Author: Trichordist Editor

Trichordist Editor

London Police Attempt to cut off illegal websites’ advertising revenue | BBC

What we find so interesting about this is that the digital music services that report to be friends of musicians are not taking a strong public position against Ad funded Piracy and supporting these measures.

Spotify, Pandora and the like are affected by the downward economic pressure created by Ad Funded Piracy that diminishes both the amount consumers are willing to spend on subscription fees and the amount that can be charged for legitimate advertising on legitimate services.

Why aren’t Spotify and Pandora more publicly engaged in the fight against Ad Funded Piracy as it certainly is a large contributing factor as to why these businesses remain unprofitable.

Websites offering illegal copyrighted material could see their advertising revenue cut under a new initiative.

Police have created an online database of websites “verified” as being illegal.

It is hoped that firms that handle advertising will use the resource to make sure they do not serve advertising on those sites, cutting off revenue.

Top piracy sites generate millions of pounds thanks to advertising.

One estimate, from the Digital Citizens Alliance – a group backed by rights holders – suggested that piracy websites worldwide generated $227m (£137m) from advertising revenue each year.

Even smaller sites commanded revenues into the hundreds of thousands, the group said.

READ THE FULL STORY AT THE BBC:
http://www.bbc.com/news/technology-26788800

by Trichordist Editor

Nobody should be surprised that Spotify is already planning its IPO| Musically

Watch stories about Spotify planning a stock market flotation this Autumn spread across the web in the coming hours, triggered by a report on tech/business site Quartz.

“The popular music-streaming company has participated in informal chats with some of the investment banks likely to fight for a role in a potential IPO, sources familiar with the process said,” claims the article.

“The six-year-old service may start holding formal meetings as early as next month in anticipation of an offering in autumn. (Though the timeline for a possible IPO could change for a number of reasons, including unfavorable market conditions.)”

READ THE FULL POST AT MUSICALLY:
http://musically.com/2014/03/27/spotify-ipo-planning/

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by Trichordist Editor

ISPs Can Be Forced To Block Piracy Sites, EU Court Rules | Forbes

In an endorsement of the UK’s anti-piracy policy, the European Court of Justice has ruled that EU states do have the right to order ISPs to block copyright-infringing websites.

The decision, which confirms an opinion late last year, follows a dispute between two movie companies – Germany’s Constantin Film Verleih and Austria’s Wega-Filmproduktionsgesellschaft – and internet provider UPC Telekabel Wien.

READ THE FULL POST AT FORBES:
http://www.forbes.com/sites/emmawoollacott/2014/03/27/isps-can-be-forced-to-block-piracy-sites-eu-court-rules/

by Trichordist Editor

Wu-Tang Clan to release one copy of new album, sell it for millions | EW

The shape of things to come? This is one solution… Absolutely genius.

As the product’s official website indicates, the legendary rap team’s stealthy new record is called The Wu – Once Upon a Time in Shaolin. There’ll only be one copy of the album… like, ever. It’ll be grandly “presented in a hand carved nickel-silver box designed by the British Moroccan artist Yahya,” and yes, it looks as fancy as it sounds. Before that one copy is sold, though, civilians can listen to the album when it embarks on an ambitious tour of museums, galleries, festivals, and other such happenings around the world. Then after that, the item will go up for sale, with an expected price range somewhere in the multi-millions.

READ THE FULL STORY AT ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY:
http://music-mix.ew.com/2014/03/27/wu-tang-clan-shaolin-single-album/

by Trichordist Editor

Jury: MP3tunes founder must pay $41 million for copyright violations| Ars Technica

Michael Robertson, an entrepreneur who has been waging legal feuds against the music industry for more than a decade now, has been ordered to pay $41 million to a record label that sued him.

The record label EMI sued MP3tunes back in 2007, and the case finally went to a jury last week in New York federal court. The jury found MP3tunes, and Robertson personally, liable for copyright violations.

A separate damages trial ended yesterday, with the jury issuing a verdict of around $41 million. That’s an estimate, because the decision was a “complex, lengthy” verdict that will take the lawyers until next week to calculate precisely, according to a Reuters report on the outcome of the trial.

READ THE FULL STORY AT ARS TECHNICA:
http://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2014/03/jury-mp3tunes-founder-must-pay-41-million-for-copyright-violations/

by Trichordist Editor

Copyright “safe harbors” shrink in wake of MP3Tunes, other red flag rulings | GIGAOM

In case you missed it, a jury this week found that Michael Robertson, CEO of defunct music service MP3Tunes, was liable for copyright infringement. The jury concluded that Robertson, whose websites permitted users to upload songs and store them in “lockers,” had turned a blind eye to piracy — meaning that they forfeited the so-called “safe harbor” protections under copyright law that normally ensure that a website is not liable for the misdeeds of its users.

The significance of the case has little to do with MP3Tunes, which has long been closed, but instead stands as a strategic victory for copyright owners. That’s because the jury found Robertson liable on the basis of so-called “red flag” knowledge rather than “actual” knowledge. The distinction may sound arcane, but it’s one the studios have fought hard to establish as part of their strategy to change the level of proof needed to prove piracy.

READ THE FULL STORY AT GIGAOM:
http://gigaom.com/2014/03/21/copyright-safe-harbors-shrink-in-wake-of-mp3tunes-other-red-flag-rulings/

by Trichordist Editor

Why The Music Business Continues To Stumble Toward Its Demise | Cognoscenti

Food for thought, for today’s new artists.

Modern capitalism’s shell game means bands aren’t getting the support they need; corporations have found a way to get it instead.

Marx believed capitalism would ultimately fail when the shift to mechanism displaced so many workers there would be no one left with enough money to buy the goods produced. In other words, no buyers, no market, ballgame over. His timing was off. The Industrial Revolution didn’t bring his theory of collapse to fruition, but Internet piracy did, and it’s why the music business as we’ve known it continues to stumble toward its demise.

READ THE FULL POST HERE:
http://cognoscenti.wbur.org/2014/03/21/download-nation-south-by-southwest-john-winters

by Trichordist Editor