b.cognosco

Robert Plant Apparently Did License Cadillac

terrywfrazier@gmail.com — Sat, 03 Nov 2007 15:37:39 GMT

This is old news by now and my source is not impeccable, but I asked the question a few days ago, "Who sold the rights for commercial use of Led Zeppelin's music to Cadillac?"

Apparently, Robert Plant and Led Zeppelin did. Scroll down this Led Zep tribute site and you'll see news photos of Plant at Cadillac's 100th Anniversary celebration.

I'm shocked. Shocked, I say.

Guess all that money from the '70s ran out. But it says something interesting that they still control their music, unlike the Beatles and lots of other musicians. Good for them.

"If there's a bustle in your hedgerow ...

terrywfrazier@gmail.com — Mon, 29 Oct 2007 15:19:26 GMT

Don't be alarmed now.
It's just a spring clean for the May Queen."

Just what the hell does that mean? I've wondered for more than 30 years.

But my real questions is, if Zep really still owns the rights to their music who sold Cadillac the rights to use it in their commercials?

From Rock Gods to Ringtones

Posted by Alan Wexelblat

As you've no doubt seen by now, the remaining members of Led Zeppelin have finally agreed to release their complete collection on iTunes, along with a special purchase item that bundles all 141 tunes. Verizon Wireless will also be offering Zep ringtones.

The band has famously refused most prior commercial uses of their music, with one amusing exception: Jack Black begged them for the rights to use "Immigrant Song".

Brian May - Watch Out!

terrywfrazier@gmail.com — Wed, 26 Apr 2006 15:38:46 GMT

From Seth Dillingham comes this link to a cool video of some kid wailing his electric guitar on Pachelbel's Canon. Pretty cool. The kid can definitely play, assuming this is genuine. And it looks genuine.

Canon on Guitar

This kid really knows how to play the guitar.

I watched for signs of a fake. There are a couple of moments that seem off, but it could be the result of junky camera, or digitization, or something else.

He certainly seems to have all the right motions in both hands. I have some extremely musical friends around here... what do you think? Speak up!

(Thanks for the link, Dad!)

Recording via Odeo Studio

terrywfrazier@gmail.com — Fri, 09 Dec 2005 01:07:24 GMT

ATL podcast maven Hilary at podcrawl has recorded a test cast using Odeo Studio. Its just a blah-blah podcast, but the sound quality is excellent. Compared to the horrible, crappy sound I got trying to record Skype conversations, telephone conversations, etc. this sounds fantastic. Its not what you can get with $500 worth of equipment and a little home studio, but its damn good. The podcast did not come through with her RSS feed I had to go to the Odeo site to hear it. But maybe thats just a configuration glitch. Im going to try this out. If its as easy, and good, as it sounds you could be recording all kinds of quick, easy instructional or inspirational audio with almost no effort.

Recording from Odeo Studio

Create I did, from Odeo Studio tonight. Just a quick shoutout to my peeps. If you are subscribed, you should have gotten it through the feed. If not, you can go here to listen.

This was so simple. It really does allow the average person to podcast without much in the way of equipment or knowledge of the traditional recording process. Back in June, Ross Mayfield said "Podcast is the new voicemail". Being able to create audio in such a short amount of time was blissful in comparison to the time I put into preparation, recording, editing and posting my first podcast, not to mention the software/hardware purchase, setup and configuration. Tonight I went to Odeo Studio, pressed record, talked a bit, then hit save. This opens podcasting to the masses.

I will never forget the birthday song my brother left on my answering machine several years ago. He called me on my birthday and since I wasn't home, he picked up his guitar and sang to me through my answering machine. Sadly, the song is long gone because it was on a crappy, little tape. Next year, I'll send him to Odeo so I will be able to save my birthday song mp3.

Once again, I am impressed with Odeo. Great job guys!

Recording Levels in iTunes

terrywfrazier@gmail.com — Tue, 29 Nov 2005 22:44:07 GMT

When iPods began popping up with friends a couple of years ago, populated with iTunes from ITMS, something about them bothered me - the overall volume level was noticeably lower (everything else being equal) than on tunes recorded with other software. I didn't think much about it because I wasn't using iTunes or ITMS myself.

But recently I began using iTunes in place of my disparate collection of MP3 software. It's faster, easier, one-stop-shop approach is compelling. But it still records with an overall rec level that's lower than I prefer. At least, that's what I think is happening. The lower the rec level the greater amp power needed to reach a given volume level, so you can certainly substitute one for the other. But on little hand-held devices there isn't a lot of amp headroom to play with so I like to rip tunes at the highest level available without clipping.

Any other semi-deaf partially deaf '70s metal heads notice this phenomenon or is it a personal hallucination?

RIAA President Cary Sherman on Sony/BMG DRM-Spyware

terrywfrazier@gmail.com — Thu, 24 Nov 2005 22:43:03 GMT

RIAA President Cary Sherman during an online chat with college newspaper reporters:

There is nothing unusual about technology being used to protect intellectual property. You can't simply make an extra copy of a Microsoft operating system, or virtually any other commercially-released software program for that matter. Same with videogames. Movies, too, are protected. Why should CDs be any different?

The problem with the SonyBMG situation is that the technology they used contained a security vulnerability of which they were unaware. They have apologized for their mistake, ceased manufacture of CDs with that technology,and pulled CDs with that technology from store shelves. Seems very responsible to me. How many times that software applications created the same problem? Lots. I wonder whether they've taken as aggressive steps as SonyBMG has when those vulnerabilities were discovered, or did they just post a patch on the Internet?

One other thing to point out: The music industry has been more permissive about copying of its copyrighted product than virtually any other industry. How many burns are you allowed of a movie? None. How many of a videogame? None. You get the idea. Even the CDs with content protection allow consumers to burn 3 copies or so for personal use. The idea is not to inhibit personal use, but to allow personal use but discourage (not prevent, you can never prevent) copying well beyond personal use.

Mr. Sherman, Microsoft doesn't give Windows away over the air, for free, to anyone who cares to listen. Microsoft doesn't infect customers' computers with software expressly designed to be invisible, undetectable, and non-removeable. Microsoft doesn't (yet) rampantly ignore the intellectual property rights of its customers in the drive to protect its own.

That's what spyware companies do, and SonyBMG infected millions of computers with DRM-spyware. That you are either too stupid to grasp this, or too disengenuous to admit it, confirms again that you and your industry simply cannot be trusted to define personal use, or set the rules for any sort of intellectual property law in this country.

Repeat after me: DRM-spyware. DRM-spyware. DRM-spyware. DRM-spyware. DRM-spyware. DRM-spyware...

Laughter at Sony/BMG's Expense

terrywfrazier@gmail.com — Wed, 23 Nov 2005 22:55:02 GMT

A couple of funny links to laugh at over dinner re: the Sony/BMG mess:

Is Sony/BMG the World's Most Evil Corporation?

terrywfrazier@gmail.com — Wed, 23 Nov 2005 18:30:33 GMT

First Sony/BMG execs get hammered for bribing and threatening radio station personnel [from a WSJ article on NYAG Spitzer's payola settlement with Warner Music]:

Mr. Spitzer's office presented fewer dramatic illustrations of questionable radio-promotion practices than it did in a $10 million settlement in July with Sony BMG Music Entertainment, a joint venture of Sony Corp. and Bertelsmann AG. In that case, the attorney general's office published dozens of emails and memos, some of which showed that Sony BMG executives had actively bribed and even threatened radio-station personnel in looking for airplay. Sony BMG's market share is roughly double Warner Music's.

Maybe to distract people from the radio fiasco, Sony/BMG execs decide to infect millions of personal computers with a DRM/spyware package. This strategy creates a successful media blitz that completely shifts attention away from the payola scandal by a) having Dept. of Homeland Security Assistant Secretary for Policy Stewart Baker call out the entire music industry:

It's very important to remember that it's your intellectual property -- it's not your computer. And in the pursuit of protection of intellectual property, it's important not to defeat or undermine the security measures that people need to adopt in these days.

b) Getting sued by the Texas Attorney General:

SONY has engaged in a technological version of cloak and dagger deceit against consumers by hiding secret files on their computers, said Attorney General Abbott. Consumers who purchased a SONY CD thought they were buying music. Instead, they received spyware that can damage a computer, subject it to viruses and expose the consumer to possible identity crime.

c) Becoming the subject of a class action lawsuit headed by EFF:

By including a flawed and overreaching computer program in over 20 million music CDs sold to the public, Sony BMG has created serious security, privacy and consumer protection problems that have damaged music lovers everywhere.

Arthur Andersen skimmed millions of dollars from businesses through shady practices. Enron bilked tens of thousands of shareholders through outright fraud. But Sony/BMG actually attacked millions of consumers. Is this not the stupidest company of all time?