shiny dot bulletin

via Mashable:

MeeMix, internet radio site somewhat similar to Pandora, lets you quickly find new music you like. It goes one step further than Pandora, though, and lets you create custom stations which can be shared with other users within the MeeMix network. Also, unlike Pandora, it currently works outside of the US, which might turn out to be a killer feature as many Pandora fans have been left high and dry because of licensing issues.

MeeMix will also start giving artists a chance to customize their personal MeeMix page. They will be able upload their music to the site themselves, create their own profile as well as widgets (which will work on social networking sites Most-Networked-Executives such as MySpace) with various stats on their music. In turn, they get notified of new fans and comments, as well as new stations based on their music; they also get statistics about their fanbase.

Technorati Tags: mashable, meemix, music widgets, pandora, sharable playlists

Via Springwise:

When revellers at the UK’s Glastonbury Festival 2008 later this week need to recharge their mobile phones, they’ll have a free and green way to do that thanks to a charging station being set up at the festival by Orange.

Measuring more than 7 meters tall, the free-standing recharge pod is a self-sufficient unit that taps into a wind generator and solar panels to charge as many as 100 mobile phones per hour. It’s actually the next iteration of a portable wind charger Orange tested out at last year’s festival through a partnership with Gotwind, and will serve as a trial for using renewable energy sources on a larger scale at future festivals. Orange expects the recharge pod will charge thousands of mobile phones over the course of the three-day festival, furnishing power equivalent to what would be needed to power a DJ booth for Groove Armada for 88 hours. The recharge pod will be stationed within the Pennard Hill camping grounds at Glastonbury throughout the weekend of June 27–29, when the event takes place.

Free love is hard to beat, especially if it happens to be *green* free love at a summer music festival. One to emulate as often as possible! (Related: Jeans brand offers hot showers and clean undies.)

Technorati Tags: Glastonbury Festival, gotwind, green power

The Beatles Reportedly Heading to “Guitar Hero” or “Rock Band”
6/23/08, 9:15 am EST

Following the success of two weeks of the Beatles’ music on American Idol, the Fab Four’s catalog may be branching out again: Reps for the band are reportedly talking to both Activision and MTV Games about possibly releasing a Guitar Hero or Rock Band based around Beatles’ tunes. According to a source close to the negotiations, the final deal could be worth millions, but first must get the approval of both Apple Corps. and EMI. Apple Corps’ tight grip on the Beatles catalog has loosened since Jeff Jones became the company’s chief executive, as evidenced by the band’s music appearing in American Idol, Cirque du Soleil Love show and the film Across the Universe. “To my view, it’s only a matter of time before we see Beatles songs that are the original recordings in motion pictures, in television work, and yes, maybe even one day in a commercial,” said Sony/ATV chief executive Martin Bandier, who holds more than 200 Beatles copyrights. Whichever video game company wins the battle to release a Beatles-themed game, a source says a deal “could be reached in a matter of weeks.”

Source: RollingStone

Technorati Tags: activision, apple corps, beatles, emi, mtv games, rock band, rock star

Everything I love at the ceeb goes away in the end… JPod, This is Wonderland … and the latest casualty, Radio One’s Search Engine.

Funny how the show gets canceled shortly after Jesse Brown’s enlightening interview with Jim Prentice,

Join the Save Search Engine Facebook group here.

Technorati Tags: Bill C-61, cbc, jesse brown, jim prentice, save search engine, search engine

Je t’aime!

Technorati Tags: electro pop, french pop, Naive New Beaters

Send A Letter To Harper, Prentice & Verner And Stop The Canadian DMCA Bill C-61

DO IT NOW!!

image from Appropriation Art

According to Reuters:

Canada to present new copyright bill on Thursday
Wed Jun 11, 2008 4:48pm EDT

OTTAWA (Reuters) - The Canadian government said on Wednesday it will introduce a bill in Parliament on Thursday to overhaul the country’s copyright law.

Industry Minister Jim Prentice will comment on the proposed reforms at 10:45 a.m. (1445 GMT) on Thursday.

Experts have speculated that the Conservative government will bow to U.S. pressure to crack down on copying of digital material with what they call draconian restrictions written into the law.

Be afraid. From Cory @ BoingBoing:

Industry Canada Minister Jim Prentice is about to introduce his Canadian version of America’s disastrous Digital Millennium Copyright Act tomorrow. In so doing, he is violating his own party’s promise to seek public consultation on all treaty accession bills, he’s ignoring the cries of rightsholders, industry, educators, artists, librarians, citizens’ rights groups, legal scholars and pretty much everyone with a stake in this, except the US Trade Representative and the US Ambassador, who, apparently, have had ample opportunity to chat with the Minister and give him his marching orders.

Get ready to fight.

If you’re wanting a refesher course on the issues and various players - check out the comic “51st State” from Appropriation Art.

Technorati Tags: boingboing, canadian copyright, candian copyright bill, cdmca, cory doctorow, Digital Millennium Copyright Act, harper government, jim prentice

Metallica Album Preview Cover-up?
By blindedbythehype
Fri, 06 Jun 2008 15:38:28 GMT

Yesterday UK bloggers The Quietus posted a preview of the new Metallica album after hearing it at an invite-only session in London. Their coverage — which you can still find here — is a relatively fair piece that discusses the hardship of being a Metallica fan some twenty years after their epic, “…And Justice for All.”

The Quietus contributor “Bob Mulhouse” is circumspect about the album’s prospects, saying, “This album could be good, or it could be mediocre – too much depends on the other four songs to make a call at this point.” Nothing out of the ordinary for a record review after a one-time listen.

It came as something of a surprise then to find that the internet had been expunged of any coverage of the event. We emailed The Quietus editor Luke Turner about what happened. He gave this response:

Read it over at: Blinded By The Hype

Technorati Tags: blinded by the hype, Bob Mulhouse, metallica, the quietus

I guess the Violent Femmes are positioning themselves for a comeback. They’ve just posted their musical response to Gnarls Barkley’s awesome cover of Gone Daddy Gone - a cover of Crazy. Just read about it via Stereogum.

So, go listen to 54 seconds of their version over at
http://www.myspace.com/violentandcrazy.

Yes, you read that right, 54 whole seconds are available right now for you to enjoy and share with all of your friends. ‘Cause really, who doesn’t fall all over the keyboard to share incomplete music with their friends… and hopefully in the end that’s enough to spark pre-orders for the limited edition vinyl coming on June 24th…

Excuse the sarcasm, but geez guys what an asshole strategy, do you hate your fans? Not only that - it’s a cover! You’re offering a snippet of a cover!

In the age of consumer backlash against DRM (offering snippets is definitely a lo-tech version of DRM), offering snippets is bad strategy in my books - I don’t care if you’re the Violent Femmes or Prince or aunt Zelda on the sitar… don’t do it.

As for pre-selling limited edition vinyl… some free advice: sales are not your problem right now, it’s awareness… give the track for free now. It’ll be on every mp3 blog within a week and the sales will come.

Don’t piss off your fans, especially fresh out of the gate like this, it never works.

Technorati Tags: crazy, gnarls barkley, gone daddy gone, sterogum, violent femmes

If I pretend the term “viral marketing” is not present in this press release, I might be persuaded to believe this is a step in the right direction. Kudos to EMI. Finally…

EMI MUSIC PUBLISHING CANADA
ORGANIZATIONAL ANNOUNCEMENT

Kat Lourenco
Social Media Manager

Toronto, ON (Tuesday, June 3, 2008) EMI Music Publishing Canada is pleased to announce that Kat Lourenco has joined their team in the position of Social Media Manager.

Kat will utilize Web 2.0 tools such as social networks and viral marketing to help EMI’s new and developing artists effectively build their own real and virtual communities. Her related responsibilities include managing their extensive library of audio and video digital media.

Prior to EMI, Kat was simultaneously juggling responsibilities as an Online Marketing Rep at Universal Music Canada, a Marketing Intern at Wind-up Records Canada, and a part time sales person at HMV. She is a graduate of the Communication Studies program at Wilfrid Laurier University in Waterloo, as well as the Recording Arts Management program at Harris Institute for the Arts, Toronto.

“Our business is all about discovering Canadian talent and helping to bring it to the world market. These are exciting, changing times in the music business, and hiring Kat as our very first Social Media Manager shows how we are evolving our all-consuming efforts to help our songwriters and artists achieve their goals. With Kat?s feel for the digital world, as well as her passion for music,
we are confident she will play a key role in our future success.”

Michael McCarty, President EMI Music Publishing Canada.

Technorati Tags: canadian music business, emi publishing canada, Kat Lourenco, social media, social media in canada, social networking