Duncan D (R-CA) $3,000
Israel, Steve (D-NY) $1,000
Jackson Lee, Sheila (D-TX) $1,000
Johnson, Sam (R-TX) $1,000
Jones, Stephanie Tubbs (D-OH) $1,000
Jordan, James D (R-OH) $1,000
Keller, Ric (R-FL) $10,000
Kilpatrick, Carolyn Cheeks (D-MI) $1,000
Kind, Ron (D-WI) $2,000
Klein, Ron (D-FL) $1,000
Kline, John (R-MN) $2,000
LaHood, Ray (R-IL) ($250)
Lampson, Nick (D-TX) $3,000
Larsen, Rick (D-WA) $1,000
Larson, John B (D-CT) $3,000
LaTourette, Steven C (R-OH) $1,000
LoBiondo, Frank A (R-NJ) $2,500
Loebsack, David (D-IA) $1,000
Lungren, Dan (R-CA) $1,000
Mahoney, Tim (D-FL) $1,000
Manzullo, Don (R-IL) $2,000
Markey, Edward J (D-MA) $10,000
Matheson, Jim (D-UT) $8,000
Matsui, Doris O (D-CA) $2,500
McCaul, Michael (R-TX) $5,000
McCotter, Thad (R-MI) $1,000
McHenry, Patrick (R-NC) $1,000
McHugh, John M (R-NY) $1,000
McIntyre, Mike (D-NC) $2,000
Meek, Kendrick B (D-FL) $2,000
Melancon, Charles J (D-LA) $5,000
Michaud, Mike (D-ME) $2,500
Miller, Candice S (R-MI) $1,500
Miller, Gary (R-CA) $2,000
Miller, Jeff (R-FL) $1,000
Mitchell, Harry E (D-AZ) $1,000
Moore, Dennis (D-KS) $2,000
Moran, Jerry (R-KS) $1,000
Murphy, Chris (D-CT) $4,000
Musgrave, Marilyn (R-CO) $2,000
Myrick, Sue (R-NC) $2,000
Nadler, Jerrold (D-NY) $1,000
Neugebauer, Randy (R-TX) $1,000
Nunes, Devin Gerald (R-CA) $2,500
Oberstar, James L (D-MN) $1,000
Ortiz, Solomon P (D-TX) $1,000
Pallone, Frank Jr (D-NJ) $2,000
Pelosi, Nancy (D-CA) $2,500
Perlmutter, Edwin G (D-CO) ($2,000)
Petri, Tom (R-WI) $1,000
Pickering, Charles "Chip" Jr (R-MS) $1,000
Pitts, Joe (R-PA) $1,000
Poe, Ted (R-TX) $1,000
Porter, Jon (R-NV) $2,000
Price, Tom (R-GA) $2,000
Putnam, Adam H (R-FL) $2,000
Radanovich, George (R-CA) $3,000
Reyes, Silvestre (D-TX) $1,000
Rodriguez, Ciro D (D-TX) $2,500
Rogers, Mike (R-MI) $2,500
Ross, Mike (D-AR) $5,000
Ruppersberger, Dutch (D-MD) $5,500
Ryan, Tim (D-OH) $1,500
Salazar, John (D-CO) $1,000
Sanchez, Linda (D-CA) $1,000
Sanchez, Loretta (D-CA) $2,500
Schiff, Adam (D-CA) $2,000
Schock, Aaron (R-IL) $5,000
Schultz, Debbie Wasserman (D-FL) $2,000
Scott, David (D-GA) $5,000
Sensenbrenner, F James Jr (R-WI) $1,000
Sessions, Pete (R-TX) $1,000
Shadegg, John (R-AZ) $1,000
Shimkus, John M (R-IL) $5,000
Shuler, Heath (D-NC) $2,000
Shuster, Bill (R-PA) $2,000
Slaughter, Louise M (D-NY) $2,500
Smith, Adrian (R-NE) $1,000
Smith, Lamar (R-TX) ($500)
Solis, Hilda L (D-CA) $2,500
Souder, Mark E (R-IN) $2,000
Space, Zachary T (D-OH) $4,000
Spratt, John M Jr (D-SC) $2,000
Stearns, Cliff (R-FL) $4,000
Stupak, Bart (D-MI) $5,500
Sullivan, John (R-OK) $2,000
Tanner, John (D-TN) $4,500
Terry, Lee (R-NE) $2,000
Thompson, Bennie G (D-MS) $1,000
Thompson, Mike (D-CA) $1,500
Tiberi, Patrick J (R-OH) $1,000
Towns, Edolphus (D-NY) $3,500
Turner, Michael R (R-OH) $1,000
Upton, Fred (R-MI) $5,300
Walden, Greg (R-OR) $2,500
Walsh, James T (R-NY) $1,000
Weldon, Dave (R-FL) $1,000
Weller, Jerry (R-IL) $1,000
Wexler, Robert (D-FL) $1,000
Whitfield, Ed (R-KY) $2,500
Wilson, Charlie (D-OH) $4,000
Wittman, Rob (R-VA) $1,000
Woods, David Dwight (R-AL) $6,000
Wynn, Albert R (D-MD) $5,000

If Pandora Radio dies, now you know who to contact. Or, more importantly, contact their opponents in this election.

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