Stephen Witt: ‘Music piracy is illegal – but morally, is it wrong?’

Kitty Empire talks to Stephen Witt about his eagerly awaited book charting the rise of the MP3 file, the online pirates who exploited it and the record industry that ignored its cultural impact until it was far too lateExtract: Going for a song: the hidden history of music piracy How Music Got Free is in essence the gripping tale of three men: Karlheinz Brandenburg, the German scientist whose lab cobbled together the MP3; Doug Morris, the old-school record company executive who presided over the rap boom and began the fight-back against piracy; and Bennie Lydell “Dell” Glover, the North Carolina CD pressing plant worker, whose light fingers and computer skills singlehandedly led to a haemorrhage of A-list rock and hip-hop releases – Eminem, Kanye West, Queens of the Stone Age, Björk – being freely available on the internet two weeks before release.The three men never met, but Witt reveals how their lives overlapped and irrevocably changed those of anyone who listens to music. Brandenburg’s genius lay in shrinking sound files down so that they could easily be sent over the internet, back when most files were huge and modems still dialled up. Owing to the bitter internecine rivalries within acoustic engineering, no one recognised the scope of Brandenburg’s technology; the inferior MP2 kept winning industry accolades and commercial applications. Universal executive Morris presided over an industry rich from the obscene profits generated by CD sales, until the secretive... Continue reading at 'The Guardian'

[ The Guardian | 2015-06-07 00:00:00 UTC ]

Other news stories related to: "Stephen Witt: ‘Music piracy is illegal – but morally, is it wrong?’"


Stephen Witt: ‘Music piracy is illegal – but morally, is it wrong?’

Kitty Empire talks to Stephen Witt about his eagerly awaited book charting the rise of the MP3 file, the online pirates who exploited it and the record industry that ignored its cultural impact until it was far too lateExtract: Going for a song: the hidden history of music piracy How Music Got... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2015-06-07 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | All news stories tagged with: #balance sheets #cd sales


Remembering Stephen Rubin, with an Evening of Words and Music

About 200 friends attended a memorial service on Thursday evening at New York’s Metropolitan Club to celebrate the memory of the influential publisher and noted opera buff, who died last October. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2024-03-01 05:00:00 UTC ]
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'Morally wrong' unpaid internships give trade 'poor reputation'

The publication of new guidelines on internships has been hailed as a “very positive” step in improving accessibility and diversity in the industry, while figures in the trade have slammed unpaid work as "morally wrong" and of earning the industry a "poor reputation". Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2017-08-01 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Cox Communications sued by two music publishers over piracy

Two music publishers - BMG Rights Management LLC and Round Hill Music LP – have sued Atlanta-based Cox Communications Inc., claiming that Cox deliberately turns a blind eye to illegal downloading by its subscribers. BMG and Round Hill, each of which controls the publishing rights to a number of... Continue reading at Silicon Valley Business Journal

[ Silicon Valley Business Journal | 2014-11-28 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Is Amazon morally wrong but legally right?

Amazon's policies may be unkind to many in the book industry, but that doesn't make them illegal. Continue reading at The Christian Science Monitor

[ The Christian Science Monitor | 2012-04-25 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Record labels sue AI music generators for ‘massive infringement of recorded music’

Major music labels are taking on AI startups that they believe trained on their songs without paying. Universal Music Group, Warner Music Group and Sony Music Group sued the music generators Suno and Udio for allegedly infringing on copyrighted works on a “massive scale.” The Recording Industry... Continue reading at Engadget

[ Engadget | 2024-06-24 17:29:16 UTC ]
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Jeremy Denk’s Memoir Features Music, Love and More Music

In “Every Good Boy Does Fine,” the concert pianist recalls his artistic and erotic awakening. Continue reading at The New York Times

[ The New York Times | 2022-03-24 15:00:06 UTC ]
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Bob Dylan's entire music catalogue bought by Universal Music

Bob Dylan's entire catalogue of songs, one of the great treasures in music history, has been acquired by Universal Music Publishing Group for an undisclosed sum.  Continue reading at CBC

[ CBC | 2020-12-07 16:53:36 UTC ]
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Peloton told it can't countersue music publishers over high workout music prices

Peloton has failed to convince the court that the National Music Publishers Association violated federal antitrust laws. If you'll recall, the NMPA sued Peloton in early 2019, accusing it of using songs in its workout videos without obtaining the pro... Continue reading at Engadget

[ Engadget | 2020-01-30 13:20:00 UTC ]
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Facebook Harmonized With Global Music Rights, HFA/Rumblefish, Kobalt Music Publishing

Music continued to fill the air in Menlo Park, Calif., as Facebook announced three new partnerships with music publishers, coming on the heels of its deal with Sony/ATV earlier this week and its pact with Universal Music Group, inked in December. Facebook head of music business development and... Continue reading at AdWeek

[ AdWeek | 2018-01-13 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Book about politics and pop music wins Penderyn Music Book Prize

Daniel Rachel's book about politics and pop music "coming together for the first time in Britain's musical history" has won the 2017 Penderyn Music Book Prize. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2017-04-11 00:00:00 UTC ]
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'Don’t ask what’s wrong with the reader, what's wrong with the books?': writing for readers with dyslexia

From tinting their pages yellow to redesigning fonts, publisher Barrington Stoke is leading the way in dyslexia-friendly books. They and their authors – including Meg Rosoff and Anthony McGowan – explain the practicalitiesMainstream understanding of dyslexia has come a long way from the days... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2016-10-05 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The Future of Music: U.S. to Review Rules Covering Streaming Music Fees

Lobbyists for the music industry and streaming music services are gearing up to battle one another after the Justice Department said it will review decades-old agreements that govern songwriter royalties.The review, which follows court battles between rights holders and Pandora internet radio,... Continue reading at Advertising Age

[ Advertising Age | 2014-06-04 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Amazon Music Unlimited Adds Audiobook Benefit to Compete with Spotify

Amazon moves to shore up Audible against Spotify's audiobook success, plus a power ranking of the books of 1994, and more. Continue reading at Book Riot

[ Book Riot | 2024-11-20 16:00:00 UTC ]
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Amazon Music Adds Monthly Audible Title Access to Subscription Service

As of today, subscribers to Amazon Music Unlimited in the U.S., UK, and Canada can now listen to one audiobook per month from Audible's catalog for free. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2024-11-19 05:00:00 UTC ]
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Allison, I know the world is killing you – but where did it all go wrong? | John Crace

Somewhere along the way Pearson lost her sense of humour and now finds herself at the centre of a stormWe need to talk about Allison.Thirty years ago Allison Pearson was an award-winning TV critic for the Independent. Funny and sharp. About as close to a bleeding heart north London liberal as... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2024-11-18 19:10:42 UTC ]
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The coffee table book of Apple Music's Best 100 Albums will set you back $450

Apple has a history of eye-popping price tags, but the company is reaching new heights with a product that isn't even a gadget. After Apple Music unveiled a list of the 100 best albums of all time earlier this year, the streaming service is releasing a companion coffee table book. You can grab... Continue reading at Engadget

[ Engadget | 2024-11-12 19:30:18 UTC ]
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Douglas Unger Turns Rapacious Greed and Moral Slipperiness into High Literature

Forty years after the publication of Leaving the Land, Pulitzer Prize finalist Douglas Unger returns with his fifth novel, Dream City, an excoriating tale of hope, greed, and betrayal in Las Vegas. C.D. Reinhart is Unger’s fatally flawed protagonist, a failed actor bent on self-improvement who... Continue reading at Electric Literature

[ Electric Literature | 2024-10-08 11:05:00 UTC ]
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Lit Hub Asks: 5 Authors, 7 Questions, No Wrong Answers

The Lit Hub Author Questionnaire is a monthly interview featuring seven questions for five authors with new books. This month we talk to: Charles Bock (I Will Do Better: A Father’s Memoir of Heartbreak, Parenting, and Love) Kay Chronister (The Bog Wife) Mike Fu (Masquerade) Kate Greathead (The... Continue reading at Literrary Hub

[ Literrary Hub | 2024-10-08 08:56:09 UTC ]
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Open Road Reissues Six Out-of-Print Titles by Stephen Graham Jones

Starting October 1, Open Road Integrated Media will republish six of Jones's out-of-print titles, originally released between 2008 and 2014. A network of booksellers and book influencers have declared the date "Stephen Graham Jones Day." Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2024-10-01 04:00:00 UTC ]
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