In a case of absolute hypocrisy, Michael Robertson and MP3 Tunes makes the allegation that EMI, who breathe fire on upload services like Rapidshare, are using Rapidshare to to give away music themselves. Read the full article at P2P.net.
Mexico is a land rich with tradition, and they have a musical heritage that ranks well with any country on Earth. Narcocorridos are not part of that tradition. Rather, it is part of the musical cesspool that is so disregarded that some local authorities banned this excrement. It is not that I have anything against the musicality of the bandas. In fact, some of these are utterly magnificent instrumentalists. It is the fact that they glorify the vile animals ruining the country in a way that makes gangsta rap artists look like choir boys that gets my goat.
One of the bigger artists in the genre, El Shaka, was murdered today. Ironically, he had had to announce that he was not dead thanks to an erroneous press report. He was shot to death in his Cadillac at close range. His murder makes him the seventh musician killed in the past three years. The wages of peddling the glories of a drug baron are on display for everyone to see. What a waste of talent.
I have to admit that it came as a shock to me when I read that the founders of The Pirate Bay were jailed for running their torrent site, but it seems that a retrial is in order, thanks to the judge having a conflict of interest in the case.
The BBC has more on the story here.
Zack Whittaker of ZDNet points out the RIAA’s atrocious behavior in harassing kids who download music. It’s getting so bad that some of the targets of this treatment are contemplating suicide.