This short is so cute and so well done… and it’s situated on a Greek island, though it’s apparently made by French students. I just had to post it!
Archive for Media
Insanely original
Ok, I saw this video today and it’s insanely original… well, it is insane no matter how you look at it. Another fine example of a highly derivative work that is creative and original (though it does have a lot in common with Monty Python’s Flying Circus). Click here to go directly to YouTube.
Ok, so the video has been quickly removed :(
I wonder whether this is the doing of the automatic copyrighted content recognition and removal system I heard YouTube has installed. I also wonder what will happen to fair use if one day copyright enforcement will become perfectly automated and unbreakable.
Copy. Right?
This video is amazing, probably the most entertaining way of learning about the negative effects of excessive copyright restrictions, but also about the defense provided by fair use. Sure, good arguments can be made in support of copyright, but hey, this is more fun. And creative, even if it is a strictly derivative work. If the embedded video does not work, click here to go to YouTube.
DMR=no-DRM?
So I just read this yesterday: According to this post on Ars Technica, DRM-free iTunes Plus downloads will be priced at 99c instead of $1.29. Is this a result of competitive pressure from Amazon’s new MP3 store (available only in the US) which sells only DRM-free music from EMI and others at lower prices? Hard to believe, as Amazon’s share in the MP3 market must be negligible and their site leaves much to be desired, but it could be that Apple is proactively dropping their prices on iTunes to maintain their pole position. Most likely I would guess that they have found their pricing at $1.29 was too high.
But if all this is true, it will mean that iTunes will offer DRM and non-DRM versions of the same songs, for the same price!
Something is wrong here, there is probably some transition going on, where, if any of this is true, Apple is reconsidering their pricing. They have two options: Either they drop the DRM versions entirely for those labels and artists who favor the DRM-free format, or they must price DRM and non-DRM versions differently. A subscription model for DRM songs would be an alternative.
And of course if they do price all DRM-free downloads at the standard price of 99c they ought to offer a free upgrade to all those faithful iTunes buyers who paid 99c to get the DRM versions!
Weirdness extraordinaire
Today I saw The Piano Tuner of Earthquakes, by the Quay brothers. What an odd film that was, but some of the images were haunting and will probably stay with me for a while… most people who will watch this movie will hate it, no doubt, but I didn’t. I just find that it got too full of itself and became tiring, though it was refreshing to see something other than your bread and butter and ultimately forgettable Hollywood films.
Those who know and love the work of the Quay brothers will want to watch this film anyhow, but to those not familiar with the unique visual style of this work I would suggest one of their shorts instead: The Street of Crocodiles is considered to be their masterpiece, but my favorite is probably The Comb. If you’re a fan of art and what some would call an ‘adventurous’ movie-goer, do yourself a favor and find these two shorts (there is a DVD collection of Quay shorts). You may hate them all, but you may discover an entirely new world of poetry on celluloid.
I’m not that good with words, so I won’t try to explain just what a Quay film is like. If you do get to watch one though, you’ll know why I hesitate. And if you have read and enjoyed surrealist poetry, I’m pretty sure you’ll find something in the Quay universe that will speak to you, even if it is in a language you do not fully understand.
Can you spell “mashup”?
Ok, this is not so new anymore, but I still love it. Erik Kastner has done some magic with PHP and Javascript and has built a nice little web app whereby you can enter a text string and it will pull a random flickr photo for each letter. Nice! I’m trying to remember who said that re-using other people’s work isn’t creative. Go play with “spell with flickr“.
iTunes, EMI, Universal and Warner
So, recently EMI made what is probably a historic decision. The ENTIRE EMI CATALOG will henceforth be available on the iTunes music store in two versions: One with DRM, as usual, and one DRM-free, with a higher bitrate and with a higher price tag. The decision is historic as it is not every day that a major label decides to drop DRM (or at least experiment with wide distribution of non-DRM’d music). It will be interesting to see where that takes them and whether more labels will follow in their footsteps. BoingBoing among others reported on the story.
From a related cnet article:
“Higher-quality music files, which will play on any computer and any digital-audio player, will not replace the copy-protected EMI music currently sold through iTunes. Rather, they will complement the standard 99-cent iTunes downloads and will be sold at a premium: $1.29 per song.
Consumers who have already purchased EMI tracks containing Apple’s FairPlay copy protection will be able to upgrade them to the premium version for 30 cents, EMI said. Full albums in DRM-free form can be bought at the same price as standard iTunes albums.”
Well, not all is bright and rosy on iTunes. Apparently Universal is considering moving out of the iTunes store! More on this (though not much more, as the reasons behind this move are not so clear) also from BoingBoing. Also, Warner is apparently known to be pro-DRM and are not happy with Steve Jobs’ recent calls for DRM-free music.
One thing’s for sure… the shakeup of the music industry we’ve been witnessing in the past few years is far from over. As a consumer I’m personally hoping for more EMI-like announcements, though labels will certainly weigh the pros and cons very carefully.
YOUTUBERS
Probably my favorite youtube video, a dedication to the youtube generation… a generation lost or enlightened? A bunch of crap or the birth of a new folk culture? You be the judge.
Social music tools
Hypemachine may be the ultimate social music tool. It automatically aggregates music from thousands of blogs. Listen to what’s hot and groovy in the blogosphere. Check it out…
And of course if you know anything about social music networks, you must know last.fm. If not, it’s well worth a try. Another great way to discover new music and make new friends in the process.
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