This internet radio regulation is a really horrible (obviously). It's even
worse than p2p regulation. As if the record industry didn't suck enough
already.
I haven't read the actual internet radio regulations yet but there must be
some kind of workaround for this sweeping mean spirited regulation. This is
a US law and the internet is not localized in the US. Would it be possible
to administer files remotely on a Canadian (or Tongan) web server and
broadcast in to the US? Are there any fees that a user can incur or is it
just the broadcaster that is responsible for fees?
Tangentially, I still can't believe that CDs are the medium of choice.
Although 128kbps MP3s do not sound that great, there are plenty of
appropriate file formats. We should be moving towards a totally digital
medium for moving and storing music. Online radio regulation, p2p
regulation, copy protected CDs, etc. are a step away from streamlined
distribution. I have stacks and stacks of CDs cluttering my room. What a
waste of space and plastic. I should be able to fit all of that data on a
few hard drives and never have to bother with CDs at all.
It seems to be a problem that is larger than the music industry though.
Software companies are obviously facing the same problems and that's why we
are seeing all these dongles, floppies, and other hardware keys for music
software. In order to keep digital data from propagating without profit it
is being tied to a physical medium. We are still trying to deal with the
transition in to the "information age" on a societal level.
Fundamentally the problem is that capitalism is predicated on scarcity and
the whole idea behind good digital engineering is frictionless supply. The
current internet regulations are some how reminiscent of farmers throwing
away grain during the great depression to increase scarcity and drive prices
up. But, this legislation is so out of touch with the direction of popular
tech culture that I can't imagine that it will be a permanent road block. I
think that there will be a workaround eventually. I don't think the
solution is going to come from the government. We need to put on our
thinking caps, put the underground networks to good use, and find a way to
negotiate this next technological phase.
Chrz,
Noah
listenlabs.com
[we won't sue you for playing or listening to our music]
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