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September 28, 2007

Spent last weekend in NYC. First time in years that I've been there without any work obligations. Guess what? I had a great time. Will have to do that again.

Flew there and back on the new Virgin America. Very impressed. The physical product is vastly superior to any domestic carrier. Friendly employees who were universally eager to please. (And that's not easy with NY ground staff.) Overall a very good value. Will definitely choose them whenever I need to get to one of the cities they serve.

And that's the real problem. As a startup, VA only serves a handful of cities. I might need to go to Houston in the coming weeks so I was looking at fares and availability. Two to three weeks out, most of the Friday/Sunday non-stops between SFO and IAH are approaching fully booked--several show five or fewer seats (middles of course) left. I don't know about you but I am sick at the thought of paying $400 or so for the privilege of sitting in a middle seat for four to five hours each way. If that's my only choice, I probably won't make the trip.

10:22 PM | Comment (0)

September 19, 2007

If you've stumbled in here before and had the misfortune of reading my rants, you've probably deduced that I don't care much for the so-called ethics of the entertainment industry in general and the music business in particular. However, two stories I've seen and heard lately leave little doubt that the weasels running record labels have more in common with Tony Soprano than I would have ever guessed.

First listen to this report from Public Radio's Marketplace that details how the RIAA's fight against online file sharing ensnared, among others, a 7-year-old girl and a woman with multiple sclerosis who is confined to a wheel chair. The group's relentless pursuit of both cases has caused these people to run up five-figure legal bills. In the case of the woman with MS, a court certified her as mentally unable to make decisions in the case and appointed a guardian. Yet the RIAA's attorneys continue to press for prosecution.

Then consider the case of iPhone ringtones. There's been a lot of hot air on the subject lately. Geeks salivating over the chance to hear a snippet of "Sexyback" when a call comes in. (Personally, I just don't get it but to each his own.) Along with a number of disgruntled voices questioning Apple's right to seemingly double charge for songs as ringtones. The facts as usual are denser and subtler than any headline can convey.

In essence, the creaky patchwork legal code that passes for U.S. copyright law recognizes many different and seemingly overlapping license requirements for music. Buying a recorded copy of a song requires one type of license or royalty. While playing that song in public, say by a band, requires a different type of license. The RIAA has interpreted the law, and gotten courts to agree, that when you buy a song, say for 99¢ from the iTunes Music Store, you've paid the royalty for the recording. But if you use that song as a ringtone, you're playing it in public so you need to pay a performance license. And here's the kicker where they stoop to tactics that the mob must envy.

The RIAA got the courts to agree that industry group has the right to collect the performance royalties on ringtones BUT they aren't required to distribute even one cent to the artists who wrote and/or performed the song.

I don't know about you but that stock ring is sounding pretty good to me.

10:09 AM | Comment (2)

September 18, 2007

Arrr!

The skull and crossbones 'twas hoisted over the fair ship flickr this eve. 'Tis International Talk Like A Pirate Day. Arrr!

10:43 PM | Comment (0)

September 05, 2007

Yawn. That's how I feel about Apple's announcements today. No compelling reason for me to get a new iPod. Very disappointed that the iPod Touch only goes up to 16GB. My 30GB 5G is starting to feel cramped so I'd been thinking I might spring for a larger one. However, given the lackluster lineup, I will probably wait until I'm truly out of room or this one dies.

The iTunes WiFi strikes me as nothing more than a gimmick. I thought it was stupid when cell phone companies started selling over-the-air downloads. I feel the same about today. I've never needed a song so badly that I couldn't wait to get it on the desktop. It's the kind of feature that the press love to write about but real consumers rarely use.

I will give you the fact that many people will want the ringtones. Except me of course. The appeal of ringtones is totally lost on me. I've tried them. Even gone so far as to edit songs from my collection and transfer them to my phone. Hated it and went back to a standard ring. I found them either too quiet. I kept missing calls. Or simply unbearable from an aural pov. There's no way that the tiny external speakers on any cell phone can do justice to a song that's been recorded and mixed normally.

I don't even care that much about the iPhone price slashing since I'll be writing the cost off schedule C anyway.

11:30 PM | Comment (2)

September 02, 2007

Happy happy, Brit.

11:50 PM | Comment (2)

September 01, 2007

I realized today that a couple of the Japanese Maples in the courtyard downstairs are starting to lose their leaves. I guess that's inevitable given the shortening days. Thankfully, it seems that our traditional Indian Summer has arrived right on schedule. Time to break out the shorts. Finally.

11:47 PM | Comment (0)