Nafisto the Great

Anyone who knows me is probably aware of my strong distaste for the Recording Industry Association of America and its campaign to eliminate online piracy and punish those who engage in it. I have several issues with what the RIAA does:

1. The law is the law, and nobody should break it… but all of the laws relating to the recording industry are the result of nearly a century of lobbying and backroom deals that have served to benefit primarily industry execs.
2. The RIAA constantly cites the plight of artists as one the reasons it pursues piracy so aggressively, even though many artists don’t want any “help”. (For an excellent discussion of how the RIAA’s numbers just don’t add up, see George Ziemann’s excellent study.
3. (by far the ugliest) The RIAA–on behalf of the Big Four record labels–is pressing charges against anyone they can get any shred of evidence about, and using strong-arm tactics to force monetary settlements. So far, hundreds (if not thousands) of people–many of whom might have been innocent, although there’s no way to tell now–have settled with the RIAA.

This last point is what gets me most, and that’s probably why I was so interested to see a new blog created by the lawyers of Patricia Santangelo, a mother of 5 from New York who is contesting the claim made by the record labels. Check out the site for all of the legal documents and background on the case. I’ll be following it closely and providing updates here as the case continues.

So about a month ago, I got my hands on a copy of the new Coldplay CD. There’s a great hidden track on there called “Til Kingdom Come”. Hearing it reminded me of a time long ago when a certain band called U2 used to make music that was exciting, thought-provoking and fresh.

Once upon a time, Bono et al were a powerhouse of be-good/do-good music, citing poets and preachers and striking a deep chord inside listeners. Over the past few years, though, the U2 that had (and still has) a permanent place in my CD carousel was replaced with a boring, recycled foursome whose ringleader whines incessantly about his lost father and causes we can’t seem to figure out, leaving the music as a last and feeble resort to spark a sense of revolution inside.

Enter Coldplay. What Bono fails to instill in his music, Chris Martin has found a way to blend into soothing melodies that still resonate hours after they’re heard AND leave you thinking about their deeper meanings. Pianos and guitars record sounds that the Edge has only played with, and the beats and rhythms vary from vanilla 4-4.

I still listen to U2 regularly and I’d be lying if I said I don’t own all of their albums. But with each new release I keep hoping for something … better. In the meantime, the boys from Dublin have fallen into light rotation on my iTunes while Coldplay gets its shot in the spotlight.

So my brother (the infamous SamZeb) and his co-workers discovered a way to use Google Talk as a streaming music platform. I’m sure this has been done with other talk applications, but the simplicity and elegance of this solution makes it quite handy!

1. In the Sound applet, set the recording input to be the sound output from your audio application (Wave Out Mix, Stereo Mixer, or whatever it happens to be with your sound card)
2. Use your favorite audio application to play music.
3. Initiate or receive a call using Google Talk

Everyone who connects with you can listen to your streaming music!