Music: P2P Sharing: Furore over stars who defy repressive copyright and sharing laws

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Huff Post Entertainment (December11,2k11)
— Reposted here by Musikos
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'Megaupload' music video: 

Kanye West, Kim Kardashian, Will.i.am Star (VIDEO)

Posted: 12/10/11 02:19 PM ET

If you feel a tinge of guilt every time you illegally download one of your favorite artist's songs from a torrent site, you can now breathe a little easier. As it turns out, some of today's biggest stars are big fans of file sharing technology themselves.

In what is the most curious cause célèbre in the benefit single field of late, major artists such as Kanye West, Diddy, Alicia Keys, Snoop Dogg and even Kim Kardashian have joined their voices together for a song in support of Megaupload, the file sharing service that moves content in massive blocks across the web.

What's particularly interesting about the song is that those singing on the track are doing so despite the fact that the major label record industry reviles Megaupload for the ease with which its music can be pirated by those using the web service. In fact, UMG, which owns labels to which Diddy, Will.i.am and Kanye are all signed, moved to have the video removed from YouTube, with a back and forth on copyright issues ensuing, TorrentFreak reports.

While the video doesn't explicitly have the artists giving the thumbs up to piracy -- "When I got to send files across the globe, I use Megaupload," Will.i.am says in the song -- there should be little doubt that they're aware of the struggle between their labels and the web service.

For much more on the issue, click over to TorrentFreak; check out the video below.

Block This from TorrentFreak on Vimeo.

Music: Worship and praise: Oslo Gospel Choir

-- Musikos, nephew of Musaeus

Music: Internet: Now you can download pay-for songs on iTunes from EMI--without DRM copy blockade

Associated Press via CNN carries the news "EMI-Apple pen deal to sell songs" (Apr3,2k7). The EMI side of the partnership means that you can purchase for a little more per song thru Apple's iTunes improved digital recordings of Rolling Stones, Norah Jones, Coldplay and a whole lot more artists too (but not songs of the Beatles--no loss, to my ears!). And you can do so in about a month's time without those hi-tech blocks called DRMs (Digital R+ts Management technowreckers) that are currently installed in most online music downloads when you make your purchase.

EMI Group is the first and perhaps the only one of the Big Music corporations to break with the DRM technoblocks that prevent an owner from copying a song and perhaps sending it on non-commercially to friends, etc. You know, P2P file-sharing, person-to-person.

The announcement followed calls by Apple Chief Executive Steve Jobs earlier this year for the world's four major record companies, including EMI Group PLC, to start selling songs online without copy-protection software.

Music, by Audiovisiotor

The Big Music holdouts are Sony BMG, Universal, and Warner.

The technology, known as digital rights management, or DRM, is designed to combat piracy by preventing unauthorized copying or sharing, but it also can be a consumer headache. Some music players, for instance, support one type of DRM software but not others.

The DRM used by Apple does not work with competing services or devices, meaning that consumers can only download songs from iTunes to work on their computers or iPod music players.

The lock between the download services and players has drawn criticism from European industry regulators, who argue that it limits buyer choice.

"Doing the right thing for the customer going forward is to tear down the walls that impede interoperability," Jobs told a London news conference.

Yes indeed!. Mr Jobs, but what about the point the Eurocrats are making--interoperability! Got a strategy for achieving that? And surrender your grasp on the digital music market thru your reigning advantage in the brilliant combo of iTunes Music Store and iPod? I doubt it.