File-Sharing Networks May Battle Each Other
Stefanie Olsen and Evan Hansen
In a sign that file-sharing communities may start to turn on each other, Altnet said Thursday that rival networks may be violating its patent for digital tags and it plans to bring to them in line.
In a first step, the Brilliant Digital Entertainment subsidiary Altnet on Thursday licensed its TrueNames patent to its biggest partner, Sharman Networks, owner of Kazaa Media Desktop. Kazaa is one of the most popular file-sharing communities on the Net.
Altnet acquired rights to a 1999 patent that the company says covers the technique of identifying files on peer-to-peer networks using a "hash," or digital fingerprint based on the contents of the file. The company plans to approach virtually all other peer-to-peer services to seek license rights.
"Altnet is very focused on the infringement of the TrueNames patent and we believe that many of today's active peer-to-peer applications may be in direct violation," Altnet CEO Kevin Bermeister said in a statement.
"We're very focused on preserving the integrity of the patent and realizing the potential it offers peer-to-peer applications and content owners."
But the scope and enforceability of patents are notoriously difficult to evaluate barring actual court rulings on their validity.
Nevertheless, there is a growing sentiment in technology circles that many patents granted by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office are most likely seriously flawed. Among other things, the agency has granted patents for side-to-side swinging on a swing set and for making a peanut butter and jelly sandwich without a crust.
Technology patents have drawn some of the harshest criticisms and have been at the heart of some of the most closely watched patent battles in years, especially so-called business method patents such as Amazon.com's one-click checkout system. Last year, the online retail giant settled claims against Barnes & Noble involving the patent.
Patent number 5,978,791, which Altnet licensed Thursday, has been litigated at least once before, when content delivery services provider Digital Island used it in a dispute with rival Akamai. A jury rejected Digital Island's claims in December 2001, according to a statement published on Akamai's Web site.
http://news.com.com/2100-1027-1013851.html
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99-Cent Songs Online Not Really A Bargain
Jim Hillibish
I buy music CDs like most folks do, fifteen bucks for about 12 songs, ten of which I can live without.
Music collecting on computers changes all that. You can buy only the tunes you want, arrange them and burn them onto your own CD, for your home or vehicle player. Or skip the CD and store them directly on your MP3 player. This is a Declaration of Independence for music fans no longer dependent on the whims of the record producers.
We’ve endured a number of twists and turns on this road. It started with file-sharing schemes that spread music collections worldwide and brought networks to their knees under the data overload. The price to users was right: free.
That riled the artists and record companies to file floods of copyright lawsuits. The courts agreed, and most file sharing now is a legal liability to collectors and network operators.
Still, the compelling benefits of music on our computers remain. This time, it will cost us.
Apple Computer’s digital music Web site, iTunes Music Store, has promise. Yes, it will take a credit card, but you can download, legally, more than 200,000 tunes.
When I first heard of this, I thought, great, a solution to the vexing problem of starving artists. Then when I saw Apple’s suggested price per song, I wondered if indeed this was a major technological advance.
They charge 99 cents per song. That’s all you get, the song data file. You provide the CD, the labor to create it, the plastic case and the printer ink and paper for the album liners. That 99 cents per song is the same price as most commercial CDs. I’d hoped for a price a lot less than that, now a big, fat pipe dream.
I know what happened. Even though music producers no longer had to manufacture and distribute CDs, they were fearful of cutting out an important link in their money chain, the record stores. The 99 cents at least gives the stores a chance to compete.
If I were a Best Buy or a Borders, I’d join the revolution instead of trying to block it. The technology exists for them to place a music file server in each store loaded with thousands of titles. Then we could burn the ones we want onto a CD right in the store.
Imagine this. We’d no longer be dependent on store inventories. Songs could be distributed to us almost instantly from the artists, instead of waiting months for the CD plants to churn them out. A few square feet of store space could contain everything we need in music.
Then, hopefully, the economics of technology will take hold and the prices will drop as the competition rages. The stores will make more money as they sell us the blank CDs, jewel cases and, especially, the printer ink and paper. The downside is the commercial CD makers, who reap millions, will become dinosaurs.
Will it happen in our lifetime? Smells like a pipe dream.
http://www.cantonrep.com/index.php?C...&ID=103062&r=1
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File-Cash- New Music Service From Apple
Dennis Sellers
File-Cash, a new Mac compatible music sharing service, will launch tomorrow (June 1). One of the ways it will differ from Apple's own iTunes Music Store is its focus on independent labels. However, the company feels that Apple's online music business has opened up the possibilities for other such ventures.
"Every day there are new developments regarding digital music and online music sales, as witnessed by Apple's iTunes Music Store," Todd Stinson, founder of File-Cash, told MacCentral. "The industry is becoming more ripe for such a service. The major labels have pretty much dropped their hands and given up. The future of music definitely will include digital distribution through the Internet."
He said that File-Cash will offer benefits for independent labels. In fact, indie labels are excited about the company's business model, he added. It will purportedly offer a catalog of music from over 100 independent labels.
"We're attracting companies such as MoonTaxi," Stinson said. "The big five music labels will be conspicuous by their absence."
The company plans to offer "financial incentives" for consumers to download registered files and co-host the files on their home computers’ shared directories. According to File-Cash President Bernie McGinn, copyright owners register their music into the File- Cash network via a Web-based control panel. They enter relevant artist and file information, search keywords, as well as set the price of the digital file. All files hosted on File-Cash will be encrypted with Digital Rights Management (DRM) technology.
You don't need a subscription service to use File-Cash. You install a cross-platform application provided by the company to find and download files. Additionally, consumers will get a percentage of the file price every time another consumer downloads the file from their shared drive, according to McGinn.
http://maccentral.macworld.com/news/...5/31/filecash/
From the
Site:
File-Cash Launch Update: Our focus groups are testing the File-Cash p2p service and the information we have gathered is invaluable. Minor changes are being implimented to the system for the most "Ease of use" for all participants. Please check back soon!
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Catch them if you can
The major record labels have realised that the only way to beat internet file-swapping is to make legal, pay-per-download sites more attractive. But is it too little, too late, asks Owen Gibson
Owen Gibson
After a period of procrastination that would put Hamlet to shame, the past few weeks have seen record industry bigwigs engaged in a flurry of activity around the issue of music downloads and online piracy. A series of court cases, launches and announcements have conspired to force the topic back to the top of the agenda for label bosses and artists alike. The catalyst was the unexpected early success of Apple's iTunes, which in the US has got record labels all hot under the collar about the possibility that online music might be a viable revenue stream after all.
But despite recent enthusiasm from consumers, it remains to be seen whether this is the start of a genuine fightback against the illegal peer-to-peer sites that have brought the labels to the brink, or the last gasp of a dying industry. The music business estimates that it lost £2.6bn worldwide to online and offline piracy last year and, to many, making a success of legal download services is their last chance to stem the tide.
Although only available to Macintosh users in the States, 3m tracks by major artists from Britney Spears to U2 have been downloaded from Apple's iTunes service at a price of 99 cents apiece since it launched last month. Even better news for five major labels - BMG, Universal, Sony, EMI and Warner - was the fact that most of the songs were downloaded as complete albums, soothing fears that online music would lead to the death of the album.
Almost immediately, record label executives were frothing at the mouth with excitement, issuing statements rejoicing in the fact that people did want to pay to download music after all. Which was perhaps a bit rich given that it took a third party to finally provide a user-friendly, pay-per-track service that people actually wanted to use.
The effects of the initial success of iTunes are already apparent. Online streaming giant RealNetworks last week announced the launch of its new download service, which will follow the Apple model, charging users 79 cents a time to download tracks once they have paid a monthly $10 subscription fee. And nothing epitomises the fresh momentum better than the purchase of Sony and Universal's unpopular PressPlay service by software company Roxio.
The manufacturer of CD burning software paid £24.3m for the service, chiefly as a quick and easy way to pick up PressPlay's existing agreements with major labels and online back catalogue rights to a variety of major artists including Justin Timberlake, Eminem and Coldplay. It plans to drop the tarnished PressPlay brand and use it as the backbone for the relaunch of Napster, the one-time scourge of the record industry, which it bought earlier this year. It too will operate along the lines of iTunes, with tracks from all current major artists and both subscription and pay-as-you-download options.
The irony of Sony and Universal's failed online distribution effort providing the backbone for the legit relaunch of the daddy of all illegal copying sites has not gone unnoticed. But it also signals a fundamental change in attitude, according to media lawyer Tony Morris. "The most important thing is Sony and Universal selling PressPlay. When you get Sony, who have traditionally guarded their rights zealously, giving a third party the right to do anything with their catalogue, that's a significant change in attitude," he says. But Morris also believes that it's a change that has been forced on the major labels, not one that has been embraced with enthusiasm.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/arts/featu...968851,00.html
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Nokia teams with Warner Music
Jim Hu
Nokia on Monday struck an agreement to offer Warner Music Group songs through its upcoming Nokia 3300 music phone.
The deal will allow Warner to offer song clips from emerging artists, ring tones, multimedia message templates and wallpaper graphics for Nokia 3300 owners. Nokia will also include a CD-ROM with full-length tracks from Warner Music International artists that can be downloaded onto the 3300.
Nokia unveiled the 3300 in March as part of a line of GSM (Global System for Mobile Communications) phones. The 3300 is the model that focuses on music, offering digital playback in the popular MP3 format and AAC (Advanced Audio Coding).
More companies are beginning to embrace AAC, a technology developed by Dolby Laboratories, AT&T, the Fraunhofer Institute and Sony Electronics. Last week, America Online announced it would use AAC as the streaming audio format for its Net radio services, joining Apple Computer's iTunes as major AAC supporters. Online music subscription service MusicNet is planning to embrace AAC as well.
Along with the digital playback features, the Nokia 3300 offers an FM radio tuner, a digital recorder, ring tones and messaging capabilities. The phone also comes with a 64 MB MMC memory card.
Nokia has not disclosed when it will ship the 3300.
http://news.com.com/2100-1026-1012147.html
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Tales of Technology: Who stole my Internet?
James H. Morris
The first time I noticed the Internet was in 1965 when I saw an MIT professor typing madly at an old teletype. "He's talking to someone in California!" someone whispered. At first I didn't see why it was better than a telephone; but I quickly learned it was a vitally important tool.
In the early days, this new thing was called the Arpanet after the Department of Defense's Advanced Research Projects Agency. Its use was restricted to a small number of universities and research labs, and it was meant primarily to link up precious computers rather than people. But time has shown that computers are not so precious, while human communication is.
For me and my computer friends, the best time for the Internet was the 1980s, when it was the private preserve of scientists and engineers. If we encountered someone there we could expect that they understood computers, were generally intelligent and were not selling Viagra. We discovered how great e-mail was for communicating -- as fast as a telephone without requiring the receiver's immediate attention. It was as clear as a written letter. It also facilitated group communication since the Internet was happy to distribute a message to as many people as you could name.
Another little feature: the Internet was cheap because it used telephone lines far more efficiently. Instead of requiring a continuous path of copper between every two transcontinental communicants, it could use one line for many pairs by chopping up the sender's message, interspersing the pieces and reassembling them at the receiver's end. Guess how the telephone companies liked that.
As more people got hooked up, the Internet became much more important. In fact, an observation called Metcalfe's Law predicts that successful new communications systems constantly accelerate their growth. This is because the value to each subscriber is proportional to the total number of subscribers. The hundredth telephone purchaser got access to only 99 other people, while today's gets a billion.
http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/03152/187556.stm
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Much Ado About Smut-Free DVDs
Katie Dean
Three small companies that manufacture technologies that filter out the sex, gore and violence from DVD movies are hoping to avoid a protracted legal fight with Hollywood.
ClearPlay, Family Shield Technologies and Trilogy Studios filed a motion Friday in the United States District Court in Denver to dismiss claims that their products infringe on the copyrights of motion pictures.
The companies sell hardware and software applications that allow consumers to automatically skip or mute obscene or sexually explicit content in movies. They claim that the technology does not alter the movie itself, but customizes the way the film is viewed.
"You don't change the movie, you just change the experience," said Bill Aho, CEO of ClearPlay, who has been dubbed "a candidate for the most-hated man in Hollywood" by movie critic Roger Ebert.
Eight motion picture studios, the Directors Guild of America and 13 individual directors -- including Robert Altman and Steven Spielberg -- are suing the companies for copyright infringement and for altering their artistic products.
The parties are meeting for a scheduling conference in court Tuesday. The studios and directors have 20 days to file a response to the summary judgment motion.
"We believe the judge has sufficient facts to decide the case," Aho said.
Directors "have to get over the emotional response" that people can customize the way they watch movies, Aho said. "We're talking about people in their homes doing what they want to do. Directors may not like that."
"This is like the old joke that you can't remove the tag from the pillow," Aho said. "It's unreasonable for the director to think they can follow you into the home and control how you watch a movie."
Carol Stogsdill, a spokeswoman for the Directors Guild of America, said "we haven't really had a chance to look at (the motion) at this point in time."
"The studios are defending what they feel are violations of their copyright," she said. "The directors are filing their claims citing the Lanham Act, which basically protects the reputation of the artists."
She said that the companies named in the lawsuit are making a profit by creating different versions of movies.
"They are not just taking out a few four-letter words," she said.
For example, Stogsdill said that in the film Proof of Life, the companies edited out the entire opening scene, a kidnapping, which is the basis for the entire movie.
"It removes the heart and soul of the movie," she said. "There are many examples of this."
http://www.wired.com/news/digiwood/0,1412,59071,00.html
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Software Piracy Rate Dips
Reuters
Corporations cracked down on pirated software last year, trimming the glut by a percentage point, an industry report said on Tuesday.
The rare bit of good news comes at a tough time for software and media conglomerates. They are battling to stem the black market trade of cut-rate or free software, music and movie copies available online and on the street.
Industry lobby group Business Software Alliance (BSA) said the worldwide software piracy rate fell last year to 39 percent from 40 percent.
"We're pleased with the results, but we're still facing a piracy situation where nearly four in ten pieces of business software is used without authorization," said Beth Scott, BSA vice president of Europe, Middle East and Africa.
The BSA has spent huge sums to try to reduce the installing of unlicensed software duplicates in areas such as word processing and spreadsheet programs to avoid paying the license fees.
The modest improvement brings to an end two straight years of piracy escalation. The industry had blamed the burgeoning traffic in copyright-protected materials on Internet file-sharing networks and on so-called "warez" trading sites for the recent upsurge in unlicensed software duplicates.
The 2002 figure is 10 percentage points below the 1994 level, the point at which the industry first confronted the problem in a united front, suggesting the group's anti-piracy lobbying and education initiatives are showing results.
The BSA has also pressured governments to bolster piracy enforcement and laws with limited success.
For example, the EU's Copyright Directive, a law requiring European Internet service providers to more actively police their networks to shut down piracy activities, has stalled on the state level. Thirteen of the 15 member states have yet to ratify it six months after the passing of the deadline.
The BSA counts Microsoft Corp, Apple Computer and Intel Corp among its 22 members.
http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.j...toryID=2866379
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Reclaiming The Public Domain
Lawrence Lessig
We have launched a petition to build support for the Public Domain Enhancement Act. That act would require American copyright holders to pay $1 fifty years after a work was published. If they pay the $1, the copyright continues. If they don’t, the work passes into the public domain. Historical estimates would suggest 98% of works would pass into the pubilc domain after 50 years. The Act would do a great deal to reclaim a public domain.
This proposal has received a great deal of support. It is now facing some important lobbyists’ opposition. We need a public way to begin to demonstrate who the lobbyists don’t speak for. This is the first step.
If you are an ally in at least this cause, please sign the petition. Please blog it, please email it, please spam it, please buy billboards about it — please do whatever you can. And most importantly, please help us explain its importance. There is a chance to do something significant here. But it will take a clearer, simpler voice than mine.
http://cyberlaw.stanford.edu/lessig/...6.shtml#001254
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Record Labels Again Sue Creators of Morpheus Service
The new suit is filed in Nashville, and targets a Streamcast online radio database that was never launched.
Jon Healey
Like frustrated prosecutors charging an acquitted crime boss with tax evasion, the major record labels are suing the creators of the Morpheus file-sharing network again — not over the software that millions of people use to copy billons of songs for free but over a service that never launched.
The claims come about a month after the labels, music publishers and Hollywood studios suffered a stunning setback in their first copyright infringement lawsuit against Morpheus' creator, Streamcast Networks Inc. U.S. District Judge Stephen V. Wilson ruled that Streamcast and Grokster, the distributor of another popular file-sharing program, weren't responsible for the piracy committed by their programs' users.
Wilson is in Los Angeles. The labels took the new case to a federal court in Nashville, where Streamcast and its precursor companies were based when they developed the service in dispute.
"The legal term for this is 'forum shopping,' " said attorney Mark Radcliffe, a copyright-law expert at Gray Cary Ware & Freidenrich in Palo Alto. "You get a bad decision someplace, you go someplace else They're filing in a place where music is important, where they've got a good chance of getting a sympathetic decision."
The Recording Industry Assn. of America issued a brief statement in response to questions about the lawsuit, saying only that "this is another step in our ongoing litigation against Streamcast, a company that we believe is responsible for widespread copyright infringement."
Streamcast executives said they were outraged. They said the company tried to develop an online radio service three years ago, abandoning the effort when it couldn't get licenses from the labels. Now, they complained, they're being sued for legitimate steps they took to prepare for the would-be venture.
The record labels are "sore losers," said Michael Weiss, chief executive of Streamcast. "It looks like they're coming after us for exploring another legal business model, one that we didn't even launch."
At issue is a computerized collection of music that Streamcast — previously known as MusicCity.com Inc. and Infinite Music Inc. — compiled in 1999 and 2000.
The lawsuit alleges that Streamcast acquired CDs with thousands of songs, then converted them into a digital database on hard drives and other storage devices. The company made multiple copies of the songs and the database, all without the permission of the copyright owners, the lawsuit alleges.
The labels made a similar accusation in 1999 against MP3.com Inc., which launched an online music-storage service without the labels' permission. A federal judge in New York ruled that MP3.com violated the labels' copyrights, forcing the company to pay more than $100 million in settlements.
Unlike MP3.com, Streamcast created its database for an Internet radio service that complied with the 1998 Digital Millennium Copyright Act, said Charles S. Baker, the company's attorney. Streamcast tried to strike licensing deals with the labels; Baker said it did that even though it wasn't clear that a radio service needed to be licensed.
All Internet radio stations convert their discs into an electronic database, and a legitimate station's database shouldn't be grounds for a lawsuit under the 1998 act, said Jonathan Potter of the Digital Media Assn., a trade group for online broadcasters.
Potter, a frequent opponent of the RIAA, had a different reaction: "The record companies have a history of suing people that they just don't like."
http://www.latimes.com/technology/la...,7552757.story
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Senator Wants Limits On Copy Protection
Declan McCullagh
A conservative Republican lawmaker is expected to announce a bill next week that would dramatically scale back the ability of record labels, movie studios and others to use anticopying technology, according to a source familiar with the proposal.
The bill, authored by Sen. Sam Brownback, would regulate digital rights management systems, granting consumers the right to resell copy-protected products and requiring digital media manufacturers to prominently disclose to consumers the presence of anticopying technology in their products.
The Kansas Republican's proposal could also derail the recording industry's legal pursuit of the identity of a Verizon Communications subscriber by requiring that a copyright holder file a lawsuit in pursuit of the name of an alleged peer-to-peer pirate. That would amend the 1998 Digital Millennium Copyright Act, which a federal court concluded does not require a judge's approval before a copyright holder can force the disclosure of a suspected pirate's identity.
The main thrust of the Brownback bill, however, is to slap regulations on digital rights management (DRM) technology, which has become increasingly popular as a way to reduce widespread copyright infringement on the Internet. Last month, Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer stressed his company's support for DRM technology, and Apple Computer uses DRM to limit how customers can reuse music downloaded from the iTunes Music Store. Some consumer groups argue that DRM infringes on the right to make "fair use" of copyrighted works and to back up legally purchased digital files.
If the Brownback proposal were enacted, the Federal Trade Commission would have the power to ban DRM systems that limit a consumer's right to resell any "digital media product," a category that includes everything from computer software and e-books to copy-protected CDs and movies. It also says that companies selling such products must offer "clear and conspicuous notice or a label on the product" indicating the presence of anticopying techology that follows FTC regulations, starting one year after the law's enactment, unless the FTC determines that industry groups have created reasonable "voluntary" guidelines of their own.
At a privacy and politics summit in Washington on Tuesday, an industry representative said the measure will likely be introduced at a press conference in the middle of next week. A spokesman for Brownback said Wednesday that he could not confirm when the event would be held. Brownback, a conservative with a 100 percent voting record from the American Conservative Union in 2000, is a member of the Senate Communications Subcommittee.
"We're going to support it," Mike Godwin, an attorney with advocacy group Public Knowledge, said of Brownback's plan. "I think that Sen. Brownback and his staff have clearly made an effort to develop a bill that addresses some of the major excesses that we're seeing in the policy arena at the intersection of copyright policy and technology policy."
However, a representative at the Recording Industry Association of America said the legislation is "weighted down with a variety of bad public policy judgments hostile to all property owners. The DMCA was a carefully crafted compromise and balance struck by Congress. That's why efforts to cherry- pick particular provisions are likely to fail."
"With respect to the information subpoena provision," the RIAA representative continued, "the intent of Congress was clear and appropriate, and the district court's decisive rulings show that Congress got it right."
A draft of the Brownback bill provided to CNET News.com by a congressional aide also:
• Says the Federal Communications Commission may not force companies that create or sell PCs or digital video products to include specific copy- protection technology in them.
• Requires the FTC to create an advisory committee to describe "the ways in which access control technology and redistribution control technology may affect consumer, educational institution and library use of digital media products based on their legal and customary uses of such products."
• Says the FTC must prepare a report two years after the bill is enacted into law. The report would include information about how prevalent DRM technologies are, if they allow "consumers, educational institutions and libraries to engage in all lawful uses of the product," and how often copyright holders have tried to glean subscriber information from Internet service providers.
Adam Thierer, an analyst at the free-market group Cato Institute, applauded parts of Brownback's bill--such as limiting the FCC's power--but said it was a mistake to involve the federal government in regulating DRM technology.
"It's a decidedly mixed bag," Thierer said. "There are some things worth praising, such as opposing technology mandates from the FCC, but the baggage in this bill in terms of the FTC regulations are somewhat troubling...There are requirements that cut in the opposite direction. That's really unfortunate."
An unrelated bill already introduced in Congress by Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., takes a similar approach in part, saying that software, music and movies that include copy-protection technology must be prominently labeled as having such technology, with consumer warnings.
http://news.com.com/2100-1028-1013037.html
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Anti-Piracy Team Scanning Asia P2P Sites
John Lui
A U.S.-based anti software-piracy group has begun to target Asia-Pacific Web sites and users of peer-to-peer (P2P) file sharing networks, looking for those who trade in illegal software.
The Business Software Alliance (BSA), whose members include large firms such as Adobe and Microsoft, has recently aimed its software-sniffing Web crawler specifically at Asia-Pacific sites, said a spokesman.
The action was prompted by the high rates of Internet-based piracy in the region, which is beginning to rival more traditional methods such as illegal discs, said Jeffrey Hardee, BSA vice president and regional director, Asia Pacific.
"P2P is one the biggest problems we have in Asia Pacific, " he said. As for the Web sites, he expected the crawler to turn up thousands of infringing sites every month.
So far, software-swapping Web sites have been found in Singapore, Korea Taiwan, Australia, Taiwan, Japan and China, he said.
Many of these Web sites discovered by the crawler have been shut down by the Internet service providers (ISPs) hosting them after being served with a legal letter called a 'notice of take-down' by the BSA.
http://asia.cnet.com/newstech/indust...9134980,00.htm
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Dept Of Time On Your Hands Dept
The Cover Project is a
place devoted to
music covers, songs written by one performer and redone by another. The goal is to create long “Cover Chains”, huge lists where a song is covered by an artist who in turn has a song covered by another who in turn has a song covered by yet another artist, and on and on and on. Why? Beats me. Just for fun I guess. It’s been around for a while. I just thought it was weird enough to post.
Here’s the cover chain for Prince
124 songs long
Jack.
124 songs long:
The Prince song "Sign O the Times" was covered by PJ Proby
The PJ Proby song "That Means a Lot" was covered by Beatles
The Beatles song "Come Together" was covered by Craig David
The Craig David song "Walking Away" was covered by U2
The U2 song "Mlk" was covered by Joan Baez
The Joan Baez song "Old Blue" was covered by Byrds
The Byrds song "Change Is Now" was covered by Giant Sand
The Giant Sand song "All Done In" was covered by Rainer Ptacek
The Rainer Ptacek song "The Good Book" was covered by Emmylou Harris
The Emmylou Harris song "Till I Gain Control Again" was covered by Willie Nelson
The Willie Nelson song "Funny How Time Slips Away" was covered by Al Green
The Al Green song "Take Me To Theriver" was covered by Talking Heads
The Talking Heads song "Burning Down Thehouse" was covered by Tom Jones
The Tom Jones song "Sexbomb" was covered by Max Raabe Orchestra
The Max Raabe Orchestra song "Lucky" was covered by 10th Floor Orchestra
The 10th Floor Orchestra song "When Th Roll Is Called" was covered by 10 Cent Wings
The 10 Cent Wings song "Stain Alive" was covered by Bee Gees
The Bee Gees song "Words" was covered by Elvis Presley
The Elvis Presley song "Heartbreak Hotel" was covered by Guns N' Roses
The Guns N' Roses song "Paradise City" was covered by Robert Johnson
The Robert Johnson song "Crossroads" was covered by Stephen Stills
The Stephen Stills song "Go & Say Goodbye" was covered by Poco
The Poco song "Do You Feel It Too" was covered by Nitty Gritty Dirt Band
The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band song "Ripplin' Waters" was covered by John Denver
The John Denver song "Leaving On a Jet Plane" was covered by Bobby Bare
The Bobby Bare song "Detroit City" was covered by Arthur Alexander
The Arthur Alexander song "Rainbow Road" was covered by Steve Goodman
The Steve Goodman song "Elvis Imitators" was covered by Jimmy Buffett
The Jimmy Buffett song "Escape" was covered by Rupert Holmes
The Rupert Holmes song "Who, What, When, Where, Why" was covered by Dionne Warwick
The Dionne Warwick song "All Kinds of People" was covered by 5th Dimension
The 5th Dimension song "One Less Bell To Answer" was covered by Gladys Knight & The Pips
The Gladys Knight & The Pips song "I Heard It Through the Grapevine" was covered by Creedence Clearwater Revival
The Creedence Clearwater Revival song "Lodi" was covered by Bo Diddley
The Bo Diddley song "Before You Accuse Me" was covered by Thirteenth Floor Elevators
The Thirteenth Floor Elevators song "Reverberation" was covered by ZZ Top
The ZZ Top song "Sharp Dressed Man" was covered by Johnny Zhivago
The Johnny Zhivago song "Gorilla In the Janitors Hole" was covered by Traffic
The Traffic song "Feelin' Alright" was covered by Badfinger
The Badfinger song "Midnight Caller" was covered by Tim Hardin
The Tim Hardin song "If I Were a Carpenter" was covered by Leon Russell
The Leon Russell song "A Song For You" was covered by Ray Charles
The Ray Charles song "Hallelujah I Love Her So" was covered by Eddie Cochran
The Eddie Cochran song "Summertime Blues" was covered by James Taylor
The James Taylor song "Carolina In My Mind" was covered by Count Basie
The Count Basie song "When My Dreamboat Comes Home" was covered by Fats Domino
The Fats Domino song "Goin' Home" was covered by Rosco Gordon
The Rosco Gordon song "No More Doggin'" was covered by John Lee Hooker
The John Lee Hooker song "Crawling King Snake" was covered by Doors
The Doors song "Light My Fire" was covered by Jackie Wilson
The Jackie Wilson song "I'll Be Satisfied" was covered by Shakin Stevens
The Shakin Stevens song "Oh Julie" was covered by Barry Manilow
The Barry Manilow song "Could It Be Magic" was covered by Donna Summer
The Donna Summer song "I Feel Love" was covered by Blondie
The Blondie song "Heart of Glass" was covered by Associates
The Associates song "The Rhythm Divine" was covered by Shirley Bassey
The Shirley Bassey song "Big Spender" was covered by Queen
The Queen song "Get Down Make Love" was covered by Nine Inch Nails
The Nine Inch Nails song "Head Like a Hole" was covered by Devo
The Devo song "Beautiful World" was covered by Rage Against The Machine
The Rage Against The Machine song "Bombtrack" was covered by Mambo Kurt
The Mambo Kurt song "Aliens From Alleinunterhalter" was covered by Luke & The Apostles
The Luke & The Apostles song "Been Burnt" was covered by Nomads
The Nomads song "Low Down Shakin' Chills" was covered by Hellacopters
The Hellacopters song "Jive and Juice" was covered by Gufs
The Gufs song "Blistering An Alligator" was covered by 45 Grave
The 45 Grave song "Watson" was covered by Johnny "Guitar" Watson
The Johnny "Guitar" Watson song "Gangster of Love" was covered by Steve Miller Band
The Steve Miller Band song "Thejoker" was covered by Todd Snider
The Todd Snider song "Alright Guy" was covered by Jerry Jeff Walker
The Jerry Jeff Walker song "Night Rider's Lament" was covered by Ian Tyson
The Ian Tyson song "Red Velvet" was covered by Gordon Lightfoot
The Gordon Lightfoot song "Ribbon of Darkness" was covered by Marty Robbins
The Marty Robbins song "Don't Worry (About Me)" was covered by Don McLean
The Don McLean song "Wonderful Baby" was covered by Fred Astaire
The Fred Astaire song "Cheek To Cheek" was covered by Lew Stone
The Lew Stone song "Red Sails In the Sunset" was covered by Platters
The Platters song "Thegreat Pretender" was covered by Freddie Mercury
The Freddie Mercury song "Easy Lovin" was covered by Freddie Hart
The Freddie Hart song "Easy Lovin" was covered by Charlie Rich
The Charlie Rich song "Lonely Weekends" was covered by Billy Swan
The Billy Swan song "I Can Help" was covered by Drifters
The Drifters song "On Broadway" was covered by Neil Young
The Neil Young song "After the Goldrush" was covered by Joni Mitchell
The Joni Mitchell song "Woodstock" was covered by Crosby Stills Nash & Young
The Crosby Stills Nash & Young song "Ohio" was covered by Mott The Hoople
The Mott The Hoople song "Golden Age of Rock 'n Roll" was covered by Gyllene Tider
The Gyllene Tider song "Threnody" was covered by Frida
The Frida song "There's Something Going On" was covered by Bomfunk MC's
The Bomfunk MC's song "(crack It) Something Going On" was covered by Twisted Sister
The Twisted Sister song "We're Not Gonna Take It" was covered by Naked Raygun
The Naked Raygun song "Treason" was covered by 76% Uncertain
The 76% Uncertain song "Feliz Navidad" was covered by Jose Feliciano
The Jose Feliciano song "Rain" was covered by Ann Murray
The Ann Murray song "Snowbird" was covered by Ron Sexsmith
The Ron Sexsmith song "Kiss of Life" was covered by Dan Bryk
The Dan Bryk song "Street Team" was covered by Nova Social
The Nova Social song "Break Bread" was covered by Desmo Donte
The Desmo Donte song "Blubber In Your Teacup" was covered by Raw Power
The Raw Power song "State Oppression" was covered by Kreator
The Kreator song "Tormentor" was covered by Black Witchery
The Black Witchery song "Hopelessly Devo" was covered by Hazel O'Connor
The Hazel O'Connor song "Mush and Spreadleg" was covered by Ultima Thule
The Ultima Thule song "Cover You Ass" was covered by Dead Kennedys
The Dead Kennedys song "Your Emotions" was covered by Electric Frankenstein
The Electric Frankenstein song "Teenage Shutdown" was covered by Supersuckers
The Supersuckers song "On the Couch" was covered by Fastbacks
The Fastbacks song "My Letters" was covered by Seaweed
The Seaweed song "Did Jit Or Not?" was covered by Romy Schneider
The Romy Schneider song "La Chanson D'helene" was covered by Françoiz Breut
The Françoiz Breut song "La Plume De Ma Tante" was covered by Jacques Dutronc
The Jacques Dutronc song "Et Moi, Et Moi, Et Moi" was covered by Dump
The Dump song "It's Not Alright" was covered by Lambchop
The Lambchop song "Mmmmmmm" was covered by 2 Nice Girls
The 2 Nice Girls song "Love Affair" was covered by Ottawan
The Ottawan song "D.i.s.c.o." was covered by Kelly Llorenna
The Kelly Llorenna song "Love Makes Me Blush" was covered by theodorakis
The theodorakis song "Grampian Pipes For Aye" was covered by Wickerman
The Wickerman song "Halbert Joined Johnny" was covered by Philip Boa & The Voodooclub
The Philip Boa & The Voodooclub song "Hospitality Bunker" was covered by Hope Blister
The Hope Blister song "Didn't They Smeg Ma?" was covered by Goethes Erben
The Goethes Erben song "Glacier and the Eternity Drool" was covered by Red Box
The Red Box song "Hoover the Street With Glasses" was covered by Granfaloon Bus
The Granfaloon Bus song "Morphing In a Stranglehold" was covered by Sister Double Happiness
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MediaSeek.pl is back online
Press Release
We are happy to announce that the file sharing network of MediaSeek.pl is back online!
During the last few months both client and server software has been completely rewritten in order to provide you with a high quality product capable of fulfilling your P2P needs.
The key features of the new MediaSeek.pl network are:
- Web-based user interface
- Auto-resume of broken downloads
- MPEG Audio Layer 3 Support (64-320 kbps VBR & CBR)
- Pure music indexing (only the audio frames are indexed not ID3Tags)
- Ability to queue off-line files (download starts when the file becomes available)
- Download location optimizer (finds the fastest link from you to the file)
- High anonymity (other users do not see your username and can not list your files)
- High security (only shared MP3 files can be accessed by remote users)
- W3Cache proxy support (download only)
- Remote management - ability to run MediaSeek.pl Client on one PC and queue files from another (i.e. queue form work, download at home)
We hope that you will find our service interesting.
http://web.mediaseek.pl/
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Western Europe
Verizon Ordered To Hand Over Names Of 'Pirates'
David Minto
Internet service provider (ISP) Verizon Communications was ordered yesterday by the US Court of Appeals to hand over the names of two suspected song-swappers to the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA).
The RIAA’s case against Verizon has been rattling on since August last year when it attempted prise from Verizon the identity of a person it claimed had copied and distributed hundreds of unlicensed music tracks. Later, it added the name of a second alleged ‘pirate’, pursuing the case through a controversial clause in the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) that allows copyright owners to issue subpoenas without a judicial review. Unlike a normal subpoena, no underlying claim of a crime needs to be officially alleged and signed by a judge or magistrate.
The original US District Court verdict in January ruled that the RIAA was indeed entitled to the names of those it suspected of copyright infringement and ordered Verizon to co-operate. Verizon had sought a stay on the order to protect the names while the company appealed the decision. In April, a US District Judge rejected a full stay request, but granted a temporary stay until the Court of Appeals could decide the matter. Now the Court of Appeals has ruled that Verizon must immediately hand over the names.
The RIAA has inevitably reacted to the verdict with delight. "The Court of Appeals’ decision confirms our long-held position that music pirates must be held accountable for their actions, and not be allowed to hide behind the company that provides their internet service," RIAA President Cary Sherman said in a statement. "We look forward to Verizon's speedy compliance with this ruling."
The wider case is likely to continue, however, and both the RIAA and Verizon believe that their legal battle will end up in front of the US Supreme Court where a precedent can be set on the issue.
Verizon’s appeal is based on its objection that the RIAA is abusing the subpoena provision in the DMCA, saying the clause could not be applied in this case as the subpoena related to material transmitted over, not stored on, the Verizon network. Verizon also claims that the move violates customer privacy and may be unconstitutional, contravening First Amendment rights to anonymity.
http://www.europemedia.net/shownews.asp?ArticleID=16607
DVDs Ever More Popular In Germany, report
The number of DVDs sold in Germany during the first quarter of 2003 has risen 57 per cent year-on-year whilst revenue from sales increased 30.4 per cent, according to new figures released by video trade body BVV.
DVD unit sales leapt from 7.4m in the first-quarter of 2002 to 11.6m during the same period one year on. Revenue coming in from sales of the format rose from E149m to E194.2m. Sales on VHS cassettes, meanwhile, fell 37 per cent from 8.1m to 5.1m with the sales revenue from combined DVD and video sales staying almost static, rising just 0.3 per cent.
Though Germany’s sell-through market remains buoyant, however, BVV reports that the rental market is suffering somewhat, with many laying the blame at the feet of internet ‘pirates’. Film rental stores have seen their revenue drop from E104.7m on 37.2m transactions in the first quarter of 2002 to E86.3m on 32.3m transactions in the equivalent period of 2003. However, even as the number of video rentals has halved year-on-year in this timeframe, the year-on-year increase for DVDs is 80 per cent.
http://www.europemedia.net/shownews.asp?ArticleID=16534
EU Moves Against Illegal And Harmful Content Online
Leigh Phillips
As part of Europe's determined effort to tackle illegal and harmful content on the internet and new delivery
platforms such as mobile phones, a two year extension to the Safer Internet Action Plan has been adopted by the European Parliament and Council upon the proposal of the European Commission.
To better equip parents and children with the tools and awareness they need for daily life in an information society, the EU Council has agreed with the European Parliament to accept the Commission's proposal for a two-year extension to the Safer Internet Action Plan. This is the EU's response to tackling the controversial issue of illegal and harmful content on the internet. The Action plan supports a network of hotlines in Europe where illegal content can be reported. It encourages self-regulation; benchmarks content filtering and rating systems and supports a European network of safer internet awareness centres.
The extended Safer Internet Action Plan includes measures to encourage exchange of information and co- ordination with the relevant actors at national level, and has special provisions for accession countries. Actors in the field of self-regulation are brought together through a forum - the Safer Internet Forum - modelled on the EU cyber-crime forum. The extended action plan covers many different types of illegal content or conduct including racist material, and takes account of new online technologies such as mobile and broadband content, online games, peer-to-peer file transfer and all forms of real-time communications such as chat rooms and instant messages. The networks of hotlines and awareness nodes continue to be key instruments of the programme, alongside the benchmarking of filtering software.
First calls for proposals under the Safer Internet Action Plan (€13.3m) will be launched in July 2003.
http://www.europemedia.net/shownews.asp?ArticleID=16560
Pornography Pushes European Broadband Penetration – report
The significant increase in broadband internet access is being pushed by consumer demand for music and pornography downloads, says a new report from market analysts Nielsen-NetRatings.
The pornography industry has seen year-on-year growth right across Europe with the exception of Italy – where broadband access is the relative lowest in Europe, say the researchers. The largest increase on the continent was in Britain, where high-speed internet access has reached 3.7m subscribers.
France, Spain and the Netherland have penetration rates of 39 per cent, 37 per cent and 36 per cent, respectively. The United States has a penetration rate of 35 per cent of all internet users, and, in terms of absolute numbers – 38m, is the number one broadband country in the world.
http://www.europemedia.net/shownews.asp?ArticleID=16532
MTV Becomes Latest Swedish Mobile Operator
Music video channel MTV is to venture into the world of mobile phone service provision in Sweden.
Beginning this month, MTV Europe is to offer pre-paid mobile services in the Scandinavian country as a mobile virtual network operator (MVNO) over Telia Mobile’s GSM network, branded ‘Hello MTV’.
Aiming its service at the young viewers of its music television network, the country’s newest mobile operator will include various musical data services such as music news, premium ringtones and programme information. Users will also be able download music charts and contact musicians and MTV VJs though special numbers.
The music channel has subcontracted mobile virtual network enabler Spinbox to provide network management, billing and customer care. This company, has, in turn, subcontracted SmartTrust to provide and manage the network’s mobile data services.
http://www.europemedia.net/shownews.asp?ArticleID=16530
Software Piracy On The Wane In The Netherlands
Joe Figueiredo
The illegal use of software in the Netherlands fell last year by three percentage points to 36 per cent, and 28 per cent since 1994, reports the Business Software Alliance, BSA.
In the eight years, the anti-piracy association has been tracking this threat to the computer software industry, software piracy worldwide has also decreased from 49 per cent to 39 per cent in 2002.
According to the BSA, this decline is attributed to the growing belief among company software-users that software piracy, measured in lost revenue, is bad for business.
Despite this significant drop, however, the ‘software police’ are still not satisfied with the results.
In absolute terms, the total global loss in software revenue due to piracy rose from E9.4bn in 2001 to E11bn in 2002. This rise of 19 per cent can be attributed to the rise in software prices, says the BSA, which would like the see the EU tighten its anti-piracy laws and take a zero-tolerance attitude towards this scourge.
http://www.europemedia.net/shownews.asp?ArticleID=16585
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Future still uncertain
College Radio Will Stream On
Katie Dean
A new agreement will allow college radio stations to pay a more palatable price to webcast music, but still saddles them with limitations on what they can play and when.
Over the weekend, educational and other noncommercial broadcasters reached a settlement with the recording industry on royalty rates for streaming music over the Internet. The Digital Millennium Copyright Act requires that the artists and labels be paid when their songs are streamed.
Under terms of the agreement, stations will pay a flat rate of $250 for use of songs in 2003. In 2004, schools will pay $250 or $500, depending on the size of the school's enrollment. Other noncommerical broadcasters will pay roughly the same amount. That's a lower price than the per- song and per-listener royalty fees set by the Librarian of Congress last year in an effort to comply with the DMCA.
Still, the payment agreement came too late for some college webcasters. Will Robedee, vice chairman of Collegiate Broadcasts said that at its peak, between 500 and 600 college radio stations played music over the Web. After the uncertainty over royalty fees, that number was sliced in half.
One casualty was the State University of New York at Brockport's radio station, WBSU, which started webcasting in 1998 but stopped in 2000.
One drawback to the deal, Willer said, is that as Internet radio becomes more popular, the fees go up. The RIAA's rates are based on an average of 200 simultaneous listeners per month. Once a station surpasses this, they must pay .251 cents per listener, per hour, making it financially difficult for webcasters to greatly expand their audience.
"Today Internet audiences are very small," Willer said. "As we grow and we get over that 200 figure, these fees will continue to be intolerable."
http://www.wired.com/news/digiwood/0,1412,59105,00.html
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EMI Sues Bertelsmann Over Napster
AP
EMI, the music group that includes Capitol Records, has sued Bertelsmann AG, saying the German giant's support of the music- swapping service Napster led to the infringement of EMI's copyrights.
The suit is similar to one brought last month by the Universal Music Group.
It claims Bertelsmann's 2000 investment in Napster kept the service alive for another year, during which people illegally swapped and downloaded countless copies of songs by EMI artists.
"By investing both millions of dollars and management resources in Napster — which was an illegal enterprise built on the unlawful distribution of copyrighted works — Bertelsmann enabled and encouraged the wholesale theft of copyrighted music," EMI said in a statement.
Bertelsmann spokeswoman Liz Young said the company had no immediate comment.
The lawsuit, filed in New York federal court, requests at least $150,000 for each copyrighted song that was shared under Napster, which a federal judge shut down in California in 2001.
EMI's labels represent artists such as Norah Jones, Janet Jackson and the Rolling Stones.
http://www.usatoday.com/tech/techinv...-napster_x.htm
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Mobs Move Into 'Sims Online' Power Vacuum
Dawn C. Chmielewski
Tony Soprano can keep Jersey (who wants it, anyways?) A new family is movin' in on unclaimed turf -- online.
An underground group known as the Sims Shadow Government has taken over the fantasy world that is ``The Sims Online,'' meting out mob
justice.
It's a violent twist for ``The Sims,'' the dollhouse-inspired computer game that has long been portrayed as the antithesis to guns-'n-gore bestsellers like ``Grand Theft Auto.'' The emergence of a seedy underbelly in the online game may reveal more about the dark fantasies of middle-aged suburbanites than anyone suspected.
Turns out, everyone wants to be Tony Soprano or Don Vito Corleone.
To hear the ersatz mob boss, Piers Mathieson, tell it, it all began innocently enough, with the desire to impose order on the chaos that is ``The Sims Online.''
The game's designer, Will Wright, deliberately created a blank stage on which players could act out their fantasies.
To Mathieson, the lack of a government to lay down laws in virtual online communities like Alphaville -- let alone cops to enforce the rules -- resulted in anarchy. ``Grievers'' arose -- players who delight in creating misery for other players -- stealing money, trashing houses or even appropriating another's online identity.
Mathieson, 34, who lives in Las Vegas and promotes bands, said players turned into racketeers.
``They show up at your house and they request protection money. `You have to pay me 100,000 simolians if you don't want your house torn down.' It's technically harassment.''
The most popular person in the Sims universe -- Mia Wallace, a composite character played by Mathieson and his wife, Jennifer -- stepped into the power vacuum and organized the Sims Shadow Government.
``We weren't playing the games as hoodlums, we were playing the game as protectors of the city,'' said Mathieson.
At least at first. Somewhere along the line, though, the Sims Shadow Government turned from benevolent overseer to a virtual version of La Cosa Nostra.
Maybe it was the emergence of a rival family, the Playtime gang. Or maybe it was the Mia impostor, who tarnished the real Mia's reputation by inviting other players to work for her as a prostitute. Perhaps the final straw was when someone hijacked Mathieson's America Online account -- and stole all of his in-game cash and property.
Whatever the pretext, Mia morphed from prom queen to mob boss. A handful of the SSG's 160 members would meet outside the game -- in Yahoo discussion groups or by phone -- to talk about offenses against the ``family'' and plot revenge.
http://www.siliconvalley.com/mld/sil...ey/6019958.htm
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Senators Scorch FCC For Media Ownership Vote
Jan Crawford Greenburg and Naftali Bendavid
WASHINGTON - Lawmakers of both parties harshly criticized the Federal Communications Commission Wednesday for approving regulations they characterized as favoring media conglomerates over consumers.
They promised a push to scale back the new rules.
In a contentious hearing marked by sharp personal exchanges, Republican and Democratic senators said FCC Chairman Michael Powell and his colleagues overstepped their authority Monday when they voted 3-2 to ease restrictions on media ownership. All five commissioners appeared before the committee less than 48 hours after making the historic, controversial revisions.
Several senators pointedly told FCC commissioners their decision was wrong on policy grounds and was made without adequate public input.
``It looks like ... the FCC could not or would not stand up to interests of big business here,'' said Sen. Byron Dorgan, D-N.D. ``It appears to me so evident that the big interests were served here at the expense of the public interest.''
``The question now,'' said Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., ``is whether this Congress is going to stand up for the public interest.''
http://www.siliconvalley.com/mld/sil...ey/6017336.htm
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Guard Indicted In Deletion Of Protective Orders
AP
A grand jury has indicted a jail guard on charges of deleting nearly 500 court protection orders that authorities suspect were lost when he tried to erase an order involving a friend.
Protection orders typically are issued to prohibit suspects of spousal abuse or stalking from having contact with a victim.
Hector Delgado, 32, was indicted Tuesday on felony counts of tampering with records and unauthorized use of a computer. If convicted, he faces up to five years in prison.
Prosecutors suspect he accidentally erased all 497 orders recorded in the city from December to March 24 while trying to delete one that was issued against a friend. Prosecutor's spokeswoman Kim Kowalski said Wednesday she couldn't characterize the complaint against the friend, who had not been charged.
Records of the orders have been restored. The prosecutor's office had no reports that anyone was harmed because of the deleted records, Kowalski said.
The gap in the records was discovered by a court clerk about two weeks after the March 24 erasures, Prosecutor Bill Mason said. Investigators linked the deletions to Delgado's computer logon. He had been allowed to use the computer to record inmate information.
Delgado could not be reached for comment. The only local phone under his name is unlisted.
http://www.usatoday.com/tech/news/co...database_x.htm
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Outlook Brighter For HDTV, Viewers
Mike Langberg
High-definition digital television is finally escaping from an ironic time warp.
Aside from offering a much sharper picture than conventional TV, high-definition today is a throwback to 1953: There are only a few channels
to watch; they broadcast only a few hours of programming a day; there's no way to record for later viewing; and signals can only be received through a roof antenna.
But I believe we'll look back on 2003 as the pivotal year for HD, the moment when the pieces fell into place to justify the cost and effort of upgrading for anyone other than bleeding-edge early adopters.
The single most important change is the long overdue decision by cable systems nationwide to carry HD. As my colleague Dawn Chmielewski reported Sunday, Comcast on Tuesday begins offering three local HD channels and two HD movie channels to about half its Bay Area customers. By the end of next year, most cable households in the United States should have access to HD.
That's not the only reason the outlook for HD is improving. There are crucial improvements in four areas:
• HDTV sets. When HD broadcasting began in the United States on Nov. 1, 1998, television sets capable of viewing the digital signals cost $10,000. Early sales, no surprise, were dismal.
But the relentless downward march of prices for all products based on digital technology is coming to the rescue.
All these changes together should create some gradual momentum for HD. But the TV industry could still screw this up. The big Hollywood studios who create most network TV shows are worried about piracy of digital broadcasts and are considering copy protection systems that could make most HD sets already sold obsolete. If the studios are stupid enough to spit in the face of their audience with such a move, HD could yet end up in the landfill of failed technology.
http://www.siliconvalley.com/mld/sil...ey/5995722.htm
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"Our estimate is that tape will outlive hard drives."
Storage Methods Come and Go, but Tape Holds Its Own
Ian Austen
WHEN it comes to storing data, magnetic tape would seem to represent the past, not the future. The basic technology is half a century old, and those rooms full of reel-to-reel tape machines that were once a symbol of computing power are all but gone.
But corporations around the world still spend billions of dollars annually on tape cartridges that whirl away, backing up data. While the declining cost of hard drives, optical technologies like DVD's, and research into new storage methods like holography are all potential threats to tape, few storage experts are predicting its demise. "I've been asked if tape will disappear for a long time," said Gordon F. Hughes, the associate director of the Center for Magnetic Recording Research at the University of California at San Diego. "But I fundamentally don't think it's any different than the idea that radio will be pushed out by television."
Some researchers, in fact, are doing their best to make sure that tape will never go the way of the dinosaurs by looking at ways to store even more data on it. While at some laboratories this involves the development of new coatings or new drive technologies, for scientists at Ohio State University the solution literally involves smoothing out a tape's rough edges. They are looking at the manufacturing process, working to eliminate irregular edges so they can squeeze more data tracks onto each length of tape.
Increasing capacity can help reinforce what has always been one of tape's strong points: it is an economical form of data storage in comparison with other methods like hard-disk drives and optical technologies like DVD's.
But Dr. Hughes, whose work focuses on hard-drive technologies, said that today, "there's serious cost pressure on tape."
While making cost comparisons can be an arcane exercise, Dr. Hughes said that ordinary personal computer hard drives can be less expensive than tape for some short-term storage systems.
Tape also suffers from a practical shortcoming: unlike the data on a hard drive or optical disc, the information on it is arranged in linear form. A tape has to be wound backward and forward to retrieve or record data, making it slower in operation.
But Saurin Shah, the director of advanced technology and applications at Imation, which makes tapes and other storage media, said that tape has benefited from increased concern about protecting data from terrorist attack or natural disasters. It's easier to take a tape cartridge with backed-up data to a secure warehouse than it is to take a hard drive.
"The ability to send it off-site for storage, that's a key feature for tape," Mr. Shah said.
http://www.nytimes.com/2003/06/05/te...ts/05next.html
Top 10 D/Ls - Singles
BigChampagne
NYT QnA
Decoding the Shorthand for Better Music Files
J.D. Biersdorfer
Q. What is MP3 V.B.R.?
A. The abbreviation MP3 V.B.R. stands for MPEG Audio Layer 3, Variable Bit Rate.
MP3 is the common file format used for encoding and compressing audio files for use on computers and portable digital music players. Variable bit rate is a type of encoding that is used with MP3 files to make them sound better than standard audio files.
The sound quality of MP3 or other digital music files depends partly on the kilobits-per-second rate at which the file was recorded. During the recording process, software like MusicMatch Jukebox Plus or iTunes copies a song from a compact disc (a process called ripping) and encodes it as an MP3 file. The higher the bit rate, the better the sound quality of the file and the larger the MP3 file's size.
Most MP3 encoding programs let you adjust the bit rate for better sound quality but use the same bit rate consistently during the encoding process by default. MP3 files encoded this way are the most common and are classified as having a constant bit rate, or C.B.R.
As the name suggests, variable bit rate encoding adjusts the bit rate for different parts of a song, using a higher rate for more complex parts of the music and a lower bit rate in simpler areas. This produces better overall sound quality, but a bigger file size to accommodate the varying bit rates.
Q. What kind of DVD burner do I need to produce disks that can be played on a DVD player connected to the TV?
A. The formats that are available for recordable and rewritable DVD discs, like DVD-R, DVD+R, DVD-RW and DVD+RW, can confuse both consumers and living room DVD players.
If you want to record DVD's on your computer to watch on the DVD player in your home entertainment center, first check the DVD player's manual to learn which disc formats it can read. You might also try the DVD Player Compatibility List at
www.dvdrhelp.com/dvdplayers. If your player is listed in the site's database, you can see which DVD formats are compatible with it and in many cases read comments posted by other owners.
Finding a DVD recorder for the computer that can record discs in the player's desired format should not be difficult. Several hardware manufacturers now offer DVD recorders that can record multiple formats.
Having a multiple-format recorder allows you to buy the type of blank disc that your DVD player likes while using faster or more efficient formats.
Sony and Pioneer Electronics are among the companies that make multiple-format DVD recorders. Sony's DRU510A internal drive for the PC ($350;
www.sonystyle.com) can record and read DVD-R, DVD+R, DVD-RW and DVD+RW discs, as well as those in CD-R and CD-RW formats. The same DVD and CD formats can be recorded by the Pioneer Electronics DVR-A06 internal DVD recorder, which is to be released later this month and is expected to cost $329. Information will be available at
www.pioneerelectronics.com.
Q. I am the director of a nursery school and would like to make a slide show of school-year activities and set it to music. I would also want to copy the show onto CD's to sell to parents. Is there easy-to-use software for this purpose?
A. PhotoParade Maker from Callisto can be used to make slide shows and screen savers and comes in versions for both Macintosh and Windows systems. A basic version of PhotoParade Maker costs about $20 at
www.photoparade.com.
Full-featured multimedia programs like MediaShop Digital Studio 2 for Windows ($29.99 at
www.broderbund.com) can make slide shows, retouch digital photographs, burn CD's and much more. Apple's iPhoto 2 software for Mac OS X can also make slide shows and burn them to CD. The program is available as a free download at
www.apple.com /iphoto. Slide-show shareware for both Macintosh and Windows systems is also at
www.download.com.
http://www.nytimes.com/2003/06/05/te...ts/05askk.html
Lurking Within the Hi-Fi Rack, a Hard Drive That Rips
Home audio components are catching the MP3 wave as the popular digital music format makes its way from hard drives and portable players into the living-room sound system. Although from the outside the new DA-9000 CDRW Jukebox from TDK looks like any other component for the home stereo, deep inside it spins a 20-gigabyte hard drive alongside a conventional CD system that can play and record standard and MP3 audio CD's.
The DA-9000 can store more than 4,000 MP3 tracks, and it offers various ways to get the music onto its hard drive. It can rip MP3 files to its drive directly from prerecorded audio discs inserted into the player.
A U.S.B. port on the front of the machine makes it easy to link the device to a computer and copy MP3 files from the PC's music library.
The DA-9000 has a suggested retail price of $399 and comes with software for transferring files from the PC, audio and U.S.B. cables and a remote control.
Not content to be a mere MP3 jukebox and CD player, the DA-9000 also has the powers of a CD recorder and can fill blank discs with MP3's from its hard drive with a push of the record button. Because it has a full array of audio inputs, the DA-9000 can even record music that is piped in from other stereo components onto CD's. For those who can't wait to burn MP3's to disc right away, a blank recordable CD is included.
http://www.nytimes.com/2003/06/05/te...ts/05juke.html
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Maverick Composers Boom and Crackle Online
Matthew Mirapaul
INTERVIEWED in 1969, the composer Harry Partch complained about the use of electronics in classical music. While conceding that music might eventually be "computerized like crazy," he predicted that listeners would ultimately rebel against technology. "This is my objection to it: the individual is lost in this, totally lost,'' he said.
But with the help of computer technology, Partch's individualistic spirit has been revived on the Internet. American Mavericks (
www.musicmavericks.org), a new Web site focusing on unorthodox classical composers, allows visitors to hear Partch's music, read one of his manifestos or, by tapping on a computer keyboard or moving the mouse, play virtual versions of 20 of the unusual instruments that Partch himself devised. These include the Chromelodeon, an organ-like instrument with unconventional tunings, and a marimba made from two dozen light bulbs.
While the virtual instruments give anyone a chance to sample Partch inventions that are rarely played in public, they raise questions about the authenticity of such digital recreations. Still, the virtual instruments provide an entertaining introduction to the prickly Partch, who died in 1974. Richard Kessler, executive director of the American Music Center in New York, said, "The opportunity to interact with the instruments, the opportunity to learn about the tuning systems, the opportunity to be put in touch with Partch - it's pretty extraordinary."
The Web site, which went online in May, was produced by Minnesota Public Radio as a companion to "American Mavericks," a 13-part radio series celebrating Charles Ives, Duke Ellington, John Cage, Steve Reich and other iconoclastic composers of the 20th century. In the New York area, the hourlong programs are being broadcast on Wednesdays at 9 p.m. on WFUV-FM (90.7 on the dial) and will be carried later this year on WNYC-FM (93.9).
The programs can also be heard at the site, where the audio is augmented by interviews with 60 composers, more than 12 hours of exclusive recordings of concert performances by the San Francisco Symphony, and interactive features like the Partch instruments. The site also offers two channels of continuous music, a "smooth" one for easier listening and another labeled "crunchy" for more challenging material. "We asked ourselves what would it look like if the radio show were about the Web site and not vice versa," said Sarah Lutman, senior vice president for cultural programming and initiatives at Minnesota Public Radio.
The American Mavericks site is the latest attempt to find a home on the Internet for progressive classical music, which is played sparingly in concert and on the radio. Sites like Art of the States (artofthestates.org), sponsored by WGBH radio of Boston; the American Music Center's NewMusicJukebox (newmusicjukebox.org); and Kalvos and Damian's New Music Bazaar (www .kalvos.org) continually document the breadth and vivacity of American musical creativity in a way that, given its relatively tiny audience, no concert promoter or station manager could possibly afford.
http://www.nytimes.com/2003/06/05/te...ts/05musi.html
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Nothing Much Yet
...on the Aimster/Madster hearing here. But there are rumblings here, here, here, and of course, here.
Later: Aaron Swartz: "I got there a little late, but I got in and sat down quickly. The courtroom is a big black box with a ceiling of fluorescent lighting and painted portraits of (presumably) justices on the wall. Very nice, but not quite as regal as the Supreme Court. Judges Ripple, Posner, and Williams heard the case...
...[The MPAA lawyer] pointed out that there were no screenshots or evidence in the record of Aimster being used for a non- infringing use. Posner then asked for his definition of contributory infringement. He argued it was a material contribution with knowledge. Posner pointed out Sony would fail this test. The MPAA lawyer maintained that Sony actually provided a narrow exception to this general rule. He also tried to imply that Sony was mostly based on facts of the specific case and is not directly applicable here, but Posner wasn't buying that."
Later #2: For a prime example of the kind of access to & sharing of information that ought to be preserved on the Internet, see Howard Bashman's post on the hearing. Writes Howard (italics & note, mine): "Thanks to the Seventh Circuit's amazing website, you can listen to an audio file of today's oral argument via this link. Trading of this audio file is permitted as best as I can tell. [;-)] Also, you can access the briefs filed in the appeal via this link.
Later #3: Howard points to another option for downloading the audio.
http://www.copyfight.org/
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To Our Staff:
Warner Music Group
Policy on copyright infringement and the use of "peer-to-peer" systems
TO: All WMG Personnel
FROM: Xxxx Xxxxxxx
SUBJECT: Policy on copyright infringement and the use of "peer-to-peer" systems
DATE: June 3, 2003
COPIES TO: Xxxxx Xxxx
As each of you is undoubtedly aware, the illegal copying of CDs is a serious matter that is adversely affecting the entire music community. Lost revenue as a result of piracy undermines the passion and hard work we bring to our jobs, threatening our livelihood and the livelihood of our artists. Copyright infringement is also illegal, no less so than shoplifting a CD. Downloading copyrighted music and burning CDs from peer-to-peer networks such as KaZaA, Morpheus, Gnutella or any other similar service is a violation of the law, and will not be tolerated among WMG employees.
If you have peer-to-peer software on your company computer, you must remove it immediately. Failure to do so, and the failure to respect music copyrights may lead to disciplinary action, including termination.
Beginning shortly, we will scan our computer network to detect the presence of file sharing software on company computers, so again, it is important that you remove the software immediately. If you need assistance in removing file sharing software, please contact your IT department. Your cooperation on this matter is essential.
The good news is that we have been working hard in recent years to stimulate a legitimate online market for music, and we encourage you to try out the music services in which we're involved. You can access some of them at the following link:
http:// www.musicunited.org/6_legalsites.html
We understand that a few employees need to access peer-to-peer services in connection with legitimate company business activities. Those employees should contact Xxx Xxxxxx (Xxxxx.Xxxxxx@wmg.com) so that proper authorization and access can be arranged.
If you are not sure whether an activity is covered by this policy, you should consult your supervisor or Xxxx Xxxxxxx (xxx-xxx-xxxx) [xxxx.xxxxxxx@wmg.com] of the WMG Legal Department.
You also may want to take this opportunity to consider whether any peer-to-peer services are being used on computers in your home. Please keep in mind that use of peer-to-peer services to download copyrighted material without the consent of the copyright owner, whether in your office or your home, is illegal. It is also unfair to all of the talented individuals (including yourself) who contribute to the creation and marketing of creative works.
Thank you for your attention.
http://www.internalmemos.com/memos/m...p?memo_id=1609
Until next week,
-
js.
Current Week In Review.
Recent WIRs -
http://www.p2p-zone.com/underground/...threadid=16489 May 31st
http://www.p2p-zone.com/underground/...threadid=16411 May 24th
http://www.p2p-zone.com/underground/...threadid=16318 May 17th
http://www.p2p-zone.com/underground/...threadid=16211 May 10th
http://www.p2p-zone.com/underground/...threadid=16135 May 3rd
Jack Spratts Week In Review is published every Friday. Please submit letters, articles, and press releases in plain text English to jackspratts at lycos.com. Include contact info. Submission deadlines are Wednesdays @ 1700 UTC.