Monday, April 02, 2007

The Money Shot: 4.2.07

Today headlines...

EMI unlocks anti-piracy software on music (Reuters)
The Money Shot: Jobs argued that there appeared to be no benefit for the record companies in selling more than 90 percent of their music without DRM on compact discs, while selling the remaining small percentage of music online encumbered with DRM. "Selling digital music DRM-free is the right step forward for the music industry," Jobs said on Monday. "We expect to offer more than half of the songs on iTunes in DRM-free versions by the end of the year.

Digital Freedom Campaign to organize students against RIAA abuse (ARS Technica)
MS: If there are two sides to every story, the Digital Freedom Campaign hopes to balance the RIAA's message on copyright by educating students about alternative views on copyright and fair use, while teaching them how they can fight back against the RIAA.

The DFC was founded last fall by a number of groups, including the CEA, EFF, Public Knowledge, and the American Library Association. Designed in no small part to counteract the MPAA and RIAA's propaganda on technology and the media, Digital Freedom's mission is to educate consumers about technology and copyright law, including fair use. To that end, Digital Freedom has announced a new initiative, called Digital Freedom University.


Online Odyssey Stoking Interest in New NIN Album (Billboard)
MS: Excited fans then began swapping and sharing these music files online. Another Web posting alleged that all this activity resulted in entertainment blog Idolator and other sites receiving e-mail from the Recording Industry Association of America, demanding that they remove the MP3s from their sites. An RIAA representative confirms this, a move that boggles the minds of many. "These f*cking idiots are going after a campaign that the label signed off on," the source says.

Flea and John Frusciante Slam MySpace Imposters, Mickey Avalon Haters (Stereogum)
MS: Anyone who tries to make others feel bad, in an attempt to feel good themselves, will never feel true happiness as long as they do so. Not to mention, in the case of a great man such as Mickey Avalon, you only make him stronger, because he has actual self-belief, something which cannot be faked. And you who booed gave him the chance to demonstrate that he has that admirable quality. By the way, the Chili Peppers got booed opening for people in the early days, as have many of the all-time greats. Standing up to that shit is part of getting stronger when someone knows they are good, and it is just taking the world longer to catch on. In this sense I thank you for booing because you have served as a steppingstone for a strong performer to get even stronger.

R.E.M. To Unveil New Songs At Dublin Shows (Billboard)
MS: R.E.M. will unveil material intended for its 14th studio album during a five-night run of live dates in Dublin this summer. The shows, set for June 30, July 1 and July 3-5 at the Olympia Theatre, will mark the first time in a decade that the band has played new songs live before they appeared on an album.

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