The Temporary News Kiosk - Late Thursday edition

[TankGirl]

Ladies and gentlemen... news time!

Indie Music Still Thrives On Napster

Imagine a ruthlessly efficient army of robots running wild through the nation's record stores, removing every bit of major label product from the shelves, from Britney to Bob Dylan - but leaving behind CDs from independent labels. Since March, that unlikely scenario has taken place, more or less, on the free but legally precarious online music bazaar that is Napster.
http://www.mtv.com/sendme.tin?page=/news/articles/1442957/20010419/nirvana.jhtml


Could Net cable rates be headed higher?

Millions of cable-based Internet customers have grown accustomed to paying about $40 monthly for access. But that fee could become just a fond memory for two recent developments: Leading provider Excite@Home is under extreme pressure to raise cash, and the competition from the DSL (digital subscriber line) industry has already started to raise prices.
http://news.cnet.com/news/0-1004-200-5667678.html?tag=tp_pr


RIAA composes Net radio license for start-up

The RIAA has issued a radio license to music start-up Kickworks that lets it legally distribute digital music online from major-label artists. The agreement not only gives Kickworks the rights to the recordings of all RIAA members, but consumers will also be able to use these songs in online radio broadcasts.
http://news.cnet.com/news/0-1005-200-5667290.html?tag=mn_hd


FBI's E-Mail Surveillance Getting Boost

Senior Justice Department officials are recommending that the FBI be allowed to continue using a controversial e-mail snooping tool against suspected criminals - with some new safeguards aimed at answering privacy concerns, law enforcement sources said Wednesday.
http://www.latimes.com/business/cutting/todays.topstory.htm


Taming the Web

Not long ago, civil libertarians looked to cyberspace as the utopia of ultimate freedom, beyond the reach of restrictive technologies and government regulators. Today, that dream may be fading with the hyper-speed of Internet time. A combination of new technologies, recent laws and international restrictions - sometimes related, more often not - are making possible a kind of online regulation once thought impossible.
http://news.cnet.com/news/0-1005-201-5589627-0.html?tag=bt_pr


Net filters face free-speech test

A new federal law will force public libraries to filter Internet content against their will or risk losing federal funds. But free-speech advocates are fighting back.
http://www.zdnet.com/zdnn/stories/news/0,4586,2709729,00.html


Judge nixes 'voyeur execution'

A federal judge late on Wednesday rejected an Internet company's request to broadcast over the Web the execution of convicted Oklahoma City bomber Timothy McVeigh. "The plaintiffs seek not just to view the execution - they seek to film it and broadcast it simultaneously over the Internet so that anyone willing to pay a fee for viewing this event can do so," the judge writes in his decision. "What these media organizations seek is unprecedented in that a live media broadcast of an execution has never occurred in the history of the death penalty in this country."
http://www.zdnet.com/zdnn/stories/news/0,4586,2709777,00.html


New Samba moves onto Microsoft turf

It's here: the latest update to the open-source software that lets Linux machines mimic Windows file and print servers. The OS is free, and Samba users don't have to pay a client licence fee. Is Microsoft feeling the pressure?
http://www.zdnet.com/zdnn/stories/news/0,4586,5081442,00.html


Making HAL Your Pal

What happens when artificial intelligence becomes far smarter than humans? What will keep it friendly? The Singularity Institute says it has the answers for what happens during the next stage of humanity's evolution.
http://www.wired.com/news/technology/1,1282,43080,00.html


The sound and the fury

From Napster to MP3 players, audio jukeboxes to CD-R drives, digital music has gotten a lot of attention lately. But while everyone seems focused on the availability of digital music and its legality, far too little attention has gone into what the music really sounds like. Upgrading to a new speaker system doesn’t have to cost a lot.
http://www.msnbc.com/news/553291.asp

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- tg

[lezzbeefriends]

Thanks Tank Girl for helping out with the news here. Some interesting stuff as usual. I think it will be very interesting to see what happens to the popularity of some of these Indie music groups. There are quite a few out there I’ve never heard of. You never know- there could be a group out there that will really catch fire with people. I’m sure a place like the Napsterites will keep the community informed of the groups worth checking out. Interesting. Thanks!!!
Hope your well and happy hon!

[TankGirl]

Hi LBF and thanks to you - I'm happy & well!

You make a good point about the indies... It would be interesting to see what would happen in the long run if Nappy remained as a major filesharing and promotion zone for indies and all the non-RIAA stuff. Many smaller labels - and even many RIAA-signed artists - would surely be interested in the global exposure and one success story might quickly ignite others...

Unfortunately the RIAA has bullied them down so completely that such experiments will almost inevitably happen on the other networks and services. And when they happen, we - the seasoned mp3 revolutionaries - will be there doing it and seeing it!
- tg