NEWS: Teenager Sues Record Industry

Sixteen year old Robert Santangelo is counter-suing the Record Companies that are currently in the process of suing him. His lawyer claims that the actions of the labels were "damaging the boy's reputation, distracting him from school and costing him legal fees." He might be able to pull it off considering his mother successfully challenged the lawsuit placed against her for his actions earlier on refusing to settle like most people attacked. More information can be found here.

NEWS: EMI merges Virgin and Capitol

The World EMI Group has fused Capitol Records with Virgin Records to form yet another super-label under the name Capitol Music Group. EMI has owned both of these labels for a while but they have both worked independently in the past. The group will keep both label names but the entire management group will be reworked by EMI promoting Virgin CEO Jason Flom to chief CEO over the group and releasing Andy Slater along with other executives. The merging is due to the state of concern over dropping sales in the digital era. More can be read at Variety about the change. I'm unsure how this will help solve the problem but at the same time there are few foreseeable ways to stem the problems large labels are facing considering DRM techniques are alienating more than they are unifying and physical sales constantly dropping.

RECORDING: Audio Recording Software Comparison

I just found this page from the Digital Music Doctor that has a shootout review of the seven most popular music recording programs. It gives an excellent and easy to see comparison of the programs along with ratings and can be found here. This information is critical for anyone considering a home or even professional studio. If you just want a quick answer, the best overall program was Cubase 4 and the best value program was Sonar 6 Studio.

The Muser's Thoughts on Downloading

I think it is interesting that more and more the idea of Us vs. Them has become the norm when thinking about the record industry and everyone else. Have we really become a world of pirates and thieves? We can cite the corruption of the industry and justify our actions as "getting the word out" but in the end isn't it still really just stealing? When even the RIAA President's son is guilty of illegal downloads it is easy to think of music downloading as more of a way of life than an illegal action. Buying a T-shirt at the concert doesn't change the fact that you've deprived a band of the few dollars they get per CD/online sale and with all the legal free downloads sponsored by the artists wanting to "hear the band before buying the cd" is not a valid excuse. In the end though it doesn't how much it's costing the bands or how illegal it is, the idea that we can get away with something that could save us hundreds of dollars and have almost no chance of getting caught is too enticing to convince people to stop. The cliche analogy of "stealing a cd from a real store vs online" might sound stupid but in the end it is true test of what we as humans really do consider moral. I bet if there were little to no chance of getting caught most people would steal from record stores too if given the opportunity (maybe an unlocked door late at night with the employee in the back room and no cameras?) Almost every independent artist out there who you can't find in stores would be ecstatic to make even a single sale online and probably at a really cheap price; and that's if they aren't giving away their music legally anyways. I can't think of a single situation with the exception of unreleased material, where illegal downloading isn't wrong. I figure it's up to the lawmakers to decide whether or not to make it easier for the industry to pursue people who illegally download music, because as long as it's this easy to steal, why would people pay?

NEWS: Music Industry Threatens to Sue ISPs

The IFPI (International Federation of the Phonographic Industry) is threatening to sue ISPs directly if they don't disconnect music pirates. The move comes after the IFPI had much success in 2006 with major wins in court against file sharing programs like Kazaa and thousand of individuals. A Spokesman from the Internet Service Providers Association claimed that there was no way to monitor all the packets being sent over their networks and claimed that it is not their responsibility to monitor their customers. For more information read The Independent's story here.

NEWS: RIAA arrests mix-taper

According to the New York Times the RIAA raided the Atlanta office of famous hip-hop executive DJ Drama, whose real name is Tyree Simmons on accounts that he had been illegally distributing unlicensed materials. DJ Drama is famous in the hip-hop world for his "Gangsta Grillz" mix-tapes that have set the tone for the highly popular "Dirty South" rap movement which is the top selling of all hip-hop genres. These mix-tapes (actually on cd-r) were distributed featuring rare tracks, alternate versions, free-styles and other songs not easy to hear otherwise. The artists themselves love the opportunity to be featured and the labels that present them have taken a blind eye, if not even being supportive of the practice for the free publicity and credibility they provide. These mixes are sold for cheap at credible record stores, including online music stores like iTunes (who carry several of Drama's mixes.) Bail for him and his assistant has been set for $100,000 and while this isn't the first mix-tape arrest by the RIAA it is the most large profile one to date. Once again the RIAA has decided to play god "representing" artists and the labels they are on despite the true wishes of these groups. For more information you can read the Times article here.

Welcome

Welcome to Post Radio. This is a collection of news and information to keep dedicated music fans informed of relevant new music and the technologies that propel the industry itself. Experience as the current Station Manager for an internet based college radio station (radioUTD) along with a lifelong passion for music and technology give me an interesting perspective on these issues. Where is music heading? Is there anything being made that hasn't been done before? How is it being made? How is it being distributed the masses and how will this change in the near future? It's near impossible to truly answer all of these questions but by keeping a finger on the pulse of the scene the answers might be closer than they seem.