Closing the Box: Pandora’s Woes

Pandora faces closing the lid on it’s popular streaming radio service after the CRB, earlier this year, tripled the fees due to SoundExchange. Each time a streaming service plays a song they have to pay a small fee to Soundexchange. Soundexchange is deeply associated with the RIAA, who continuously acts like the bully on the playground. Making all the rules and taking your lunch money to boot. Now the strain of those triple fees has hit internet stream radio and popular service Pandora is getting punched in the stomach enough times that it just might fall over soon. This weekend, the Washington Post reported that Tim Westergren, Founder of Pandora Radio stated “We’re approaching a[.....]

why you should support independent musicians reason # 386

Virtual Hot Wings has been a fantastic project and if I haven’t said it loudly enough; working with Christopher Penn, Matthew Ebel, C.C. Chapman, Crap Mariner, and Dedric Muriac; has been an amazing experience. That experience was celebrated yesterday during a concert by Matthew in Second Life. During the concert, I received some IMs regarding the CD and the concept. One of the IMs was from a guy and what he had to say touched a nerve. The conversation (with names omitted) went like this: [11:53] Random Guy: oh which CD? [11:53] Chel Pixie: virtual hot wings [11:56] Random Guy: ah didn’t even read most of the web page, it’s a cap of some Concerts[.....]