Do you like your Sirius or XM radio? Do you like streaming MP3s? You may not have 'em much longer.

[feren]

It turns out that little ray of sunshine from California, Sen. Feinstein, is trying to ban MP3 streaming and fuck up your satellite radio (XM, Sirius) and MP3 streaming experience. I'm so glad to see that we're back to this again when we have bigger issues to tackle. But hey, she's sold her soul so now she has to deliver, right?

Wrong.

Go to the EFF page and tell your respective Senate-critter that we don't need laws shackling our use of music. Hey, look at it this way... if the PERFORM Act passes today we can expect our TiVo, VCR and cable/satellite DVR systems to be banned by similar laws tomorrow. Won't that be fun?

You'd think these assclowns would have gotten the message after Betamax was handed down in 1984, but they're tenacious little fuckers and show no signs of stopping.

[via jwz's entry to the DNA Lounge weblog]
I put my money down

Comments

[daf666.livejournal.com]

So my vote counts more now, right? ;)

[almanzo.livejournal.com]

Bleh. Feinstein.

[donaldson.livejournal.com]

This is just continuing the trend of "Old People are Afraid of New Technology" that has been going on since the invention of fire.

[captain18.livejournal.com]

I respectfully disagree. I think it's more a case of "Old People Who Don't Use A Technology Are Easily Swayed By Industry Lobbyists."

In a small way one has to admire the RIAA and Friends. Having largely failed in the court of public opinion and nearing the limits of the judiciary system, they are focusing now on codifying their existence into law. Which would also look a lot like "Old People Afraid Of New Technology" except that too is still a case of "How Dare You Threaten My License To Print Money" which leads directly to the above.

[wolfbrotherjoe.livejournal.com]

Well, let's not forget that Home Taping is Killing Music. I don't see what the problem is, because music died back in the 80's, so obvious there can't be any problem with music today - it's not around anymore.

[feren.livejournal.com]

I don't necessarily agree that music "died" in the 80s (while possibly trite and cliche it never died, as Neil Young, CSNY and others can attest), but I do believe the industry of "Big Labels" is desperately clinging to an outmoded model that is trying as hard as it can to ensure via legislation versus business model that they can continue to simultaneously fuck the consumer as well as the artist. Guess what? Neither action is right.

Evolve or die, you motherfucking dinosaurs.

[wolfbrotherjoe.livejournal.com]

I'm ... sorry. I must have completely failed to properly aim my snark.

I was not snarking at music, I was snarking at the music industry, which has been crying for the past 20 years or more that copying 'kills music!' This is the exact same thing which has been 'heralding the death' of the music industry for decades, and all that happens is that music sales keep going up, with momentary dips.

Except back then, it was mix tapes that were killing music. Today, it's MP3s.

Addendum.

[feren.livejournal.com]

* Err, that is trite and cliche as it reflects during upon that period. Obviously "music" functioning under some definition of "music" has in a very real sense persisted: bands are still playing, radio stations continue to flourish, etc.

Although that is not to say that hte 1990s and the 2000's have not been ful of their own "dated" music styles.