Be forewarned, I’m a little pissed off today. So much so, in fact, that my hatred of the Florida Gators is going to have to sit the bench for a bit.

In the past week or so, the music blogging community has been thrown into a state of confusion and fear by a burst of heavy handed enforcement of the Digital  Millenium Copyright Act by Google, Blogger and Wordpress at the behest of the Big 4 Record Companies. This enforcement has manifested itself as the deletion of a number of posts that contain or contained links to MP3s of artists in their stables. In some cases, these links had already been removed by the author or had been posted with the permission of the artists before they signed with one of the big boys. Google and Blogger have sent threatening e-mails about copyrighted material without stating the material to which they were referring.

As a part-time music blogger, I initially found myself slightly confused – a feeling that has begun to make the transition to anger. It’s not clear to me where I stand legally. Is my blog going to be deleted because I posted a Jimmy Buffett song (putting taste aside). I blog about music and post tracks because I want to share my love of music. I want people to have a chance to hear the music that makes my heart race. Many people wouldn’t pick up the music that I blog about, because many people haven’t heard of the band. I like to think that, now and again, I expose people to a new band that they then come to love themselves. I like to think that, now and again, someone hears a band on my site and then goes and buys music from that band or goes to see them live. Yes, sometimes I post music without explicit permission but I always post a”Buy” link and encourage readers to go out and buy the whole album. I’ve been asked by record labels to take tracks down in the past and have always complied immediately and apologized. I may be a pirate in the eyes of Columbia, but I think that I’m a pretty well behaved pirate. The Captain Jack Sparrow of music piracy maybe.

I post music because I love music. I want people to support the artists that I love. I, and other music bloggers, are an excellent source of free advertising for the record industry. I don’t get anything back for this – except an occasional free record in the mail – I don’t get paid to give artists that I love advertising.

Well, the Big 4 should probably know that there is nobody angrier and more vindictive than a jilted lover. I would love to stand up and say “fuck you” to Columbia and the other record companies. I would love to give them directions to the orifice in which they can jam their DMCA. But. This blog is more than just a music blog – it’s a personal journal, it’s a baby book for Boy Z and it’s a way for me to remember this part of my life that at some point, as old age catches up with me, I will no doubt forget. I can not risk Bluehost deleting individual posts or my entire site because I’ve violated some bullshit American copyright law that they’ve decided to enforce, with the collusion of Google, in a draconian manner. My hosting company is in the U.S., thus (despite being 10,000 miles away) I am subject to American law.

So, the record companies win the battle. All of the MP3s featured on this site over the last year or so have been removed, whether or not I had permission to post them. I can’t remember and it’s not worth the risk. I will not post music on this site anymore unless I have explicit permission, in writing, from the artist and their record company.

However, they haven’t won the war. The record industry has been in decline for more than a decade. This is just the latest hail mary to save a dying industry. Like some of their other misguided enforcement efforts, this one attacks their customer base. I buy a lot of music, a good part of it from major record labels. I will not generally buy a record unless I have seen a review from a source that I trust or have heard a track or two from the album. Increasingly, I rely on fellow bloggers with similar tastes to help me make that decision. Here is a partial list, off the top of my head, of artists whom I’ve purchased records from based on other bloggers reviews:

  • Cat Power
  • Mates of State
  • Sigur Ros
  • Joe Henry
  • Frightened Rabbit
  • Moonbabies
  • Kings of Leon
  • Hem
  • Great Lake Swimmers
  • The National
  • Jamie T.
  • Jason Isbel
  • The Hold Steady
  • Portishead

And many more that don’t come immediately to mind. Well, no more. I will not buy any more music unless it comes from small record labels who have a record of being cooperative with and supportive of music bloggers. That’s unfortunate, as I will likely miss subsequent new releases from some of my favorite acts, but I think it’s time for some populism in music. And there are still used record stores.

That being said, I will still post a song every day. Instead of reaching back into my iTunes library, I will feature the music of new artists who are unsigned or with small record companies who recognize the service that bloggers can provide. If you are a label or artist that would like to work with bloggers to promote your music, please do contact me.

Universal, EMI, Sony, Warner – you’ve bitten the hand that feeds you. Go to hell.

————————-

Super XX Man is the latest musical manifestation of Portland based musician Scott Garred. His new record, “Volume XII: There’ll Be Diamonds”, is a joyful, pop-culture laden, lo-fi gem. Buy the latest Super XX Man LP directly from independent, blogger friendly Tender Loving Empire.

 
icon for podpress  Super XX Man - "What Lies Beneath" [3:35m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Popularity: 25% [?]