No DRM, Thanks...

I know, I know--it's been a while. And sadly this is just a drive-by. More to come, I swear.

Aaaaanyway, those that stick around the bar long enough to hear me rant about the current business model of the major-label-driven music industry and how it's becoming increasingly obvious that it's a failure for bands and listeners alike are well-versed in the arguments against DRM ("Digital Rights Management", for those that have been living under a rock). Just in time for summer comes this article from Ars Technica about my (and others') new favorite downloading service: eMusic.

All I'm going to say is this: read the article, then go peruse eMusic. You won't be disappointed.

[via Slashdot. As always, the comments here are well worth a look.]

More 'Fork

Good friend Jose hipped me to this bit of quantitative analysis of what the author rightly calls "the closest thing we’ve got these days to Rolling Stone — 1970s RS, that is"

[Related: Tour Roundup Part 1]

Oakland Mondays 3

Actually I guess this should be called "Oakland Tuesday" but there's a comfort in consistency, no? And this post wouldn't have even happened without being called out by John for missing a day. So, John, this corrugated metal beauty is for you...


This next Monday we ought to be back on track--promise. Maybe I'll even get around to uploading some goodies to Flickr!

Fight This. Now.

Why does one of my state's US senators hate podcasters? I don't know. But I do know that I'll be calling her office and telling her what I think of this asinine bill. In case DiFi hadn't noticed, streaming mp3s are this generation's version of radio. What if, back in rock-and-roll's infancy, the US Senate had passed a bill making it so radio stations could only broadcast in a format that Philco radios could receive? Would Elvis' hip-shake have been the wiggle heard 'round the world, or just another empty pose?

This kind of legislating without truly researching the idea and its consequences is yet another example of how little our lawmakers understand the new digital landscape. Better to stop this now than deal with the consequences later. Get on the phone with your senator's office now.

[via Slashdot yet again.]

Canada: At it again!

Yet another reason why I like Canada, at least conceptually: The Canadian Music Creators Coalition. Showing that there is, amazingly, a way in which Sum 41 might actually be cooler than that greedy bastard Lars Ulrich.

As both a musician and a listener, I've always thought that DRM and the DMCA were some of the most idiotic, counterproductive schemes to come out of the "music industry" in a long, long time (possibly outdone only by the ill-fated DAT format and the surrounding debate over it), and it's good to see that even big-name artists agree. The point of making music is communication. DRM and the DMCA work in direct opposition to this. End of story.

[via Slashdot]

Oakland Mondays 2

Today I didn't get over to Oakland as early as I'd hoped--I was finishing up a wisp of pro-bono work for some fine folks in Chicago, and the time got away from me. Then I had to go straight to rock-band practice. Still, I had the sense to break out the camera when I was waiting for my train home:


I'm not sure what it was about this image I liked--the inadvertently perfect split between the top and bottom of the photo, maybe? Anyway, here it is--a half-assed Oakland Monday, but strangely pretty all the same.

Bike Humor

As a commuting and recreational cyclist, I'm part of an international group that must maintain its sense of humor at all times--after all, we're considered "vehicles" under traffic law, but in practice we're definitely second-class citizens.

Still, we soldier on--as petroleum consumption becomes an ever-more-untenable option, I'm betting on seeing more bikes on the road. However, some of these make me wonder if the humble cyclist will ever get any more respect! Look here for even more, and some of that fabulous dry British wit.

[via Pruned, who got 'em from Bricoleurbanism]