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August 19, 2008

Muxtape Presses Pause To "Sort Out A Problem With The RIAA" Muxtape launched, then the next day everybody had one, then the next day we made some for each other, and then the next day we all sorta stopped using it and waited for the RIAA to get pissed. Well, here: According to Muxtape's Tumblr, the site is not closed indefinitely, but going to muxtape.com will definitely get you this sad note. As they say, stay tuned.

Posted at 8:19 AM




15 Comments

Mark

Does this really surprise anyone? What surprised me is that muxtape got away with it for this long. I suspect that they'll be bullied into closing permanently.

Posted by: Mark profile link at 08/19/08 8:52 AM | Reply
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k

- or they could sell the idea to CBS for 250 mill.

Posted by: k profile link in reply to Mark's comment at 08/19/08 9:48 AM | Reply
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k

just came across this in a new report: http://8tracks.com/

Posted by: k profile link in reply to Mark's comment at 08/19/08 1:34 PM | Reply
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sarahspy

sigh. did seem a little too good to be true.

Posted by: sarahspy profile link at 08/19/08 9:24 AM | Reply
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Yeah free promotion for bands/artists with links to where you can purchase their songs. Of course the RIAA had to find a problem with it.

Posted by: Rob H. profile link at 08/19/08 9:41 AM | Reply
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all in the mustard and can't ketchup. hey coders - get on it.

Posted by: muxed at 08/19/08 9:46 AM | Reply
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Sad- and I just got one, too. But not unexpected, although I still don't understand why the RIAA had to get involved.

Posted by: bookwibble at 08/19/08 10:12 AM | Reply
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Hmmm, let's see. Muxtape:

1) Allowed any song to be uploaded.
2) Allowed any uploaded song to be played on demand.
3) Didn't pay a cent to recording artists.

Yeah, that seems fair. I can't understand why anyone in the recording industry would be opposed to such a service. Nope. Complete mystery.

Posted by: Jimmy James at 08/19/08 10:35 AM | Reply
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Not the same as downloading them, though.

Posted by: blub in reply to Jimmy James's comment at 08/19/08 10:46 AM | Reply
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.. but with a simple app like, say, Total Recorder - it's not like you couldn't capture the sound[s] being brought forth.

Posted by: Total Recorder in reply to blub's comment at 08/19/08 11:38 AM | Reply
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Huph

...and with any boombox or book shelf stereo I could have recorded any song off the broadcast airwaves of radio (those fine, upstanding, honest payers of royalties, right?! *Right.*) throughout the 70s, 80s, and 90s.

Oh wait, didn't the RIAA claim *that* was going to end the industry? So the industry is already gone then, right? What's the hubbub?

Posted by: Huph profile link in reply to Total Recorder's comment at 08/19/08 5:02 PM | Reply
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It's the "play on demand" part that's the problem. Why buy milk when you've got the cow, et all. Not that I agree, per say, but I do see where it could be seen as a major violation of copyright. You don't have any control over radio; it's not the same thing Muxtape, which is basically a bunch of crafted, repeatable compilation CDs that the vast majority of artists see no (deserved) compensation from.

Jimmy out.

Posted by: Jimmy James in reply to blub's comment at 08/20/08 10:20 AM | Reply
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It really is too bad that innovative ideas get knocked out of the water. But they don't always have to - it's possible to play by the rules, create something valuable and have a successful business. The copyright rules are pretty clear about it (whether you agree or not), so I think the smart move is to create value in the existing model and go from there.

Posted by: Braydon at 08/19/08 12:17 PM | Reply
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Huph

Copyright rules are unclear altogether in the digital realm. That's why there's so many problems with it. *Everything* on the internet is a copy. You're not looking *at* Stereogum right now, you're looking at a *copy* of it that you're computer downloaded. The speed of the copying simply creates the illusion that you're looking at something concrete, but you're not. So how can you honestly attach a cost to *streaming* audio? Should I have to buy every song I ever hear, since radio and MTV were killed by technology and artists are denied that revenue stream? (And if you think artists *ever* actually got paid by radio stations, you'd be quite naive) In fact, if you want to be strict with your copyright enforcement, then simply viewing Stereogum is infringement, because you now have copies of all their artwork and logos buried somewhere in your computer. Plus, you've infringed on the trademarks and copyrights of every band mentioned or pictured on this site, because SG might have their permission to make copies of photos, but you do not. In fact, the whole page is downloaded at once, so even if you don't view a specific picture, you're still liable.

Is that the world you really want to defend?

Posted by: Huph profile link in reply to Braydon's comment at 08/19/08 4:57 PM | Reply
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Huph, your logic is totally flawed. Stereogum is a website that consciously publishes on the web, and should be fully aware of what artifacts of their site remain on users' computers after viewing it. No one asked most of the artists on Muxtape if it was okay to put their songs up there for on-demand consumption.

Posted by: Jimmy James in reply to Huph's comment at 08/20/08 10:29 AM | Reply
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