Friday, November 1, 2002

I will no longer update this site at radio.weblogs.com. I will now be publishing my weblog at http://www.mc-development.com/~mike. 10:56:20 AM    Comments []

	Tuesday, October 29, 2002

82% believe they should be able to copy CDs Music companies thinking of distributing copy-protected CDs to protect their content from piracy will likely raise the ire of consumers while lowering their revenue, a new study warns. According to a survey recently released by GartnerG2, the research service of Gartner, 77 per cent of respondents thought they should be able to copy CDs for personal use in another device, while 60 per cent said they should be able to give copies of CDs to members of their families. Meanwhile, 82 per cent of respondents said that they should be able to copy CDs for personal backup purposes. The results fly in the face of efforts by the music industry to gain tighter control over their content as they face the perilous, infinite possibilities for copying in the digital age. But while the ghosts of such free file-sharing services as Napster still haunt the halls of Hollywood, Gartner discovered that consumers do not think that copy-protected CDs are the answer. When I buy a CD, the first thing I usually do is import it into my iTunes library. I then put the CD away and listen to the MP3 tracks on my computer. I'm also planning to buy an iPod with a car stereo adapter, so I can travel with my entire music collection. Right now, I usually burn music mix CDs to listen to before a trip, but if I'm driving for more than an hour or so, I have to change CDs a few times. With the iPod, I can have hours or even days of non-stop music without changing CDs. Here are the CDs I bought in the last 2 weeks, all of which are now in my iTunes library: Blondie Live Johnny Clegg - New World Survivor Youssou N'dour - Nothing's In Vain Orchestra Baobab - Specialist in all styles Red, Hot + Riot - Tribute to Fela 10:39:55 PM    Comments []

	Monday, October 28, 2002

Yet more interesting music from Iceland. First Bjork, then Sigur Ros. Now I discovered Mum while browsing at Amazon. They sound a bit like Sigur Ros, with similar lush instrumental soundscapes. 10:53:40 PM    Comments []

	Tuesday, October 15, 2002

I have a new favorite CD: "Specialist in all styles" by Orchestra Baobab. It just arrived from Amazon today & I've been listening to it continuously. They're a classic Senegalese group from 1970-1987 known for smooth laid-back Latin-tinged dance music. They just reunited with almost all of their original members, with the notable exception of Laye Mboup who died in a car accident, and Thione Seck, who now has a successful solo career. The new CD is produced by Youssou N'dour and features updates of several classic tracks. It also features N'dour & Cuban singer Ibrahim Ferrer on one track. 3:56:38 PM    Comments []

	Monday, October 14, 2002

BounceWeb has been down since about 3PM this afternoon, which affects macmegasite & worldbeatplanet. I'm moving both sites to my reseller account, which is still up. I'm using backups of the database from last night, so all statistics & anything posted since then has been lost. I've changed the DNS servers for WorldBeatPlanet, but I haven't changed macmegasite yet. If it comes back up, I can simply point it to the database on the new server. I'm reluctant to switch to the new server because I'll lose shell access, subdomains don't work, and the SMTP server doesn't seem to be able to send mail. I'm thinking of switching to http://www.netsourcehosting.com, although I'm paid a year in advance at BounceWeb. If I switch, I risk losing my reseller account (which I'm using to host mymacmail.com). I'll most likely make the switch when my year is up, since it costs about the same & they seem pretty reliable - the administrator of that site is also the administrator of www.derekandalexking.org. 9:04:15 PM    Comments []

New Youssou N'dour album streamed live. From now (monday 14th October) until Monday 21st October at 12 noon the whole of Youssou N'Dour's new album "Nothing's in vain" can be heard streamed live on the internet. Check out BBC Music Online for more details, by clicking here or vist BBC World Music. [WorldBeatPlanet] 12:52:37 PM    Comments []

	Thursday, October 10, 2002

Interesting interview with Malian singer Salif Keita, in which he talks about the rise of political Islam & music piracy. Banning Eyre: I've read that political Islam is on the rise in Mali? Are you saying this is getting worse? Or is it something that was always there? Salif Keita: It's there. It's there, and it's getting stronger and stronger. I will tell you why. The ones who control music piracy in Mali are religious leaders. The biggest mafia of pirates are the religious ones. Sean Barlow: The marabouts? S.K.: The followers of the marabouts, the friends of marabouts. So that the population will not hear those who struggle against piracy, what do they do? The make counter-propaganda. "You mustn't listen [to the musicians who complain]. These are Kaffirs!" You understand the game? That's it. And as they know that Mali is 90% Muslim, they know people will listen to the marabouts, and then they profit from the musicians. They pirate their records. They've brought in the customs service. They've brought in the army. They've brought in the police. It's a big game, and it's killing us. Often I feel like finding a new profession. SB.: But people still hear music on the radio. They still go to concerts. No one can stop that. S.K.: No, they can't prevent the average Malian musician. But I will tell you this: Mali is run from the mosques. I am sorry to tell you this. In fact, the president we have now, we are counting him, but this is someone who does not listen to the people. He would like to change things. But when? You have to have a free hand to make changes. It's religious politics that dominate there. It's a catastrophe. It's very dangerous. Me, I talk, but others are afraid to talk about this. I'm not afraid. I don't care. I've done nothing wrong. I don't earn my living there; I earn my living abroad. I'm not a griot tapping on the door of a marabout when I need to eat. No. I eat elsewhere. And so I speak out. But others are afraid to speak, because it's a real mafia. It's true. B.E.: That's serious. S.K.: It's very serious, and this is the only real problem in Mali. That's it. B.E.: And you think this is worse than when I was living there in 1996. S.K.: It's worse now. There are radicals now. They want to make Mali an Islamic country, like Nigeria. With Sharia, everything. It's dangerous. For me, I'm not worried. My god is everywhere for me. But poor Mali! If that happens, we are ruined. The whole region is ruined. B.E.: So how can you fight against that? S.K.: Ah, me? I can't fight it alone. But in general, you have to come up with a strategy. Salif Keita cannot do that. B.E.: Even if he is God. S.K.: Even if he is God. You know, God never speaks in the end. [LAUGHS] He never speaks. SB.: This is interesting, Salif. You were just talking about the tolerance in Mali, the (cousinage). S.K.: Mali is an ancient civilization, dressed up by religion. When you speak about God there[sigma] Hey wait, you must know what I have said before, about misery. You mustn't forget that spirituality says that God is there. God is a remedy against misery. This is a philosophy that keeps the poor in line, that maintains poverty. It's not that religion is bad. It's the interpretation, the way it is used. That closes the door. Me, I'm a Muslim. I don't hide that. I know that God gave me a good head, to serve me, to allow me to reflect, and to allow me to go and find food to eat[sigma] But this is our biggest problem in Mali. I even heard this talk from Samassa. You know Samassa, the producer? B.E.: The cassette producer. Yes. S.K.: He's the biggest pirate of all, along with Sylla productions. Samassa came to my house. He said, "Salif, we want Mali to become an Islamic country." Ah, no! B.E.: Really? And this was recently. S.K.: Six months ago. That's dangerous. Thieves like him! No, that is dangerous. I am afraid of that. It's when I think of that, I say, "Poor Mali." We had a chance. We became a democratic country. If we could have continued like that, we would have a real chance, more even than the countries on the coast. Because what is a country? A country is a way of thinking. But if that escapes us--and there is a risk that that will escape us... I was hoping to see him tonight at the Broward Center, but it looks like I probably won't be able to make it. 10:47:26 AM    Comments []

	Wednesday, October 9, 2002

Youssou N'dour's new release Due Oct. 22. The release of Youssou N'Dour's Nothing's In Vain (Coono du réér) not only marks the follow-up to his critically acclaimed Nonesuch debut Joko (The Link), it also inaugurates a recently signed worldwide deal with Nonesuch. [WorldBeatPlanet] I always look forward to any new release from him, but I wish he'd leave out the pop duet he always has to include on every album. 9:05:48 PM    Comments []