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Homegrown satellite radio software draws XM fire
by Acidus at 11:09 am EDT, Aug 27, 2004

] The software, TimeTrax, also neatly arranged the individual
] songs from the concert, complete with artist name and song
] title information, into MP3 files
] A spokesman for the Recording Industry Association of
] America said his organization had not reviewed the
] software, but said that in principle it was disturbed by
] the idea. "We remain concerned about any devices or
] software that permit listeners to transform a broadcast
] into a music library," RIAA spokesman Jonathan Lamy said.

How fucked up is this? They want us to build a music library as long as the grainularity we do it at is $20 dollar a pop CDs, but any other way is forbidden? The RIAA seems to be jumping on the (very bad IMHO) train of anti-ownership. You don't own anything you buy! You are leasing it, or renting it, or whatever the fuck. Its the original DIVX all over again. Suddenly its totally illegal to do anything to "own" or keep a copy in anyway.

How the hell did we let this happen?

RE: Homegrown satellite radio software draws XM fire
by Decius at 1:20 pm EDT, Aug 27, 2004

Acidus wrote:
] How fucked up is this? They want us to build a music
] library as long as the grainularity we do it at is $20 dollar
] a pop CDs, but any other way is forbidden? The RIAA seems to
] be jumping on the (very bad IMHO) train of anti-ownership. You
] don't own anything you buy! You are leasing it, or renting it,
] or whatever the fuck. Its the original DIVX all over again.

Thats what it has been all along. You don't buy music. You buy a plastic CD and a limited license.

They certainly don't want you turning your radio broadcast into a music library, because they charge different amounts of money for both things. This was the fundamental reason for the DMCA's restrictions on internet radio, and these restrictions are why internet radio is still a niche activity. (And why small internet radio broadcasters were all forced to shut down for 3 months two summers ago).

The fact is that the idea of the internet, where information can be freely and effortlessly converted from one context into another, is completely incompatible with the recording industry's business model. They have to completely rewire everthing with security technology so that it looks and works like the old technologies in order for their business to continue to work. Of course, if it looks and works like the old technologies, there isn't any point in having it in the first place. Thats what this is all about. Thats what it always has been about.

We have to decide whether technological progress is more important then intellecual property as a business model.

Of course, I think that there are entirely new business models a foot. Radio is an obsolete concept unless you are talking about talk radio. Why would I want some some DJ spinning tracks that marginally suck along with advertisements when I can put my ipod on shuffle.

I need a way to get songs and I need people to recommend new music to me. Both of those things can be done in a context where revenue is being collected on the Internet. It will be much better then any radio station you've every heard because it will always play the songs that you like.

But the recording industry isn't pursuing this because they don't have the right vision.