Woooooo! My class got canceled this morning! Oh, and a bill is up in Congress that will actually pay musicians for radio play, or whatever.

I came to DC under false pretenses: I was told it would snow all the time, and so far all I’ve gotten is one storm that produced three measly inches. So, imagine my excitement when I looked out the window this morning and those glorious white clusters were gently tumbling downwards before my very eyes! Without considering this weather’s implications, I checked my email hoping to find a response to my Craigslist ad for an apartment or at the very least some funny porn spam. What I got was neither but was possibly better -- an email from my professor canceling my only class of the day! I was overjoyed.

Then I headed over to Ye Olde Tiny Mix Tapes to see what the music world had on the grill. What was cooking was a delicious stew of good news (note to self: food metaphor not appropriate in this context)! As you may or may not know, only songwriters, not musicians, get paid when their songs are played on terrestrial airwaves (this is not the “good news” part). But a bipartisan coalition of House members is fighting to pass H.R. 4789 -- the Performance Rights Act -- which would compensate performers every time one of their songs is broadcast on commercial radio.

According to CNET News, this would be tremendously helpful in curbing losses from illegal downloading and plummeting CD sales. Although most of my favorite musicians write their own songs, it is a little sad that Katy Perry doesn’t get any money when “Hot ‘n Cold” is played on the radio, so I hope this bill passes and that this snow stays on the ground.

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