] At issue are "double session" CDs that include two
] versions of each song on a disc, formatted for playback
] on different kinds of devices.

i.e. normal cd audio for the CD players, and DRM'd WMA files for the computer.

] Music publishers and songwriters, who are entitled to
] payments of a few cents for every copy of a song sold,
] contend that since these double-format discs hold two
] copies of songs, they should be paid for both copies.

hahahahahahahahahahahahah! ha! what a silly mess to be in.

Rights issue dogs CD protection | CNET News.com

the naming and design of this site is so absurd it almost seems like a hoax. on the other hand, SirMixALot wouldn't mislead us, so i'll give it the benefit of the doubt. i like some of the concepts, but, WMA can suck it, which is about as far as my personal involvement can go.

Weed - Music Guide

I didn't even bother putting a quote in here, because there are too many.

Steve Job gets it. He understands the risks, and has a good grasp on the reality of how music and technology affect each other, and of the business issues at hand.

Steve Jobs: The Rolling Stone Interview

] Imagine having a singer with a world-class voice at your
] disposal, any hour of any day. She's just standing at the
] ready, game to perform whatever silly song you might make
] up for her: a ballad about her love for you, a tribute to
] your best friend's golf game, a stirring rendition of the
] evening's dinner menu.

hm.

Could I Get That Song in Elvis, Please?

Here's an article from this weeks Atlanta edition of Creative Loafing, regarding the ongoing battle between local NPR lovers and the nominal NPR affiliate (insofaras they pay NPR for a rebroadcast licence) WABE, also the city's classical music station.

If you're an atlantan with any love for either NPR or Classical music, you've probably gotten yourself embroiled in this already. Certainly Tim was a vocal opponent of WABE's not being a full NPR station, and most others i've met seem to agree that they hate WABE for what it is not.

I have mixed feelings on the issue... i absolutely understand the value of NPR programming, and the importance of a relatively unbiased source of news and talk. On the other hand, i like classical music too, and often listen on my way to work in the morning, or streamed on my PC while here. That being said, i could care less about NPR's "general news" segments, because google gives me the world and national news i care about at the pace i want, rather than slowly and piecemeal. However, NPR's in-depth issues' shows i often like, because they offer more than a cursory look at an issue. Anyway, in my world, WABE continues to play classical for my morning commute, and interrupts that programming only for the indepth, or perhaps sometimes the artistic (prairie home companion, though i find it intolerable, is much loved) shows. At the very least, it seems there is a good fiscal argument for more NPR during the day, which is that many people (my roommates, both past and present, to name a few such) would be more inclined to actually give them money.

at any rate, this is something atlantans might want to weigh in on, and perhaps sign the Atlanta Public Radio Initiative's petition. Or write to John Sugg and let him know how you feel.

Creative Loafing Atlanta | NEWS & VIEWS | BACH OFF, YOU NPR SCUM

] At an a la carte price of 0.99 per song or for 9.99 for
] an entire album, cultured music fans in the U.S. (dummies
] too) can download AAC files of tracks by Interpol, Cat
] Power, Yo La Tengo, Stephen Malkmus, Mogwai, Guided By
] Voices, Pretty Girls Make Graves and countless others.

sweet. i hope more indies follow suit...

Matador signs digital distribution agreement with iTunes Music Store

With the exception of the hyper-philosophical stuff at the beginning, this guy wrote damn near the exact paper i've been meaning to write for months. Kudos to him. It's long, but so far (3/4 through) very very worthwhile, if only because he actually found (and then typed) the words i was searching for.

New Modes of Musicianship...