diagonal thoughts on Music like Water

A good blog post (although a bit hard to read due to the colors), summarizing more thoughts on Music20: diagonal thoughts on Music like Water.

The logic of 'Connected Content' - paid in a few different ways

Ted.com video: Yochai Benkler on Social Production

One of the best videos on this topic that I have ever seen - lots of great nuggets here.

Law professor Yochai Benkler explains how collaborative projects like Wikipedia and Linux represent the next stage of human organization. By disrupting traditional economic production, copyright law and established competition, they're paving the way for a new set of economic laws, where empowered individuals are put on a level playing field with industry giants.

Meet me at Chinwag Live: Micro Media Maze May 20 2008 in London

I will be paneling at this event: Chinwag Live: Micro Media Maze | Chinwag - the UK's leading community media company for the new media industry.

"First the music track was decoupled from the physical product and the "long player" album, then newspaper article, the blog post, the TV show, the photo, the vlog, and now the Tweet...
It seems like everything's gone micro. As content is disaggregated into ever smaller pieces and syndicated and widgetised at accelerating speed, how is the media landscape being re-shaped, and who are the winners in this scenario?

Are media owners caught between a rock and a hard place? They've got to get their content out there, but context and branding work differently in the world of mashups and aggregators. In turn, the revenues they make from micro media pale in comparison to their staple money-making ventures (print, CDs, TV, DVD, film).

P2P culture is also firmly embedded, with iTunes and other digital retailers numbers' still dwarfed by ripping and filesharing. Now media giants like Microsoft and the BBC are using P2P technnology, but has their deeper modus operandi shifted? Are they fated to be outpaced and outgunned by innovative companies who play by different rules"

Tim Robbins Speech at NAB 2008 (video.. sorta)

Published: April 16, 2008 via (AdAge.com) -- Actor Criticizes Broadcast Industry Focus on The Tawdry and Demeaning: Even as he came on stage to give the keynote address at the National Association of Broadcasters Show in Las Vegas, it was obvious that Tim Robbins' remarks had caused controversy backstage. The Academy Award-winning actor and critically acclaimed screenwriter, director and producer first indicated to the audience that he would not be giving his speech. Then, floor agents of the NAB organizers ordered journalists' video cameras turned off. An NAB spokesman later said Mr. Robbins contract had a "no filming" clause. Ultimately, Mr. Robbins changed his mind and started talking. Listen to the six best minutes of the speech....

Wired Interview with Justin Ouellette, The Man Behind Muxtape (nice... but headed towards certain doom?)

Link: Interview: Justin Ouellette, The Man Behind Muxtape | Listening Post from Wired.com.

Muxtape is cool (if not an entirely unique concept). Here is my stuff on Muxtape.

The thing is though, I just wish it could be legal, too - imagine the power of this idea, truly unleashed and embraced by the people that own the rights. Alas, I think they will most certainly be squashed by the labels very soon, too - and this Wired feature probably put them on the radar for just that.  These people do read Wired, too ;)

Remember: in digital music, everything that's cool is forbidden. Makes perfect sense, right? 

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Mary Meeker / Morgan Stanley Internet Trends 2008

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Good read. Techcrunch has a summary Download the pdf here

RIAA files copyright suit against Project Playlist | Tech news blog - CNET News.com

It was only matter of time - the fig-leaf has been ripped up: RIAA files copyright suit against Project Playlist | Tech news blog - CNET News.com.  I think it's time to call the bluff - this is all about Control. In digital music, everything that is good - and popular- is illegal.  Where does that leave us?

Btw - I think this below is what broke the camel's back

Music in 2015 - Totally Secure, Really (like... completely) Scarce and So Very Very Valuable (again)

Warning: this is fiction. For now.

June 1, 2015

The herculean efforts of the world's most eminent legitimate music rights- and intellectual property owners, represented by the RIAFPIAAMP (the all-encompassing global content producers' organization led by former U.S. President George 'Hard Work' Bush whose favorite battle cries "We have a right to get paid a lot more, dammit" and "Copyright-is-worth-dying-for" are now found even on free coffee-mugs and roadside bulletin boards) and the organization's numerous allies from law enforcement, the military and leading anti-terrorist experts around the world have finally been victorious: Music is now 100% scarce again, and the threat of hardened juvenile criminals and the so-called Digital Natives freeloading via the Internet without restraint has been eradicated.

The War on Sharing was costly, indeed: tens of billions of $s, Euros, Yens and Rupees were spend and some unfortunate collateral damage had to be absorbed as well, but finally the battle has been won by the rightful leaders of the global music industry corporations  - music is, once again, totally and permanently secured and under the rights holders' exclusive and unflinching control. Copyright is sacred again - hallelujah.

No device can play any music whatsoever unless it has been authorized by the Central Music Device Approval Authority in London. All music recording devices are forbidden, period, and special permits are required to even mention their existence. Robotic device-control-squats patrol the subways, clubs, bars and schools around the globe, looking for RFID pings from any device that could be used to engage in stealing. Unless a device is properly authorized to deploy music, a user attempting to do so will get a recorded and looped message alerting him to the fact that the device is illegal and that he needs to cease his activities immediately.

Repeat offenders that do not follow the warnings may suffer severe burns on their fingertips, courtesy of the new BurnThoseThieves hard- and software that is now embedded in all audio devices, thereby making these criminals easily identifiable to the global MP7 (Music Protection Prevention Prohibition Purposeful Peer Panic Production) task force that has been set up since the Criminal Music Consumption Act (CMCA) was passed in 2011. Hospitals everywhere are fully collaborating.

No ISP, telecom or wireless operator can move even a single 0 or 1 of any registered piece of music (and  soon, film or TV show, photo, logo, txt file, pdf or any other of the 387 indexed file formats) through the network unless it is listed on the 'approved for network distribution' list. All telecoms around the world must get written approval for any data transfer that could be perceived to contain intellectual property; apart from voice (and even that is monitored as well - see below).

This slows things down things just a tiny bit but one can still get a 12k stream on the paid-for and authorized on-demand music providers pretty much any day; this is hugely popular in penal colonies, on arctic cruise-ships and at genetic food research labs all over Siberia and New Mexico. Finally, ISPs can keep their noses & pipes clean and concentrate on running their networks without worrying that copyright crimes will be committed through them - a great relief to everyone!

Consumer-to-consumer bluetooth file transfers using cell phones and other mobile devices were disabled years ago, when the RIAFPIAAMP sued Samsung, Nokia, Motorola and Apple for 250 Billion dollars - and won. This was directly after the UMMFFRECUR  (the United Music Managers for Forced and Really Equitable Content Use Remuneration) and the CPFELC (Content Publishers for Eternal Life of Copyright) teamed up with the RIAFPIAAMP to force BT, France Telekom, Verizon, China Mobile, T-Mobile and Vodafone into shutting down their networks until they could finally clean out the music pirates, for sure. 18 months without wireless services sure taught everyone a lesson!

Apart from Bluetooth transfers which are just not legal, period, wireless file transfers of any kind must now be approved by the CWCTA, the Central Wireless Content Transfer Authority in Guetersloh, Germany, but most consumers don't even dare to apply for a permit since they would be certain to have their names entered into their MicroGooHoo NetworkID file system which prevents undesirable individuals from entering places where any attainable content could be found, such as clubs, bars, music stores, airports, libraries and schools.

Automatic 1strike+out(TM) network disconnection is build into all computers,digital Radios, TVs and mobile devices, worldwide. Playing any piece of music that is longer than 1.2 seconds and that is not properly approved results in immediate disconnection from the Internet. The software was developed by the German Army and it's doing a fabulous job here. Anyone that has been disconnected must apply for 'reinstatement of connectivity' to the Internet Re-Connection Investigation and Approval Authority in Dublin, Ireland, led by a subsidiary of a well-known music management and artist branding company that has been able to patent the serious-infringer-detection technology back in 2008. 

Anyone that is caught capturing  and uploading an image or a video of an artist that is represented by the RIAFPIAAMP or their sister organization, the World Content Ownership and Administration Committee (WCOAC) will face immediate remote destruction of all memory contained on his or her equipment. In order for this to work flawlessly, all memory chips and hard-drives are now wirelessly connected to the Central Content Security Database in Langley, Virginia and Nice, France. Repeat offenders will be barred from buying any digital equipment, whatsoever (including coffee makers, watches, washing machines or toasters) and anyone lending such equipment will be considered guilty of contributory infringement.

Since 2011, all private phone calls are monitored by United Phone Call Screening Systems (UPCSS) in Mumbai, India, on behalf of the WCSC, the World Content Security Council (based in Geneva, Switzerland) since the rapid increases of unauthorized public performances of music on mobile phones has led to losses of billions of dollars to the rightful owners and wardens of the master recordings and compositions. People calling each other to listen to music has been officially declared THEFT in the 2012 Singapore Total Rights Forever Treaty (STRFT). The system is working so very very smoothly that only those pre-approved and fully licensed users that have adequate legal representation in at least the 100  WCSC signatory countries can actually listen to music via digital devices at this time -everyone else's attempts at enjoying music without proper permission has been thwarted so that the monetary value of music can be maintained, and even elevated, again.

Thankfully, a new format, the UeberCD, has been launched by AppSonips a year ago and that's pretty much the safest and cleanest way you can get music now - pay before you listen, while you listen, and after you listen - the way it should be! Everybody has to buy UeberCD players and sound carriers in the UeberCD format, and there is only one authorized place in each country that can produce them. Each player unit and each UeberCD is equipped with a  wifi / wimax / GSM chip as well as with RFIDs, making it easy to find out how many times people are playing the music, where, and when, and helping honest people stay honest, and not exceed the permissible maximum of daily plays.

All UeberCDs that leave the country where they were produced automatically lock-up and stop working, and the self-destruct. In most cases, the authorities are alerted, leading to many arrests of hardened criminals all over the world.

Music making is restricted as well, and subject to a 'official creator license', since many people disguising as musicians had taken to secretly listening to the artists and songs that they liked a lot, using old analog equipment of the late 90s, and were thereby influenced by ideas and inspirations that they had absolutely no rights to, whatsoever.

Now, with the new government 'License to Rock' Version 2.98 it is finally possible to produce new music without constantly flirting with accidental or inadvertent copyright infringement: musicians and composers must subject to a strict clearing procedure by the Creators Approval Committee before they are allowed to use one of the many RIAFPIAAMP's Creative Bunkers where they can go about their work in total isolation for a minimum of 15 months before they can surface again. Now that's what we call clean! 

All in all, this is a great world to live in: clean, orderly and all-paid-for, all the time - welcome to Music 2015.

Some of this story is influenced by a recent read of Cory Doctorow's book 'Overclocked'

Photo Credits (long live Flickr!!!)
RIAA can't play song: Geek&poke
Sharing Music via Bluetooth: Larsklfem
iPod No Music: dpicker
Department of Precime: Gea-Suan
Your CD and You: Alexis Jarvis

Economics of Online Video 3: $5 Net CPM = Keep Day Job* - Silicon Alley Insider

Interesting comment on the whole issue of 'how to make $$ on social media': Economics of Online Video 3: $5 Net CPM = Keep Day Job* - Silicon Alley Insider.

Some good stats and numbers here but of course we are still VERY early with defining those new, 'gen2' revenue streams for next-gen content driven models (and also - what IS commercial success in the future - how will it be measured??). After all, less than 20% of the global population is online, and less than 2% have a broadband connection. Give it another 18 months (only) and we could be at 3-4x that - and this will have a profound impact on content-centric business models. Solid and fast connectivity is the # 1 factor here.

Broadband2.0 (via Wired) - and then: Content2.0 and Copyright2.0...?

Wired has a good feature on what they call, of course - but hopefully with some mocking intentions - Broadband2.0. As I have said many times before, we are just at the tip of the iceberg as far as SHARING of Content is concerned, and we will need an altogether different logic of copyright and understanding of 'content' monetization to deal with this. I shall pontificate further on this, in the future, but for now check out this short video.

Here are some high-lights from the WIRED feature, and my comments:

"Now two of the largest ISPs in the United States are hoping to kick off yet another broadband renaissance, this time with home connections that promise to reach 50-100 Mbps, enabling a slew of high-definition content, better-quality video-sharing sites and even 3-D video. Call it Broadband 2.0.  Experts say this increased bandwidth -- when it becomes widely available -- will have a profound effect on everything from our social interactions on the web to the way we consume media."

My comment: High definition is certainly the key to a meaningful content consumption (or shall I say 'content engagement') on the Net, in the long run. Forgot those lousy MP3 sounds and give me full CD quality - another 3-4 years and we'll have that, as well, imho - and I just can't wait.

"Mr. Waters says that first and foremost, we can expect everything to go high-definition: We'll download HD movies from Netflix, upload HD content to YouTube, and watch more sophisticated HD content on our televisions. The added bandwidth may even spur development of extra goodies, like stereoscopic 3-D video and high-fidelity audio. Believe me, the minute someone puts the pipes out there, people will find a way to use them," Waters says."

My comment: this is why Telecoms, ISPs and Wireless Operators must engage with Content NOW. It's time to leave the good old idea of the 'stupid pipe' behind and move onto the Service + Content Pipe concept. This, to me, means a concerted push for new content licenses and flat rates. The Internet is the new Broad[Narrow]Casting Platform, and it needs to be licensed accordingly. This is not at all an argument for ISP liability  - rather, in my view, the liability for monetizing this development rests with the Content Owners not with the Networks. Put up (i.e. license) or shut up - to speak frankly.

"If you put a 60 Mbps service out there, people are also going to want to have services associated with it. Yet no one is going to create those services unless the 60 Mbps is there," Water says. That hesitation may not last long, because consumers always find ways to use up whatever bandwidth is available -- and then some -- says Rudolf van der Berg, the author of a recent study on the future of fiber networks (.pdf)."

Content is now Context and Conversation, too - and therefore, and in this new definition only, is King, once again.

 

Check out my new book, Music2.0 here (includes paywhatyouwant PDF download)

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mediatedcultures.net -'The Machine is us' Video (update.. and others great vids

Some great videos here: mediatedcultures.net @ kansas state university.

mediatedcultures.net @ kansas state university home of the digital ethnography working group, a team of cultural anthropology undergraduates led by Dr. Michael Wesch exploring the impact of digital technology on human interaction  and human interaction on digital technology

This one is highly recommended, as well: A Vision of Students Today by Michael Wesch October 12th 2007 This short video summarizes some of the most important characteristics of students today - how they learn, what they need to learn, their goals, hopes, dreams, what their lives will be like, and what kinds of changes they will experience in their lifetime. Created by Michael Wesch in collaboration with 200 students at Kansas State University. Music by Try^d: http://tryad.org/listen.html

Download higher quality wmv: http://www.mediafire.com/?ajm0lzxh223 Quicktime version: http://www.mediafire.com/?3xbhmdmsfmd

Proposing a new definition of "Content"

No... I will NOT call this Content2.0. Sorry.

World Internet Usage Statistics News and Population Stats

If you're into stats you'll like these: World Internet Usage Statistics News and Population Stats.

From the Network to the Networked

This is a key trend in digital media: the importance of being a big, centralized, dominating Network shrinks, and the importance of being NETWORKED increases; Openness becomes a default requirement, and Attention becomes the new Currency. Read more here