BBC to Open Content Floodgates The BBC plans to open its vast archive of TV and radio programming
to the Net this fall. Observers are excited about the liberal licensing
terms: Users could download and remix all they want, turning the notion
of copyright on its head.
By Katie Dean Wired,
June 16, 2004
Big music stores squelch download plan
A group of big music stores has mothballed a plan to join forces on
the Internet to fight online services such as Apple Computer's iTunes,
a move that highlights painful choices brought on by a digital shakeout.
By John Borland CNET News.com,
June 11, 2004
Labels Spin Old Tune -- Cash -- Into More Airplay In the latest twist on pay-for-play, it's the radio stations themselves
that have been reaching out to the labels, offering to play songs in
the form of ads, often in the early morning hours when there tends to
be an excess inventory of airtime. The practice is legal as long as
the station makes an on-air disclosure of the label's sponsorship —
typically with an introduction such as "And now, Avril Lavigne's
'Don't Tell Me,' presented by Arista Records."
By Jeff Leeds Los
Angeles Times, June 10, 2004
Deal Erases Pending Charges Against Clear Channel The Federal Communications Commission's record indecency settlement
with Clear Channel Communications Inc., released yesterday, gives the
embattled radio giant a clean slate with regulators who have held it
up as the example of media consolidation gone haywire.
By Frank Ahrens Washington
Post, June 10, 2004
Country music radio full of pro-war songs Country music artists are hardly united in their support of the
war in Iraq -- but you'd never know it from listening to the radio.
By John Gerome Salon,
June 9, 2004
Beatles catalog headed for digital distribution? Talks have begun that could finally make the songs of The Beatles
available for sale online, sources familiar with the situation said.
By John Borland CNET News.com,
June 8, 2004
Apple Pumps Music Through Air The new AirPort Express portable Wi-Fi base station doubles as a
wireless receiver for home stereos. It's an intriguing package of electronics,
analysts say.
By Leander Kahney Wired,
June 8, 2004
GarageBand.com Leaves Door Open Musicians who post their music on GarageBand.com can now opt to
license their songs using Creative Commons. Music fans can trade and
share songs as much as they like without fearing the RIAA's wrath.
By Katie Dean. Wired,
June 8, 2004
An Atlas of Intellectual Property It's producers versus pirates versus consumers, from Silicon Valley
to Shanghai. A special Infoporn from Wired magazine on the global battle
between liberty and control. Wired
Magazine, June 2004
Senators Back Low-Power Radio Sens. John McCain and Patrick Leahy introduce a bill that would
allow low-power radio stations to get licenses to broadcast in big markets.
But commercial radio interests probably won't give up the spectrum without
a fight.
By Ryan Singel Wired,
June 5, 2004
Clear Channel Settles Promoter Lawsuit Radio and concert promotions giant Clear Channel Communications
Inc. has settled an antitrust lawsuit filed by an independent Denver
promoter.
Nobody in Particular Presents Inc. filed a lawsuit in 2001 alleging
that Clear Channel tried to monopolize the promotions business in Colorado
by withholding airplay from musicians who booked shows through other
promoters. Trial had been set for August. Associated
Press, June 3, 2004
Microsoft Edges Into ITunes' Turf The new Windows Media Player 10 works with a wide range of portable
devices and digital music subscription services. But the real power
move comes later this year, when Microsoft launches its own online music
store.
By Katie Dean Wired,
June 3, 2004
Eric Idle from Monty Python releases new anti-FCC song June
2004 (MP3)
How Copyright Law Changed Hip Hop: Interview with Public Enemy's Chuck D and Hank Shocklee Stay
Free! Magazine issue #20
Copyrights and Copywrongs: Interview with Siva Vaidhyanathan on the "rise of intellectual
property and how it threatens creativity." Stay
Free! Magazine issue #20
MAY 2004
[FMC] Guitar hopefuls show their pluck "There's a growing awareness and understanding that the `music
community' is not what's represented by MTV's Cribs," says Mike
Bracy, a Washington, D.C., lobbyist on music issues, referring to the
MTV series that showcases the homes and possessions of wealthy music
celebrities. "The reality is that the music community is made up
of thousands and thousands of local, independent musicians who play
because they have the gift or the talent or the ambition and want to
make a lasting career out of it."
By Dan Daley Florida
Sun-Sentinel, May 30, 2004
Inside the Courtroom: Recording Industry Takes on Uploaders An account from the U.S. District Court of Massachusetts hearing
to address pre-trial motions in the case of Capitol Records et al. v.
Alaujan, in which the Recording Industry is suing 40 defendants.
By Mary Bridges Harvard's Berkman
Center Briefing, May 27, 2004
Rock of Ages
Rock 'n' roll remains necessary because we need exhilaration and a sense
of invincibility, even if it's only now and again.
By Nick Hornby New
York Times, May 21, 2004
Report: Kids Pirate Music Freely More than half of young Americans with Internet access continue
to download free music even though they know that they are breaking
the law, according to a poll released today.
By David McGuire Washington
Post, May 18, 2004
Sharman Presses for Evidence
Sharman Networks, maker of the Kazaa file-trading application, demands
in court proceedings that the music industry provide the names and addresses
of people who allegedly infringed copyright. The industry rep balks.
Patrick Gray reports from Melbourne, Australia. Wired,
May 18, 2004
Do-it-yourself ringtone software encroaching on potential profits,
some
record labels say
The software, called Xingtone, evokes the same "oh wow, oh no''
reaction
from the labels that greeted the original Napster. The fear is that
people
will make ringtones out of pirated songs, thus compounding the
file-sharing problem while robbing the music industry of a new source
of
revenue.
By Dawn C. Chmielewski San
Jose Mercury News, May 17, 2004
New Spin on the Music Business
Rather than modify the current, failing copyright system to save the
entertainment industry, one legal scholar is proposing radical plans
for a system that he claims will pay artists fairly and bring more digital
media to the people who crave it. But convincing the music and movie
industries to embrace the idea seems unlikely, at least in the near
future.
By Katie Dean Wired,
May 15, 2004
[FMC/Pew Survey] How do musicians feel about Internet file-sharing? With all of the hullabaloo about music file sharing on the Internet,
perhaps it's time to ask the musicians themselves about how they feel.
The Pew Internet & American Life Project has done just that, surveying
2,755 musicians and songwriters between March 15 and April 15. Interestingly,
the responses are far from uniform. By Eric Sinrod USA
Today, May 12, 2004
Apple Wants to Open Song Vaults Only a fraction of the songs in music labels' catalogs are available
for download on legal music sites. Apple is leading the charge to get
many out-of-print gems online and available for sale.
By Katie Dean Wired,
May 12, 2004
[Summit 04] Bowie looks for diamonds among the remixing dogs There is no black-and-white answer to mashing, in terms of either
law or morality: such albums pose the hardest questions of the internet
age. Is it lawful to mix the vocals of one artist with the instrumentals
of another, without permission, and defend the outcome as a new work
of art, rather than a mere collage of copies? Or is that what used to
be known as theft - before technology made it just so easy to do?
By Patti Waldmeir Financial Times (London), May 10, 2004
[subscription required]
Stealing Back the Airwaves As summer camps go, it's unusual. In four days, you can learn to
build transmitters and antennas, and get advice on handling any FCC
agents wondering about your new radio station.
By Jason Silverman Wired,
May 7, 2004
[Summit04] Musicians Score a Date With Lobbyists Evidence of the "rock-star effect" was on display earlier
this week as lawmakers, think-tank experts, professors and scads of
musicians gathered at The George Washington University to debate the
politics of media consolidation, music royalties and peer-to-peer file
swapping at the fourth annual Future of Music Coalition Policy Summit.
By David McGuire washingtonpost.com,
May 6, 2004
Labels Agree To $50 Million Royalty Payout The settlement is the result of a two-year investigation by State
Attorney General Eliot Spitzer that found many artists and writers were
not being paid royalties.
By Brian Garrity
Billboard, May 5, 2004
Apple, Sony on a collision course? Sony's foray into music downloads this week unleashes the most potent
rival yet to Apple Computer's iTunes Music Store, setting the stage
for a high-stakes battle between two technology titans known for stylish
innovation.
By John Borland CNET News.com,
May 5, 2004
[Summit04] Record Industry Wants Still More It's not enough for the music industry that legal music downloads
are gaining popularity. Company honchos want to raise song prices, gain
more control of distribution and collect higher royalties. Michael Grebb
reports from the Future of Music conference in Washington, D.C. Wired,
May 5, 2004 [Summit04] FCC Member Rips Colleagues Over Consolidation "We are skirting dangerously close to taking the public interest
out of the public airwaves," Copps said at the Future of Music
Coalition's policy summit, a conference of musicians, record industry
executives, lawmakers and civil liberties activists.
By Brooke Brody-Waite Reuters,
May 4, 2004
[Summit04] Coleman: Music industry must adapt to technology "You are the creative force in America; be creative,"
Coleman said. "I don't believe you can stop illegal use by suing
a few people."
By Emily Johns Minneapolis
Star Tribune (subscription), May 4, 2004
Mashup Artists Face the Music Mashups -- a style of music remix -- are getting more attention,
thanks to David Bowie. The publicity is forcing artists to think about
the form's legal nuances.
By Daniel Terdiman Wired,
May 4, 2004
[Summit04] Harmony Rules in the Future of Music Future of Music Summit Offers an Interlude in the Online Piracy
Cacophony
By David McGuire washingtonpost.com,
April 30, 2004
APRIL 2004
File Sharing Is Totally Uncool
The MPAA tries to turn junior high school into anti-piracy camp, complete
with scripted role-playing educational games.
By Jeff Howe Wired magazine,
April 30, 2004
'Dude! This Thing Is Awesome!'
The latest device for downloading music comes from an outfit called
eMusic. Users can record their favorite bands, live, then rush home
from the concert, download the file and share it with their friends.
Best of all, it appears to be legal. Wired,
April 30, 2004
On 1st birthday, iTunes unwraps new features Apple Computer on Wednesday celebrated the first birthday of its
iTunes Music Store by unveiling more than a half-dozen new features
for the popular online music service.
By Dawn Kawamoto and Ina Fried CNET News.com,
April 28, 2004
Online Music Alters Industry Sales Tempo A year after Apple Computer Inc. launched its iTunes Music Service,
the online music industry is selling songs by the millions — and
that may not bode well for the major record labels. Online services
account for just a small fraction of overall sales.
By Jon Healey and Jeff Leeds Los
Angeles Times, April 28, 2004
Low-Watt Radio Wields Its Power Four years ago the FCC made honest people out of a few pirates.
Community broadcasters are moving ahead, but getting a license doesn't
automatically mean success. Jason Silverman reports from Albuquerque,
New Mexico. Wired,
April 26, 2004
iTunes ushers in a year of change John Gillilan has hundreds of Pepsi caps lined up in rows in his
University of Southern California freshman dorm room, each one representing
a song downloaded from Apple's iTunes Music Store.
By John Borland and Ina Fried CNET News.com,
April 26, 2004
Music Biz Kills Amnesty Program After a legal scuffle, the RIAA drops its 'Clean Slate' program
that offered amnesty to individuals who admitted in writing to file
sharing. The big stick of litigation seems to be winning the game. Wired,
April 20, 2004
[FMC] Merge turns 15 with Compilation, Shows Revered independent label Merge will celebrate its 15th birthday
this
summer with a triple-disc compilation CD, "Old Enough To Know Better,"
and a four-night concert celebration in Carrboro and Durham, N.C. Among
the acts participating in the July 29-Aug. 1 shows are Superchunk, Versus,
Spoon, Lambchop, M. Ward, David Kilgour and the Clientele. All proceeds
from the album will be donated to the Future of Music Coalition. Billboard,
April 20, 2004
Satellite Radio: Hey, Shock Jocks
Federal indecency scrutiny does not apply to satellite radio because,
like cable TV, it is only available to paid subscribers. So traditional
radio's dust-up around Howard Stern has satellite radio execs salivating. Wired,
April 19, 2004
Apple Rebuffs Music Overture
Steve Jobs apparently wants no part of opening up his company's iPod
to RealNetworks, reportedly turning down a proposed digital music alliance.
What happens now is anybody's guess. Wired,
April 17, 2004
Putting the Bite on Apple RealNetworks wants to cut a digital music deal with Apple, according
to a memo leaked to The New York Times. If it doesn't get one, it's
threatening to go running off with Microsoft. Wired,
April 15, 2004 Apple
to Real: Stick It
RIAA Singing the Same Old Song
Despite the persistence of online piracy, U.S. music sales shoot up.
Although there are signs that the rise and fall of sales has more to
do with shifting musical tastes than anything else, the music industry
remains fixated on piracy as the source of its woes. Wired,
April 13, 2004
Retailers Join the Digital Revolution Retailers of all sizes and flavors suddenly have a taste for the
digital distribution business. Wal-Mart, Starbucks, Circuit City and
Virgin Megastores are among the leading brick-and-mortar players that
recently announced plans to offer digital music to their customers.
And more are on the way.
By Brian Garrity Billboard,
April 10, 2004
Music Industry Turnaround Continues Online file-sharing and other digital piracy persist, but a gradual
turnaround in U.S. music sales that began last fall picked up in the
first quarter of this year, resulting in the industry's best domestic
sales in years. Overall U.S. music sales -- CDs, legal downloads, DVDs,
etc. -- rose 9.1 percent in the first three months of the year over
the same period in 2003, according to Nielsen SoundScan.
By Alex Veiga Washington
Post, April 10, 2004
Speaking of Music Piracy ....
Digital music was supposed be a cheaper alternative to grossly overpriced
CDs. But the companies controlling the industry are looking for ways
to raise prices and boost their profits. Wired/AP,
April 9, 2004
Music Gurus Scout Out Free Tunes
Webjay lets users build playlists of MP3s from all corners of the Web
to share with others. The service highlights gems like oldies from Eastern
Europe, or songs dedicated to Condi Rice.
By Katie Dean Wired,
April 9, 2004
[Summit 04] Future of Music Coalition conference p2pnet.net News:- Coming up on May 2 - the Future of Music Coalition
policy summit in Washington, DC. And it's going to be a truly amazing
event. p2pnet.net April
9, 2004
[FMC] Band Aid for an Ailing Musician In any given week, there seems to be a benefit for some Washington
musician. Rock A Mole Productions, an activist cultural group based
in Los Angeles, recently did a national survey of musicians and estimated
that more than a thousand benefits each week are done by musicians for
other musicians in health crises. Almost 90 percent of the musicians
surveyed had played a benefit for another musician, though even the
most successful benefit seldom makes more than a symbolic dent in typically
huge health care debts.
By Richard Harrington Washington
Post, April 9, 2004
Global Music Sales Plummet
An international music trade group blames the steepest sales decline
since the introduction of CDs on piracy, the economy and competition
from games and DVDs. A second-half rebound in some countries may bode
well, however. Wired,
April 8, 2004
Find the Download in a Haystack For years, people had to wade through ads and pitches for premium
services to download the free version of the Real player. Now, RealNetworks
is trying to win users back by restraining its aggressive tactics. Will
it work?
By Katie Dean Wired,
April 6, 2004
A Heretical View of File Sharing
What if the music industry is wrong, and file sharing is not hurting
record sales? A new report suggests just that.
By John Schwartz New
York Times, April 5, 2004
Microsoft's iPod killer?
Microsoft is expected to unveil copy-protection software this summer
that will for the first time give portable digital music players access
to tunes rented via all-you-can-eat subscription services--a development
that some industry executives believe will shake up the online music
business.
By John Borland CNET
News.com, April 2, 2004
Feds Crank Up Heat on P2P
The Justice Department says a newly created task force will focus on
figuring out how to stamp out content piracy. The effort comes as Congress
moves to punish file swappers who use peer-to-peer networks to
trade copyright works.
By Xeni Jardin Wired,
April 1, 2004
MARCH 2004
Court Sides with Music Swappers A federal court decision denied a motion by CRIA to disclose the
identities ISP subscribers who allegedly shared copyrighted files on
Kazaa. Most importantly, the court also held that sharing files using
a P2P service is apparently legal in Canada - one reason being that
having facilities "that allow copying does not amount to authorizing
infringement". Globe
and Mail, March 31, 2004 Copy
of the ruling
House panel approves copyright bill A House of Representatives panel has approved a sweeping new copyright
bill that would boost penalties for peer-to-peer piracy and increase
federal police powers against Internet copyright infringement.
By Declan McCullagh CNET,
March 31, 2004
French Hound Music Pirates France's music industry, stung by a sudden drop in sales, is joining
its counterparts in other countries in taking up legal cudgels against
those nefarious online music swappers. Wired,
March 31, 2004
Maybe the Music's Just Lousy? The recording industry insists that CD sales are off because everyone's
online stealing the music. Now a study comes along saying that piracy
has little, if anything, to do with stagnant sales. Wired,
March 31, 2004
Study: File-Sharing No Threat to Music Sales Internet music piracy has no negative effect on legitimate music
sales, according to a study released today by two university researchers
that contradicts the music industry's assertion that the illegal downloading
of music online is taking a big bite out of its bottom line.
By David McGuire Washington
Post, March 29, 2004
Kazaa and co 'not cause of music biz woes', say Profs File sharing has no effect on CD sales, a pair of US academics have
claimed. The finding will not make pleasant reading for the music industry,
which claims file-sharing is the cause of the huge decline seen in North
American, German and Italian CD sales.
By Tony Smith The
Register (UK), March 29, 2004
Copy fight Two veterans of the Internet wars discuss the raging battle over
who should control our entertainment
By Maureen Ryan Chicago
Tribune, March 28, 2004
You've got sales The record industry is slowly embracing the Internet's innovative
-- and lucrative -- potential
By Greg Kot Chicago
Tribune, March 28, 2004
Wireless Deals Focus on Tunes Licensing agreements that will enable carriers to sell ring tunes
to consumers or third-party distributors are evolving along with the
expansion of the wireless music market. Reuters/Wired,
March 27, 2004
Congress Moves to Criminalize P2P Two senators introduce legislation that would impose jail time for
sharing as little as one file, while the House may consider another
that would lower the bar to take people to court. Looks like entertainment
lobbyists are winning their war against peer-to-peer networks.
By Xeni Jardin Wired,
March 26, 2004
Music Group Sues Another Batch The music industry sues another 500 people, bringing the total
number of people it is pursuing to almost 2,000. This time, 89 of the
defendants are likely to be students.
By Katie Dean Wired,
March 24, 2004
Pay Once, Share Often With LWDRM The German organization that came up with the MP3 format now proposes
a way to keep it under control. LWDRM would put licensing problems in
the hands of the consumer. Henny van der Pluijm reports from Hannover,
Germany. Wired,
March 23, 2004
Go On, Say the Unpopular Thing Musings and observations from the South by Southwest festival. Katie
Dean reports from Austin, Texas. Wired,
March 23, 2004
Copyrights and Wrongs: Damming the Flow of 'Free' Information A review of Lawrence Lessig's most recent book, "Free Culture"
By Chris Lehmann Washington
Post, March 22, 2004
Satellite Struggles to Find Niche In a sure sign of success, satellite radio providers XM and Sirius
attract direct attacks from their earthbound competitors. But uncertainties
still cloud the companies' financial futures.
By Randy Dotinga Wired,
March 22, 2004
Record Stores: We're Fine, Thanks The recording industry may protest, but some owners of independent
music stores say file trading is good for business. Katie Dean reports
from the South by Southwest conference in Austin, Texas. Wired,
March 20, 2004
Pessimism Can't Keep Music Down Despite what you may hear from the major record labels, music isn't
dead yet. In fact, folks at the South by Southwest conference say it's
alive and kicking. Katie Dean reports from Austin, Texas. Wired,
March 19, 2004
More Legal Wrangling Around Kazaa The company that owns the file-sharing software is embroiled in
legal battles all over the world. Now its being sued by a software developer
who says he wrote the source code to Kazaa and should be paid for his
trouble. Wired,
March 17, 2004
[FMC] Webcasters to Report and Pay In April, the feds will require webcasters to track playlists and
pay royalties to artists and music labels. Naturally, the recording
industry is delighted, but small webcasters call the requirements onerous.
By Joanna Glasner. Wired,
March 15, 2004
[FMC] Health Insurance Crisis Lingers for Biz The number of uninsured musicians remains high
By Chris Morris Billboard,
March 13, 2004
George Michael shuns music industry Pop star George Michael is abandoning the music business to release
his songs online for free instead. The multi-millionaire singer said
he will never make another album for sale in record shops because he
does not need the cash and does not enjoy fame. Fans will be given the
option to make donations online in exchange for downloading the tracks,
and the proceeds will be given to charity. BBC
(UK), March 11, 2004
Cell Phones to Democracy's Rescue
MTV's Rock the Vote program plans to get young people to polls on Election
Day by tapping their mobile phones. Among the enticements: recorded
messages by rock stars encouraging them to get out and vote.
By Daniel Terdiman Wired,
March 11, 2004
Legal P2P networks gaining ground While peer-to-peer piracy continues to grab the entertainment industry's
attention, a few technology companies are gaining headwind, using almost
identical means to distribute legal downloads.
By John Borland CNET
News, March 11, 2004
Wal-Mart Fiddles With Music Late last year, Wal-Mart unveiled an online music store that brought
its slash-and-burn pricing to the digital world. But does the country's
biggest music retailer have a chance against Apple's iTunes?
By Lucas Graves Wired,
March 10, 2004
[FMC] Polishing the Brass Judging from last week's Music Law Summit West, the future of the
music biz is unclear -- but that's not what the RIAA wants you to think
By Garrett Kamps San
Francisco Weekly, March 3, 2004
One File Swapper, One Lawsuit
The music industry cannot file one lawsuit against 200 alleged file
swappers, says a federal judge in Philadelphia. Instead, the Recording
Industry Association of America will have to sue each individually.
By Katie Dean Wired,
March 9, 2004
Silver, Brown, Gray: Jay-Z Every Which Way With no expectation that their remakes would be commercially released,
many remixers ignored the thicket of copyright negotiations that govern
the use of samples from old albums. Jay-Z has now been matched to everything
from the Beatles to Bjork, Metallica to Curtis Mayfield, techno blips
to string quartets.
By Jon Pareles New
York Times, March 7, 2004
House Passes Bill to Help 'Webcasters' Small Internet radio stations are facing improved odds of survival
after the House of Representatives approved a bill yesterday to make
it more affordable for them to negotiate royalty deals with music publishers
and the recording industry.
By David McGuire Washington
Post, March 4, 2004
Record sales down, but seen as stabilizing By John Borland CNET
News.com, March 4, 2004
File-swap 'killer' grabs attention A new political battle is brewing over Net music swapping, focusing
on a company that claims to be able to automatically identify copyrighted
songs on networks like Kazaa and to block illegal downloads.
By John Borland CNET
News.com, March 3, 2004
Some Like It Hot OK, P2P is 'piracy.' But Hollywood, radio, cable TV and, yes, even
the music industry all sprang from different forms of thievery.
By Lawrence Lessig Wired
magazine, March 4, 2004
Banned from Blockbuster Did politics get Alternative Press magazine booted from the
video chain? Cleveland
Scene, March 3, 2003
Sixth Reinvention of Neil Young
The folk-country-grunge dinosaur is reborn (again) as an Internet-friendly,
biodiesel-driven, multimedia machine.
By Ted Greenwald Wired
magazine, March 3, 2004
Indies Stay in Tune With Sharing
Austin's South by Southwest music conference will provide free access
to its library of music to anyone near a wireless hotspot. Songs will
be accessible to users of Apple's iTunes through a 600-song shared playlist.
By Katie Dean Wired,
March 3, 2004
Report Raises Questions About Fighting Online Piracy
The entertainment industry's pursuit of tough new laws to protect copyrighted
materials from online piracy is bad for business and for the economy,
according to a recent report
By John Schwartz New
YorkTimes, March 1, 2004
[FMC] Federal Court of Appeals Hears Arguments in Recent FCC Ruling PNN,
February 27, 2004
Setting off a tempest in a T-shirt Voter activists object to 'old people' slogan; designer says 'lighten
up'
Colleen McCain Nelson Dallas
Morning News, February 27, 2004
The Answer to Piracy: Five Bucks?
Here's a bright idea from a digital rights group: Get music file sharers
to pay $5 a month on top of their ISP fees to compensate the artists.
Of course, the music industry hates it.
By Katie Dean Wired,
February 26, 2004
Stay Free!/Illegal Art told to "cease and desist" EMI sent out a cease and desist notice to Stay Free!/Illegal Art
and about 150 other websites this week, claiming "willful violation
of [copyright] laws." EMI wanted to prevent Grey Tuesday, an online
protest of Capitol's attempt to squash Dangermouse's "Grey Album,"
from taking place. February 25,
2004
Defiant Downloads Rise From Underground More than 300 Web sites and blogs staged a 24-hour online protest
yesterday over a record company's efforts to stop them from offering
downloadable copies of "The Grey Album."
By Bill Werde New
York Times, February 25, 2004
Apple Feels Eminem's Wrath The rapper says he doesn't endorse products, but if he did he'd
expect to be paid more than $10 million. Since Apple didn't pay him
a dime when it used one of his songs in a commercial, Eminem sues. Wired,
February 25, 2004
Electronic Frontier Foundation Releases File Sharing Recommendations:
Suggests Voluntary Collective Licensing at Future of Music Event EFF,
February 24, 2004
Grey Album Fans Protest Clampdown
Critics of the music industry's copyright rules stage an online protest.
About 200 websites will post DJ Danger Mouse's popular remix that combines
The Beatles' White Album and Jay-Z's Black Album.
By Katie Dean. Wired,
February 24, 2004
Smiles Fade at Napster It was a breakthrough deal that would have put the Napster kitty
on millions of Hewlett-Packard computers.But in the days leading up
to Napster's re-launch in late October, HP suddenly -- and without explanation
-- returned Napster's $250,000 check and canceled the agreement to install
a link to Napster's online music service on its computers. Worse, in
January HP announced a surprise partnership with Napster rival Apple
Computer to feature the iTunes Music store on HP. Dawn Chmielewski
San Jose Mercury News, February 19, 2004
Aussie Copyright Case Grinds On Solicitors for Kazaa, which is being sued by the Australian music
industry, hope to invalidate evidence of copyright infringement seized
by special order. The court's ruling will have an impact on the lawsuit.
Patrick Gray Wired,
February 18, 2004
RIAA's New Seal of Disapproval The movie, music and software industries stick the FBI seal on their
products in hopes that would-be pirates will think twice before distributing
copyright content illegally. It's a big waste of time, critics say.
By Katie Dean Wired,
February 18, 2004
New Flurry of RIAA Lawsuits
The music industry sues another 531 people for sharing copyright music
over peer-to-peer networks. That brings the total number of people sued
to nearly 1,500.
By Katie Dean Wired,
February 18, 2004
IPod Mini Shrinks, Goes Pink
Apple Computer says it already has 100,000 orders for its 4-GB iPod
mini digital music player, and Target will start selling prepaid cards
usable at the iTunes online music store. Wired,
February 18, 2004
[FMC] The Future of Music? As new technologies and economics shake out the music business,
hitting the road and making personal contact are more important than
ever
By Fiona Morgan Durham
Independent Weekly, February 17, 2004
So not intimidated
Dorm downloaders aren't fazed by recent lawsuits, they've just sharpened
their skills.
By Patrick Day Los
Angeles Times, February 15, 2004
Copyright Enters a Gray Area
The Grey Album, which mixes music from the Beatles' White Album with
lyrics from rapper Jay-Z's Black Album, is being hailed as a classic.
EMI thinks it's a classic, too -- a classic case of copyright violation.
By Noah Shachtman Wired,
February 14, 2004
[FMC] Jenny Toomey, Rocking the FCC NPR's Neda Ulaby reports on Jenny Toomey and the FMC NPR,
February 12, 2004
Court Is Urged to Change Media Ownership Rules Broadcasters and public interest groups on Wednesday urged the federal
appeals court here to order the Federal Communications Commission to
rewrite its new rules that govern the size and reach of the nation's
largest media conglomerates.
By Stephen Labaton New
York Times, February 12, 2004
Please Don't Squeeze the Sharman The Australian maker of Kazaa is being dragged into court by the
country's music industry on copyright infringement charges. But Sharman
is fighting what it says are bullying -- and illegal -- tactics. Patrick
Gray reports from Sydney. Wired,
February 10, 2004
Antipiracy Ad Debuts on Grammys People who download tunes from the Web are the targets of guilt-instilling
ads to appear on the Grammys. The ad campaign's sponsor, the Recording
Academy, says the spots will be run by stations as public service announcements. Wired,
February 9, 2004
GarageBand Kicks Out the Jams Apple's latest technology for the rest of us has inspired legions
of amateurs to create music. That's good and bad.
By Leander Kahney Wired,
February 9, 2004
Music Labels Raid Kazaa Offices The music industry raids offices of Kazaa's parent company, Sharman
Networks, in Australia, looking for evidence to bolster its copyright
infringment case. Reuters/Wired,
February 7, 2004
Requiem for the Record Store: Downloaders and Discounters Are Driving
Out Music Retailers By David Segal Washington
Post, February 7, 2004
Court to Hear Landmark P2P Case
A federal appeals court will hear oral arguments in a case questioning
whether peer-to-peer sites Grokster and Morpheus should be held liable
for the illegal file trading on their networks.
By Katie Dean Wired,
February 2, 2004
Hands Off Intellectual Property
Attempts to shield America's intellectual property from foreign competition
will backfire, much like plans to prop up the domestic shipping industry
did in the 1970s.
By Thomas Goetz Wired
magazine, January 28, 2004
Just Say 'No' to Record Labels Rock veterans Peter Gabriel and Brian Eno are launching a provocative
new musicians' alliance that would cut against the industry grain by
letting artists sell their music online instead of only through record
labels. Associated
Press/Wired, January 26, 2004
Gabriel to launch musicians' union Rock legends Peter Gabriel and Brian Eno will launch a musicians'
union to help artists in the digital age.
By Tim Weber
BBC News Online, January 24, 2004
Napster's Fanning has Snocap-ped vision Far from his anarchic Napster days, file-swapping pioneer Shawn
Fanning and several of his old colleagues are quietly working on a new
venture called Snocap that is aimed at turning peer-to-peer networks
into dollars for record companies.
By John Borland and Stefanie Olsen CNET
News.com, January 23, 2004
CD lock loosened for freer copying Macrovision released a new generation of its antipiracy technology
on Thursday that it hopes will make copy-protected music CDs more attractive
to consumers and record labels.
By John Borland CNET
News.com, January 22, 2004
RIAA Strikes Again at Traders The recording industry group files its largest round of lawsuits
to date, identifying 532 computer users it believes are distributing
copyright music online.
By Katie Dean Wired,
January 22, 2004
Music Fans Find Online Jukebox Half-Empty By Frank Ahrens Washington
Post, January 19, 2004
Is the war on file sharing over? The music biz is declaring success, citing lawsuits and Apple's
iTunes. But to music fans who recall the glory days of Napster, the
fight goes on.
By Farhad Manjoo Salon.com
(premium), January 15, 2004
Recording Studio in a Box Apple Computer launches new music composing and editing software
called Garageband.
By David Pogue New
York Times, January 15, 2004
GarageBand simplifies process of making music By Jon Fortt San
Jose Mercury News, January 15, 2004
Ring Tones Bringing in Big Bucks Sales of cell-phone ring tones hit $3.5 billion this past year,
according to a study. The worldwide sale of ring tones now amounts to
about 10 percent of the $32.2 billion music market. Wired/Reuters,
January 14, 2004
Critics say Kazaa can stop copyright violations "Peer to peer" networks such as Kazaa could prevent people
from downloading music, movies and other copyrighted material if they
had the desire to do so, media and technology experts said Tuesday.
CNET/Reuters,
January 14, 2004
Rights issue dogs CD protection A dispute over royalty rights on copy-protected CDs and other types
of music discs is helping to stall the release of some new music technology,
and could result in record labels owing tens of millions of dollars
in back payments to music publishers.
By John Borland CNET,
January 13, 2004
Hewlett-Packard: No WMA for IPod
Contrary to reports, HP's version of the iPod music player won't support
Microsoft's Windows Media Audio format for downloadable music.
By Leander Kahney Wired,
January 13, 2004
[FMC] Dumptruck reissue conjures up the record industry's ugly past
There's no question that these are not the best of times for aspiring
rock and pop musicians. Many have detailed the plight of musicians trying
to land or even retain major label contracts at a time when media consolidation
has resulted in fewer labels offering fewer contracts to a narrowing
range of artists. This drumbeat of dire tales may have created the impression
that the record industry has never been more inhospitable to aspiring
young talent. But it's worth remembering that the industry's "good
old days" were often just as awful.
By Rick Reger Chicago
Tribune, January 13, 2004
Compa$$ionate Capitali$m
Russell $immons wants to fatten the hip-hop vote—and maybe his
wallet, too
by Ta-Nehisi Coates Village
Voice, January 7 - 13, 2004
Canadian MP3 player tax challenged MP3 player manufacturers, including Apple Computer, Dell and Hewlett-Packard,
are challenging a recent regulatory ruling in Canada that would impose
an extra fee of as much as $25 on iPod-like digital music players.
By John Borland CNET,
January 13, 2004
Power Players: Big Names Are Jumping Into the Crowded Online Music Field "There are about three times as many music stores as there
need to be," said Josh Bernoff, an analyst with Forrester Research.
By John Schwartz and John Markoff New
York Times, January 12, 2004
Rock Stars: Don't Rip Us Off, Man Big names from the music and film world drop by the Consumer Electronics
Show in Las Vegas to remind folks that stealing their music is bad and
that they shouldn't do it. Wired,
January 10,2004
Music site tries floating price tags A little known online music store called MusicRebellion is experimenting
with a new pricing system in which most songs start out costing a dime,
and their prices fluctuate from there based on customer demand.
By John Borland CNET,
January 8, 2004
Real offers new tech, song store Net multimedia company RealNetworks announced a sweeping overhaul
of its digital audio and video software Wednesday, along with a digital
song store aimed to compete with Apple Computer's leading iTunes service.
By John Borland
CNET, January 7, 2004
New talks over Webcasting fees begin The US Copyright Office said January 6 that it is opening up a six-month
period for negotiations over new Webcasting fees. Today's royalty rates--decided
only after bitter negotiations, a regulatory arbitration process, and
successive intervention from the Library of Congress and Congress itself--expire
in 2004.
By John Borland CNET
News.com, January 7, 2004
Apple Unveils Fashion IPods
The computer company enters the digital jewelry business with a new
line of multicolored, mini iPods. At $250, they're not cheap, but some
at Macworld joked they'd be buying one for every outfit.
By Leander Kahney Wired,
January 7, 2004
Radio Ready to Go Digital
In a rollout that's being compared to the birth of FM, traditional broadcasters
will fill the airwaves with CD-quality audio and souped-up information
services. And, unlike satellite radio, it's free. Wired,
January 7, 2004
Lawsuits Slow Music Downloads A new study shows the RIAA's slew of lawsuits seems to be effectively
scaring Americans out of their music downloading ways. Wired,
January 6, 2004
Online Music Piracy Plummeted in 2003 Drop Coincided With Recording Industry Lawsuits, Survey Finds
By David McGuire Washington
Post, January 4, 2004
Watchdog Sues Music Labels A Belgian consumer advocacy group sues the music industry's largest
labels for selling CDs that won't play on your car stereo or computer. Wired,
January 6, 2004 News Blackout
The FCC was getting ready to loosen the rules limiting media concentration.
A grassroots movement had sprung up to derail the plan. But you wouldn’t
have learned much about the controversy from many news outlets owned
by the big conglomerates that were eager to cash in.
Related story: Tracking
the coverage
By Charles Layton American
Journalism Review, December/January 2004
Some Great Sites for News and Info on Music, Technology,
Media and Activism
TECHNOLOGY/POLICY
Politech
Run by journalist Declan McCullagh, Politech is a fantastic moderated
mailing list of politics and technology. Topics include privacy, free
speech, the role of government and corporations, antitrust, and more.
MUSIC and ADVOCACY
Music for
America is a nonprofit organization striving to get young people
involved in the political process. Using music, media, the internet and
live shows, they're reaching out to demonstrate the connection between
culture and politics.
Punkvoter's
goal is to educate, register and mobilize over 500,000 of today's youth
as one voice. They plan to use the 2004 federal election as a way to get
our fans engaged in politics and evolve into a movement that can get involved
locally to affect real change nationally.
Recording
Artists Coalition
The group started by Don Henley, Sheryl Crow and others, the RAC is working
on many legislative issues that impact recording artists.
Artist
Empowerment Coalition
AEC is a non-profit coalition of recording and performing artists as well
as music supporters formed to promote changes in the relationships between
artists and the companies that exploit, market and distribute their creative
work.
