With the rise of the popularity of the Internet, a new wave of independent and local musicians emerged, reaching their fans by mastering the art of creating an eye-catching MySpace page.

The issue of net neutrality has become a concern for many of these indie musicians. They are worried that if the Internet isn’t free and open to everyone equally, it will hurt the chances of small, local bands making it.

Some of these bands have begun to voice their opinion using the Web; the tool that helped them rise to stardom.

Rock the Net, an online coalition of musicians and record labels that support net neutrality, launched its crusade for music on March 29. So far, the coalition has 51 bands, including Death Cab for Cutie, OK Go and R.E.M., as well as 62 labels and 89 shows scheduled in support of the Rock the Net cause.

“The reason why net neutrality is an important issue is because some of the big telecom companies have proposed charging Web content providers such as iTunes, Google and Yahoo, to have their Web sites download faster,” said Justin Jouvenal, communications director for the Future of Music Coalition, the group responsible for the Rock the Net campaign. “This may not sound like a big deal, but what we fear is that only content providers who are able to afford these fees will have quality access to the Internet.”

Jouvenal said he is afraid the music on the Internet will end up like music on the radio, where big record labels use a tactic known as “payola” to buy airtime for their artists. Record companies have been known to offer cash or other incentives to stations that play their songs.

“It’s created a system in commercial radio where you hear only a couple of artists on the air. A lot of independent artists, like The Arcade Fire, which is hugely popular right now, you won’t hear on the commercial radio waves,” Jouvenal said.

The Rock the Net coalition is not only made up of popular indie bands. Small local bands and garage bands have jumped at the chance to join forces with some of the artists who may have inspired them to start a music career.

“We have everyone from a band like R.E.M. or Pearl Jam down to local bands that just play a show here or there in a local club and have never even released a record,” Jouvenal said. “We have everyone from your biggest name bands to the local garage band that’s just starting out.”

The cable industries have launched campaigns of their own in opposition to net neutrality. Joy Sims, director of media relations for the National Cable and Telecommunications Association, said the cable industry looks at net neutrality as a solution without a problem. The National Cable and Telecommunications Association is the organization responsible for recent commercials that ask the question “Are you google-eyed over net neutrality?”

“There’s no evidence that there has been a market failure causing the need for new regulations to be imposed,” Sims said.

Sims said forcing the cable companies to regulate their services and treating all Web content carriers equally will ultimately harm the consumers most.

“If industries have to spend a lot of money to figuring out ways to regulate their own network, they can’t funnel their money into providing faster speed and a better quality for their services,” Sims said.

Sims said competition is the force that encourages companies to try harder to bring better services. Without this competition, she said, the Internet will not improve or evolve.

“If there were regulations imposed on certain Internet service providers, obviously if people don’t like that; they will go and find another service provider,” she said. “That competition allows people to have the best and fastest Internet they can.”