If, like me, you're a fan of Internet radio sites such as Pandora or Live365, you'll have to find something else to listen to next Tuesday. That's the day dozens of online broadcasters go silent, in protest of a new levy the government and the music labels are about to impose.

An overly dramatic gesture? A petulant response to a little extra taxation? Perhaps -- until you discover that the new fee appears to add up to more than the annual revenue of all Internet radio sites put together. That ludicrously high bill could well cripple this promising young industry in its crib.