Monthly Archive for November, 2007Page 5 of 14

Dear Rockers, a site that promises that it is “Paying back musicians, five bucks at a time” is a photo blog detailing the letters (and monies) that its readers are sending to their favorite bands, supposedly for some guilt they feel for downloading music for free. I’d love to applaud their efforts, but the letters come off as snarky, instead of appreciative, and the site it self is only providing a platform for these photos - and not taking any direct action on their own.

Plus, most of the letters I saw were to some huge band - the kinds without money problems - and not to Artists on the lower tiers of the underground markets, the ones that can actually feel when p2p is sapping revenue, instead of driving it. I’ve long envisioned an ASCAP like system for independent artists, and was hoping that this site was already scratching that itch. One quick review and I can see that it clearly is not. Neat idea, but I can’t tell if the people participating are being serious or not:

Dear Billy Joel,

I should tell you that, about a decade ago, I taped some of the songs from your “greatest hits” album off a friend’s tape.

What? What! What?!?

Paying for the privilege to not feel guilty about taping a few songs off the radio ten years later? Well, that’s not my idea of forwarding the conversation about p2p, the music industry, and the future of both. This may be one of the worst un-indended ironies I’ve ever witnessed. From their FAQ RAQ:

In the great debate about the RIAA and the future of digital music, I think we sometimes forget that musicians still need to make a living. So I thought I’d help out some of those musicians that I hadn’t otherwise compensated, and encourage others to do the same.

The site is pretty new, so maybe it will get better - but right now - it is antithetical to its stated goal.

Donald Kerr, the principal deputy director of national intelligence declared recently that Americans must adjust their attitudes towards privacy in order to accommodate Congress in the War on Terror.

Privacy no longer can mean anonymity [...]. Instead, it should mean that government and businesses properly safeguard people’s private communications and financial information.

Technology has all but eroded much of our private information - but the kind of forced thought change that Mr. Kerr is suggesting is the kind of thinking that chips away at the foundations of a free society.

Or something equally Orwellian.

However, what these types of government drones forget - is that free societies are made up of free individuals. And the more free-thinking of us, are unaffected by the macro-patterns of the human herd. Privacy may be slipping, but liberty is still largely a state of mind - at least in my book.

More on the value of privacy on Bruce Schneier’s blog.