Science and Technology

Anush Yegyazarian, PC World editor, looks at the recent history of copyright law and doesn’t like what she sees. I would say her view and mine are nearly identical: while U.S. courts and Congress have done a lot to help copyright owners defend their rights, they have done comparatively little …

A new digital music service from cable television and telecommunications services company RCN is getting closer to a model that makes sense: a music-over-the-Internet service that offers unlimited computer-based access to 700,000 songs for $8 a month with free song downloads. In deploying the new service with Synacor Inc. of …

Now this is what a musician’s website should look like: bio Billy Taylor encompasses that rare combination of creativity, intelligence, vision, commitment and leadership, qualities that make him one of our most cherished national treasures. The distinguished ambassador of the jazz community to the world-at-large, Dr. Billy Taylor’s recording career …

Because “sampling popular culture is not a crime,” or at least it damn well shouldn’t be. As I have repeated as nauseum here, I want to see creators get paid for their efforts but I also believe that copyright law in America has swung too far in their favor to …

A reader pointed me in the direction of BarterBee.com, saying he was very happy with the system. He was anxious for me to help spread the word as the more people participate, the wider the selection: enlightened self-interest, I approve. Members exchange CDs (movies and games coming soon) the old-fashioned …

“Cause, what the world needs now is another folk singer like I need a hole in my head” (Cracker) And many may feel tht way about search engines also, but a good meta search engine – one that searches the search engines – is a fine thing indeed. I checked …

Man, we have to celebrate the sites, and especially the indie sites, that make the web a revolutionary place to experience music. Check out this one, Exit Records, specializing in jazz guitar, with free MP3s available from all of their artists, including: Steve Lacy Billy Hart GeorgeGarzone George Coleman Barry …

Willie Nelson has managed to carve out a niche for himself, not only as one of our foremost interpreters (and writers) of almost every form of American music, but he also has established himself as one of the most iconoclastic “patriots” in the nation, commanding center stage on national holidays …

We mentioned back in March the Harvard-UNC study by Felix Oberholzer-Gee and Koleman Strumpf which seemed to indicate that Internet music file sharing has no negative effect on legitimate music sales. Oberholzer-Gee discusses what the industry should do next with Harvard Business School’s Working Knowledge: Sean Silverthorne: The draft of …

I don’t talk enough about Thomas Mulready’s Cool Cleveland newsletter and website, which tackles real and difficult matters of culture and activism in a truly local way. I admit it: I am something of a mercenary. Even though I have lived in the Cleveland area for a total of 22 …