Welcome to 'Transmitting to Earth'. I'm Charssun and I'll be your host. This blog and podcast is a byproduct of VoyagerRadio.com and is intended to provide the most timely information about this Internet radio station. It is also intended to be a fun and accessible electronic journal with commentary focusing on Internet radio, podcasting and webcasting issues and technologies, music, and some of my other interests. I also offer personal perspective about being an Internet radio broadcaster (and podcaster).
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The Napster of MoviesI feel like I've been living in a cave. How come I haven't heard of BitTorrent, the "Napster of movies", until now? It took a bathroom session with a copy of Wired for me to find out about this dangerously useful P2P app. Come to think of it, I probably have heard of BitTorrent--I just didn't care until now, not having a machine that could run the program. I've been stuck in Mac OS 9-land until recently--that's The Dark Ages, for those of you who don't know--and having been blessed with an upgrade to Panther (Mac OS X) and the fortune of having a friend donate a PC equipped with Windows XP to the cause, I now have a multitude of apps to play with. What's this? BitTorrent? Send it my way...MusicMatch and Napster? I'm on 'em...iTunes Music Store? Hello!
Of course, I don't think I'd actually use BitTorrent to share copyrighted files, but I sure wouldn't mind seeing how this puppy works! Perhaps a download of one of the two DVDs I already own, like Underworld's Everything Everything...oh, what a waste of time that would be! I should use my time more wisely--for example, by using the app to obtain a copy of a fantastically rare film, heretofore unreleased on DVD--where's the harm in that? I mean, the MPAA sure isn't doing much to appease us consumers; so far, they seem to be following in the footsteps of the RIAA, leaving fallow farmland where seeds of growth could be planted instead. We want our movies, and as Chris Anderson has so duly noted in his Memo to the New Head of the MPAA in the current issue of Wired (not available online at the time of this posting, but perhaps available by the time you read this), the MPAA is depriving us of our cultural history by keeping the film and television archives shut. Now I'm not about to begin hollerin' "Aye, mateys, let's pillage them shores!" but I am saying that the MPAA will be much better off learning from the mistakes of the RIAA by embracing digital distribution rather than trying to avoid it. Own it--make it yours, and the pirates will be vanquished. Sabby? (Well, not entirely vanquished, but who cares? Once you give us what we want, only the hopelessly bored will waste their time trying to illegally obtain an approximation of the same.) Okay, I'm bordering on plagiarism here--much of the point I'm making is a rephrasing of what Mr. Anderson has already pointed out in his article. Still, Mr. Anderson isn't the first to point out the MPAA's mistakes--others have been trying to dissuade the MPAA from following the same treacherous path as the RIAA for some time now. We're simply sharing this idea--distributing it, like the P2P programs under scrutiny--in order to save the MPAA, which most of us want to see survive. We love our movies and we want to continue enjoying them, but if you begin to make it too difficult for us to do so--by making sharing difficult and, in the process of encryption, making DVDs inaccessible--then we'll find another way to obtain our entertainment. Just remember, MPAA, all you have to do is follow what consumers are already doing and build upon that structure. Since folks have already decided they like to download stuff, make your movies easily available for download. Construct a digital store that is as intuitive as Apple's iTunes Music Store, but more reasonably priced. Take the advice from one of your own: if you build it, they will come. The Final Word on Digital Music Stores...Until TomorrowIn his wonderful review of digital music stores, Brian Biggs offers this witty bit of wisdom:
If you plan on adhering to the licenses and restrictions from each service then you should read their EULAs closely, and maybe get a lawyer. Especially if you plan on using BuyMusic, a service which has various rights for the songs purchased through its service. It's one thing to have the confusion of different rights for songs purchased through different services, it's another altogether to be confused by about what you can and can't do with two different songs purchased through the same digital music store. Imagine buying two CDs at BestBuy and being told you can listen to one CD anywhere--your car, you home stereo, your walkman, anywhere--and the other you can only listen to by playing it from your computer's CD-ROM drive. You'd scream bloody murder, right? Or at least, you'd probably think twice about buying the second CD or even shopping at Best Buy for CDs again. One point Brian makes that I don't entirely agree with, however, is that the iTunes radio stations are "worth nothing". It's understandable that he makes this point, since he tests the digital music services using Windows and probably hasn't used the iTunes radio service for very long. iTunes has a fine list of Internet radio stations--it's certainly not as all-encompassing as Live365 or Shoutcast, but it's certainly worth firing up in the morning, especially if you don't want to search the web for stations everyday--and you can add more stations to your playlist, so that once you've "tuned in" to an Internet radio station like VoyagerRadio using iTunes, the station will remain in your playlist until you remove it. So the next time you listen you want to listen to that station, simply fire up iTunes rather than your browser to listen to it. iTunes certainly has some limitations, however, as do all audio players. For one, iTunes doesn't support mp3PRO, an audio format that improves upon the MP3 format. You'll still be able to listen to mp3PRO stations using iTunes, but you won't hear the actual sound enhancements that mp3PRO offers. For that, you'll have to get a compatible player. But iTunes certainly makes it easier to tune in to your favorite Internet radio stations every day. Did Disney Dream of Electric Sales?You should know by now that I'm selling CDs and stuff to keep VoyagerRadio "on the air". So far I've been using Amazon.com's Used Marketplace rather than eBay to sell the items because I felt that I had a better chance of exposing my items, which thus far consist overwhelmingly of CDs, to a greater number of potential buyers. eBay is great for auctions, but how many people want to bid on a CD? I believe most people looking to buy music want to purchase and receive it as quickly as possible, which is why I make the point to ship the items immediately once they're purchased from my Amazon account. I want my "customers" to get the proper treatment.
Today I've expanded the operation to eBay. Enjoy my listing for the School of Rock movie presskit. I don't expect to get much for it, but it was fun listing the item. You'll have to read it to see what I mean. Speaking of buying things, many bloggers are warning parents not to buy their children CDs as holiday gifts. Well, parents, it's okay to buy your children CDs, but you don't need to buy them at full price. You can find perfectly good used CDs as wonderfully low prices. Like mine, for example, many of which are nearly in pristine condition. And if you do decide to buy new, you can always check the RIAA Radar to see which CDs qualify as truly independent from the Recording Industry Association of America. Merry Xmas from the Hacienda VoyagerRadioAmoeba Records was the bees knees tonight. I found a ton of chillout singles in a "Under $2" bin--I've never noticed this section of the store before so perhaps its new and seasonal. Also bought some new (2003) chillout compilations for very reasonable prices and featuring a wide assortment of artists such as Underworld, Soulstice, Baby Mammoth, Les Gammas, Callisto, Amon Tobin, DJ Shadow, Death in Vegas, Sasha, Thievery Corporation, Kevin Yost, AIM, Rae & Christian, Funky Porcini, Beanfield, Only Child, Toni D., Royksopp, Delerium, Bullitnuts, Bel Canto, Lemongrass, Athome Project, Ming & FS, Slowpho, and others. Lots of new music for VoyagerRadio listeners! Don't be afraid to listen, now. There are others who listen to chillout Internet radio. It's perfectly legal to do so. And please, by all means--let me know what you think of the new music.
Oh, and if anyone can prove to me who produced New Order's debut album Power, Corruption & Lies, please do so. (You can use the comment feature below or email me.) I've been trying to find out since watching 24 Hour Party People, and all Google will turn up is an atomic particle and a reverend with very different opinions about who was responsible for the work. Something else interesting turned up in my research about New Order. Apparently they released a Xmas record back in 1982, "Merry Xmas from the Hacienda". (I suppose the "X" had a double meaning, perhaps?) Only 4400 of these records were distributed, and all during the Christmas Eve festivities at the famous Manchester club that year. I'm sure there are some lucky people out there still in possession of these fine specimens of the early Manchester rave scene, and if anyone wants to give a copy up, there are folks like me who are willing to take it off your hands. 24 Hour Party PooperStumped yet again. I borrowed a DVD from the library but forgot to watch it, and it's due today, so to avoid any fines I thought I'd look into making a copy of it--you know, for temporary use? I mean, I did borrow it from the library and all, so it's not like it's paid for, right?
Wrong. I guess the Gods have fated me to pay the late fee--probably as punishment for even considering making a copy of the DVD. I'm not ready to return this one yet--I really want to watch it--and I should have spent the afternoon watching the movie rather than trying to figure out how to copy it. Now I've run out of time, and I still have no idea how to make a copy of it, although I suppose I have a slightly better idea of what I would need to do, should I ever need to travel down that road. So it's off to the library to see if I can borrow 24 Hour Party People for another week or else pay the late fee to keep it a few more days. (Here's a short review of the movie.) But if I keep it for more than a few days, then I may as well just rent the sucker, dontcha think? [Thanks to God, Universe, World... for the link to the DVD Rip Guides.] Winamp 3+2 ReleasedNullsoft has finally released the next generation of its popular audio application, Winamp. The new version is Winamp 5. (Apparently, they skipped version 4.) I'm not sure if the new Winamp supports mp3PRO yet, so if you listen to mp3PRO Internet radio stations (like my own, VoyagerRadio), make sure to read the support page before you do.
I have a very slow PC (200mHz), but if it can be installed on mine, I'll see if it's any good and report back to you here. PC Says Toe-May-Toe, Mac Says Toe-Mah-ToeCould they make figuring out how to share files between Windows XP and Panther just a little bit harder? I'm having a world of difficulty trying to figure this out. This process simply baffles me. (And I thought I was good at networking. Ha!) Apparently, others have found issues with Panther's file sharing capabilities. I hate to be the pill--I mean, I'm a Mac evangelist if there ever was one--but why can't they make two computers speak the same language?
Oh yeah--because then there'd be no variety. And variety is the spice of life, right? Right--I do agree about that. Variety also brings wonderful innovations like iTunes into the Windows world. It'd just be alot easier if I could get a few MP3s to leap from the PC to the Mac without a world of hassle. I mean, am I really going to have to continue using my iDisk to transfer files from one end of the room to the other? Transmitting to your Neighbors, or Tuning In to that Girl Standing at the Bus Stop across the Street...A new software application is being tested in Ireland that will allow portable MP3 audio player listeners to "tune in" to each other. Called tunA, the application is being designed with the purpose of turning a private listening experience into a social activity, and is being tested at a small art college in Dublin to see how the students interact with the technology.
We already have the ability to broadcast to each other; there have been FM transmitters available for decades at your local Radio Shack, which have recently enjoyed a revival since the advent of devices like the iPod. (See the TuneCast FM Transmitter and the iTrip.) The only problem is, these gizmos only transmit short distances--very short distances. Like 6 feet or so, if you're lucky. tunA, which takes advantage of WiFi technology, has the potential to broadcast to much greater distances. Additionally, the application can give access to playlist information--so you'll always know what song is playing, even if you're too shy to ask the broadcaster yourself. I think this technology sounds interesting, if not entirely what I want in an Internet radio device. Of course, it's not an Internet radio device--it's simply an add-on, like the FM transmitter, that will allow you to stream your audio to each other. A true Internet radio device will allow you to tune in most anywhere, and to a wide variety of webcasts. But we can have fun with tunA until that day arrives. Get Intimate with your Bad SelfI've added a chat room. Now you have another place to wait around for people to show up. ;)
I'll figure out some way to gather everyone her at a designated time, so as to engage in highly engagable conversation. For now, have fun chatting with yourself! Click on the following image to try out the chat, which requires no registration. You will also find this link on the sidebar of this blog:  Making Music Piracy Even More FunMy opinion about MP3 sharing/stealing has fluctuated over the years, but my current belief tends toward the view that mass distribution of MP3s via peer-to-peer apps is harmful to some people's incomes--and though I'm excited about the current cultural shift taking place and am enjoying the transformation of the way music and other media is being distributed, and am especially excited at seeing more independent artists and labels surface, I'll be refraining from extending my music collection beyond what I consider reasonable limits. In other words, I don't think it's harmful to share MP3s with or make mixCDs for friends or family members who are unlikely to buy the music or distribute it with others--such as my parents, who don't even have access to the Internet--but you won't find me running a 24-hour Hotline server, unless I'm sharing MP3s that artists have asked me to distribute to the rest of the world. (You also won't find me distributing porn, because I'd feel bad for cutting into the actors' paychecks. They don't make that much money, you know.)
That said, I find it amusing that a company called Music Games International is developing a computer game designed to teach young students not to bootleg music. The game is called "The Music Pirates Game", and it's being created to keep youngsters from growing up into full-blown RIAA-targeted lawsuit magnets--pirates, that is. The game's developers say the game is "a great benefit to the RIAA"; as to why they seem to want to appease the RIAA, I don't know, and perhaps it should be investigated--not that there's anything wrong with their intentions, but it seems so Metallica to want to assist the RIAA in their efforts at self-preservation, and at least with Metallica the intention was clear since the band's own livelihood depended, in part, on their record sales. Perhaps this game developer is purely altruistic, wanting to teach the kids how to stay out of trouble while simultaneously preserving a dying industry. Then again, maybe they're nothing more than a business trying to market a product they wish to sell. Whatever their reasons, the game could quite possibly cause quite a stir in the waters of our moral consciousness, but maybe not in the way its developers intend. For it's one thing to possess moral boundaries, it's quite another altogether to attempt teaching young minds the difference between burning CDs for fun and burning CDs unlawfully. I remember wrestling with a similiar issue when I was an adolescent: Is it okay to record radio broadcasts using my ghetto blaster's cassette deck? And was it okay to make mixtapes for friends and girlfriends? Back then, I could care less who I distributed the music to--I wasn't thinking in terms of mass distribution, I was simply making a thematic tape for a friend. I knew stealing a cassette from the local Wherehouse was wrong, but I didn't consider sharing a few songs with friends to be the foundation for a lawsuit. Still, I wondered, just a bit, but not enough to make me quit making mixtapes--they were too fun to make. I felt my creative side being exercised with the challenges I'm sure sound designers face all the time: What sounds/songs should I use an an intro? What should follow? Should I insert a random soundbyte here? At this point in the mixtape, how do I imagine the listener is responding? I would take all these considerations into mind as I manufactured my mixtapes, and the end result seemed to be a unique combination of sounds whose origins may have not all originated in my bedroom studio, but whose final signature was ultimately my own. Ultimately, the decision to share/steal/distribute/exercise our God-given right to works of art/perform the criminal act of violating the copyright laws of Congress/slay the RIAA rests in the individual's moral compass. A computer game trying to teach youngsters may actually have some influence, but probably not much--unless it's a really fun game. If the game is mind-blowing fun--which would certainly be a challenge, since this whole RIAA versus the world deal is getting tired--then maybe a few kids would hesitate before clicking their mouse button on the Kazaa download. More likely, the game will be copied, modified by creative gamers to portray a less attractive portrait of the RIAA, and distributed via P2P to most of the world. In which case, the game will be seen as one more painful blow to the RIAA. From Humble Beginnings...Here's a fascinating account of the rise of another little Internet radio station, with humble beginnings nearly identical to VoyagerRadio's own. Besides this blog, a narrative blog called something that happened, and various other projects, I also moderate a discussion forum: Please consider subscribing to engage in a dialogue about all things having to do with Internet radio! |
Send Us Your Music
Artists! Want to be heard on this station? Email your MP3 audio, one file at a time, to our Program Director or mail your CD promo(s) to the following address:
Harold J. JohnsonVoyagerRadio
547 Gayley Avenue #1
Los Angeles, CA 90024 Make certain to let use know whether we may use the audio in our podcast, too!
Download the Podcast
We are officially podcasters now that we have revitalized and reintroduced our downtempo show Tempo of the Down, this time around as a podcast. Now showcasing independent downtempo we've been granted permission to offer for download, Tempo of the Down is our entry into the future of Internet radio.
Head over to our new Podcast area to download the latest session!
