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Mis-trial declared in RIAA Kazaa case - downloaders rejoice
A judge has declared a mistrial in the Jammie Thomas Kazaa case, and reconsidering the validity of the 'making available' prosecution line of attack.
One to watch.
d A judge has declared a mistrial in the Jammie Thomas Kazaa case, and reconsidering the validity of the 'making available' pr... more -
New Brit film going for the mother of all releases
UK filmmakers Revolver Entertainment are breaking free from the standard marketing campaign and releasing their next film on all formats, at the same time.
The film, entitled 'Mum & Dad' is released on December 26th, and will see Revolver become the first ever "UK distributor to release a movie on all platforms at the same time." Meaning the film will simultaneously appear in cinemas, on DVD, on on-demand, via rental and on TV. A rather risky experiment I'm sure you'll agree, but will it payoff?
Here's a little lowdown on the film of Gizmodo UK:
"The film is about a 'Texas Chainsaw Massacre' style family that lives at the end of Heathrow Airport and abducts ground staff and the like for dastardly deeds. It has gathered rather mixed reviews from those who have seen early screeners and being a low-budget indie release the results won't exactly be that meaningful as a judge of its success." UK filmmakers Revolver Entertainment are breaking free from the standard marketing campaign and releasing their next film on all forma... more -
BFI offer 75 films at 75 pence each
Part of the BFI's 75th anniversary, choose from a wide array of films.
Neat. EXCEPT IF YOU USE A MAC.
They're waving the apple DRM trumpcard it seems.
...and it's UK only due to rights and clearances.
d Part of the BFI's 75th anniversary, choose from a wide array of films. Neat. EXCEPT IF YOU USE A MAC. ... more -
Snow Patrol’s “Suns” packed with extras for iPods and iPhones
The next big digital step for albums may arrive this October, when U.K. rockers Snow Patrol release their new LP A Million Hundred Suns packed with interactive applications for iPod Touch and iPhone. The next big digital step for albums may arrive this October, when U.K. rockers Snow Patrol release their new LP A Million Hundred Sun... more
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Comcast: Comcast's 250GB data caps now official, starting in October
Bad news for Comcast folks—the 250GB caps that were once rumored are now officially official and will start October 1 for residential customers. But, instead of charging you for every GB you go beyond that in a month, Comcast is getting a bit more byzantine—if you blow the cap twice in six months, they may terminate your service altogether.
Comcast tries to ameliorate the news by putting the cap in terms even grandma can understand: 250GB = 50 million emails! 250,000 hi-res photo uploads of the grand kids! But in reality, if you're sharing your connection with roommates and downloading legitimate VOD stuff from Apple or Vudu, yet alone your torrentz, hitting 250GB in a month is not that far from reality. And now that Comcast has thrown their hat into the cap ring, it's not unlikely to assume other biggies will follow. Guhhhh. Bad news for Comcast folks—the 250GB caps that were once rumored are now officially official and will start October 1 for residential ... more -
Cinemanow Movie Downloads now available on Apple Macs
In a move that could step up the competitive pressure on Apple, movie download service
CinemaNow has inked a deal that will make its movie and TV show downloads playable on both PCs and Macs. In a move that could step up the competitive pressure on Apple, movie download service ... more -
‘Song of the Year’ winner says downloading is “amazing”
One of the big breakthrough acts of the last year has joined the increasing ranks of artists who don’t mind if people share their music. Duffy, the million-selling 24 year-old vocalist and winner of this year’s MOJO Song of the Year Award has been downloading for a couple of years. “It’s amazing,” she said.
If the media is to be believed, some artists spend most of their time going to big parties in hugely expensive designer clothes, drinking expensive champagne, driving around in prestige cars, smashing up hotel rooms - and the rest of the time complaining about piracy. It’s very difficult for the average Joe in the street to feel sorry for them, such is the lifestyle gap, but it doesn’t have to be that way.
In recent times we’ve written about the positive attitudes towards file-sharing shown by some big names in the music business. The Nine Inch Nails are probably the most outspoken but there are others, including 50 Cent and more recently Joss Stone, who called file-sharing “brilliant”. Others, like ‘Travis’ are happy for their fans to share.
Now, in an interview with Shortlist magazine, the million-selling 2008 MOJO Song of the Year Award winner, Duffy, says that she got into downloading a couple of years ago, calling it “amazing”.
One of twins, 24 year-old Duffy has sold over a million copies of her debut album Rockferry, making it the biggest selling album of the year in the UK, netting 180,000 sales in the first week alone. In America, the album sold 72,000 in its first week, entering the Billboard 200 at Number 4. Her track ‘Mercy’ has been viewed over 17.6 million times on YouTube (although I quite like the just-for-fun remix from ‘The Game’)
But if you don’t have the cash for the album, don’t worry - Duffy is pretty forward thinking when it comes to ‘legal’ versus ‘illegal’ downloads: “Somebody asked me the other day what I thought of illegal downloading, and I thought, ‘You know what? I don’t care,’ because I think the majority are kids and as they get old and get more income they’ll probably buy records. It’s just making music a part of everyone’s lives.”
Duffy notes that access to music is all-important but due to where she lived in her childhood, she had no easy access herself, having to take a two-hour bus trip to get to a good record store.
She’s pragmatic when looking at the big picture: “Well, I mean, it can go two ways – there are pros and cons to everything. Some people think it creates illegal access, but I think the big wheel is round, y’know?” I think it’s got more positives because it basically gives people access, what’s the harm in that?”
“It’s just making music a part of everyone’s lives” One of the big breakthrough acts of the last year has joined the increasing ranks of artists who don’t mind if people share their musi... more -
UK government wants to cut illegal filesharing 80% by 2011
"The government has set a secret target to reduce illegal filesharing of music and films by up to 80% over the next three years, MediaGuardian.co.uk can reveal. The goal was outlined in a letter by Baroness Vadera, the business minister, relating to the agreement the government struck with internet service providers and the film and music industries to curb illegal filesharing.
The leaked letter, dated July 22, was sent to all the proposed signatories of the memorandum of understanding which proposes to "significantly reduce" illegal filesharing in the next two to three years.
"Although this letter has no effect on the agreement, which stands in its own terms, this may help to ensure all signatories have the same expectations," Vadera wrote. "I would regard a reduction as 'significant' if it had reduced the number of people filesharing unlawfully in the UK by well over 50%, and we hope in the region of 70%-80% from a baseline to be agreed, with work to start immediately, rather than waiting for legislation."
But Vadera's target did not form part of the memorandum of understanding, released yesterday and other parties to the agreement have not signed up to it. Industry estimates put the number of illegal filesharers in the UK at between 6 and 7 million people.
"Success will significantly depend on the effectiveness of the letter writing, awareness raising and other measures," Vadera adds.
Part of the memorandum requires the UK's six biggest ISPs - BSkyB, Tiscali, BT, Orange, Virgin Media and Carphone Warehouse - to send out 1,000 letters a week to subscribers identified as having engaged in illegal uploading or downloading of music. Following the three-month trial, media regulator Ofcom will agree an "escalation" in the number of letters and broaden the campaign to target other content being illegally shared, such as films. Ofcom will look to use other measures to deal with repeat offenders, including slowing internet speeds or blocking content. Rights holders will consider prosecuting "particularly serious infringers".
Some analysts are sceptical that the government's goal can be achieved without heavy measures being introduced.
"I think trimming off a million filesharers from the total number in the UK would be a great measure of success for this letter campaign, but even that would be an unprecedented success in tackling global file sharing," said Mark Mulligan, a vice-president at analysts Jupiter Research. "In the US, where the Recording Industry Association of America has been very aggressive, the result has predominately been one of containment."
The BPI, the body that represents record labels, is keen on a three-step procedure to tackle illegal filesharers. First, an "educational" letter would be sent to customers explaining the account abuse. If a customer was identified a second time, their account would be suspended until an undertaking promising no more illegal use was signed. A third breach would result in cancellation of their internet account. "The government has set a secret target to reduce illegal filesharing of music and films by up to 80% over the next three years, ... more -
The Big Six UK Internet Providers And The Music Industry To Tackle Online Piracy
BT, Virgin, Orange, Tiscali, BSkyB and Carphone Warehouse have all signed up to a deal with the music industry to tackle the widespread issue of online piracy in the UK.
The deal, negotiated by the government, will see hundreds of thousands of letters sent to net users suspected of illegally sharing music.
Geoff Taylor, chief executive of the BPI, which represents the music industry, said: "All of the major ISPs in the UK now recognise they have a responsibility to deal with illegal file-sharers on their networks."
Mr Taylor said it had taken years to persuade ISPs to adopt this view. BT, Virgin, Orange, Tiscali, BSkyB and Carphone Warehouse have all signed up to a deal with the music industry to tackle the widesprea... more -
Illegal downloaders to get warning letter in government clampdown
Internet service providers have struck a deal with government and the music industry to help clamp down on illegal downloading.
The deal, to be announced later today, is thought to include an agreement for ISPs to send out hundreds of thousands of letters to account holders responsible for illegal downloading. Internet service providers have struck a deal with government and the music industry to help clamp down on illegal downloading. ... more -
Musical pirates to be warned by post
According to reports, the six largest ISPs in the UK have signed a deal that will see them sending 'informative' warning letters to 'hundreds of thousands of customers whose accounts are being used to download or share pirated songs."
That means pocket money across the country will no doubt be put on hold when Mummy and Daddy find out what their little soldier has really been downloading; copyrighted games, illegal music and maybe even a splattering of 'adult entertainment'.
Virgin Media tried something similar a few weeks ago but claimed it was all a bit of a misunderstanding, but now it seems they're deadly serious since being joined by BT, BSkyB, Orange, Tiscali and Carphone Warehouse in the anti-piracy campaign.
The British Phonographic Industry (BPI) is expected to claim the deal is a victory its war on filesharing, which has dented CD sales and severely damaged the music industry. According to reports, the six largest ISPs in the UK have signed a deal that will see them sending 'informative' warning let... more -
Sexy 'Desktop Keeley' sets download record
The Sun Online racked up a record 10,000 downloads in just three days for its Page 3 desktop application, Desktop Keeley, which is based on the newspaper's popular Page 3 model Keeley Hazell. And it's Free!!! The Sun Online racked up a record 10,000 downloads in just three days for its Page 3 desktop application, Desktop Keeley, which is bas... more
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94% of Americans believe Movie Downloads are good for the environment
A new survey conducted by CinemaNow, the digital entertainment innovator in delivering high-quality Hollywood movies and TV shows across multiple platforms, points to what industry experts have been saying for years: downloading movies is far more convenient and eco-friendly than taking a drive out to the local video store. A new survey conducted by CinemaNow, the digital entertainment innovator in delivering high-quality Hollywood movies and TV shows acro... more
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Napster: worth more dead than alive? Ask JDS
Maybe it was a sign that the dude who turned me onto Napster back in its heyday was the laziest guy in the office. But it wasn't long before his suggestion went viral in the building, and Napster launched the P2P era. Since then, it's been sued, overtaken and batted around by the likes of Lars Ulrich.
Its stock? How does a 95 percent nosedive in the last six years grab you?
So whither Napster, now that it has become the laughingstock of downloading? According to Bloomberg, it's become a possible takeover target for hedge funds in search of failing businesses whose cash on hand exceeds the value of their shares. Currently, Napster has stashed nearly $70 million in cash and investments, while its stock valuation limps along at around $50 million. One possible buyer would be JDS Capital Management, according to one of Bloomberg's sources, since the elusive hedge fund also currently owns eMusic and Dreamworks' publishing arm.
"At today's valuation, Napster has the dubious distinction of being worth more dead than alive,'' dissident shareholders complained in a proxy statement in June.
Which leaves the question: Can anyone raise Napster from the dead? Here's a better question: Why would they want to? The future belongs to torrents. Napster's P2P ship might have sailed long before Metallica burned its sails. Everything that remains can't help but seem like sound and cash, signifying nothing. Maybe it was a sign that the dude who turned me onto Napster back in its heyday was the laziest guy in the office. But it wasn't ... more -
Average teenager's iPod has 800 illegal music tracks
I'm sure I speak for everyone when I say I'm not in the least bit surprised by this research. The study goes on to say that, based on the average number of songs per music player, around 48 per cent of the music is illegally downloaded.
How does the music industry counter this? Already, we've seen Trent Reznor take the initiative by giving away not only his music, but sometimes the source files for those tune, too. He's still making money. Radiohead, Coldplay and others have also tentatively stepped into the "freebie" world this year, but is it enough? I'm sure I speak for everyone when I say I'm not in the least bit surprised by this research. The study goes on to say that,... more -
EMI signs with ad-supported download sites QTrax, Spiralfrog
More than five months after its faulty launch, legal peer-to-peer download site QTrax is finally making strides toward getting up and running after inking a deal with EMI Music. More than five months after its faulty launch, legal peer-to-peer download site QTrax is finally making strides toward getting up and ... more
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ZOMG | Caps&Jones Backyard BBQ Mix 2008
Youn YounYoungCaps and Pee Pe PeteJones with an amazing and delightful new mix- some of the best tracks from the very best bbqz of yore.
rush - spirit of radio
the fixx - one thing leads to another
cyndi lauper - she-bop
flock of seagulls - space age love song
head east - never been any reason
thin lizzy - jailbreak
kansas - carry on my wayward son
black sabbath - behind the wall of sleep
joe walsh - life’s been good to me so far
blue oyster cult - godzilla
weezer - the world has turned
sonic youth - teenage riot
dinosaur jr - freak scene
blondie - hangin on the telephone
the clash - remote control
tom petty - yer so bad
the cyrkle - red rubber ball
joe walsh - in the city Youn YounYoungCaps and Pee Pe PeteJones with an amazing and delightful new mix- some of the best tracks from the very best bbqz of yor... more -
Internet downloads to get UK age limits
Downloaded video content and video games are set to become regulated by age ratings, overseen by the BBFC.
According to the BBC, the British Board of Film Classification will 'govern' the scheme, which will see age restriction certificates being brought in on websites, set-top boxes as well as portable players.
"Disney, Warners and Fox have signed up to the scheme with other "key industry figures... poised to join the scheme".
Got to be a good thing in my opinion, although I'm sure if kids want something they'll find a way of getting it. Downloaded video content and video games are set to become regulated by age ratings, overseen by the BBFC. ... more -
Nine Inch Nails for free. Again. // Comment Picked for TV
Thanks to Lilacs07 for sharing her insight on NIN putting out their latest album, The Slip, for free.
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Apple to take on movie DVDs
Apple, maker of the iPod media player, said yesterday that it would start selling movies through its iTunes online store the same day they are released on DVD.
New releases from studios, including Paramount Pictures and Warner Bros., will cost $14.99, Apple said in a statement. Previously, customers had to wait several weeks after the DVDs debuted. The service will start with such movies as "American Gangster" and "Juno" this week.
Chief executive Steve Jobs is counting on movies to increase sales of iPods, Macintosh computers and Apple TV devices, which let users watch downloaded films on their widescreen televisions. In January, Jobs said customers had bought 7 million movies, which was below his expectations. Apple began selling movies and television shows on iTunes in October 2005. Apple, maker of the iPod media player, said yesterday that it would start selling movies through its iTunes online store the same day ... more
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