New Discovery from Old Friends

I have admired Delgarma, a band from Lyon, France for some time now. They have had songs on a few editions of BSWC, but this week I discovered this gem on Musique-Libre.org. MLO is a fantastic francophone open-source music site that uses some Creative Common Licenses alongside other forms of copyleft arrangements. As stated before, MLO is worth spending some time exploring (recently, I've discovered using the power of their rss feed to keep an eye on what's going on over there). Delgarma:

"Delgarma c'est de la musique atmosphérique et acoustique. Ce sont des chansons en suédois, français et anglais. C'est aussi du percussif de la world et des ballades."

Try I wish i didn't care by Delgarma

Why the Recording Industry's Business Model Works So Well

Here is a short history and review of the Recording industry's implementation and maintenance of the Compact Disc tyranny. 80 cents a unit to produce...retail at 18 bucks.

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Free 8 bit Music

Do you like the Super Mario Bros. theme or other 2d video game music? Well this site has many links for downloads of 8 bit music made using game boys, NES, and other 8 bit computers. All with a Creative Commons license.

Try Happy Ending After All by Random

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Filed in: cc music 8-bit cool BSWC

New Release: Moo

King of Samplecore, Chenard Walcker is back with a new release, Moo, posted yesterday on Archive.org. I'm still exploring his back catalog, but this has some of the best Walcker sounds I've heard yet. It's exciting:

"Moo features some of the creepiest synthesizer effects, black & blue voices, lots of fuzz guitar riffs of the greatest ferocity, wild pumping and heavy swirling organ... Not to forget a handful of FAT BEATS. Though it is a perfect match for the amphetamine and speed culture of the junkies that live in Chenard's neighbourhood, in Paris, you won't have to take any drug to enjoy this moosika."

Worth the download.

Try The Carpet.

CC Artist Collective: DiSfish

If you like your music artist and user friendly then check out DiSfish. Organized by Cezary Ostrowski (Poland) and Marco Raaphorst (Netherlands), DiSfish has a great variety of music from around the world and around the internet. Artist compensation is in the form of donations and visitors can download songs or complete MP3 albums:

"You pick the "price". You can burn and print as many copies as you wish. Parties can also license our music for commercial use.

Artists keep half of every donation. A charity of our choice gets 5% (each month different). Creative Commons get 5%. The rest is for running and promoting DiSfish."

Cezary and Marco are frequent contributers to CC:Mixter and have significant fanbases across the internet and in Europe. (Europe Rocks)!

Byrne and Eno license tracks from "Bush of Ghosts" as Creative Commons

Two songs from David Byrne and Brian Eno's "My Life in the Bush of Ghosts" will be released under a Creative Commons license. The label, Warner Brothers, also released a song by Fort Minor (of Linkin Park) this way. "You are free to edit, remix, sample and mutilate these tracks however you like."

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Music from the Near Past, Posted in the Near Future

A recent release by Golden Apple Corps entitled Instinctual on archive.org carries the date of June 28, 2006, but you don't have to wait to enjoy this selection of music recorded from 2001-2003. Billed as "organic, eclectic, electronica. Twisted pop-music," this is release is entirely pleasing to this Biotic's ear.

Try out Geisha....Love it!

Filed in: cc alternative netlabels netlabel copyleft music electronica

Oilboy's aftersun-Oil boiled fantasies

I'm really enjoying this release by Oilboy aftersun. Great party sounds revolving around a tropical beach environment:

"Imagine yourself after a day at the beach, sun and sea.
You come home with your lover, and what do you do ????,
This album tries to describe that feeling.
The evening starts relaxed,
a little smootsing, a little bit of dancing,some teasing, a little oil rubbing, a massage...do we need to tell more ???"

Mac OS X: Convert Real Audio Files to MP3 Format

A concise step-by-step tutorial on getting Real Audio to MP3. Useful link for when those pesky Real Audio files surface. BSWC is a Mac-based enterprise.

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New Release: Florian Filsinger

It just went live on archive.org an hour ago. German artist, Florian Filsinger has posted 7 new tunes in a release entitled The Little Guy in the Club. It is Politicide Release number 58. "Recorded during one week for a lifetime," it has one tune for each day of the week.

Filed in: ambient electro eclectic breakbeat techno soundtrack

New Release: Red Unit

From the netlabel, Quiet Lounge comes this March 17th release from Red Unit.

The release is called Movement. Very nice electronic music with vocals from Shanghai, China. Worth the download. BSWC has featured a track from a previous Red Unit release entitled, Commune....loved it. Look forward to more.

Also, Quiet Lounge is looking for more contributions from the field of "Asian electronic sound creation."

Filed in: copyleft cc commons music netlabels

Save the Date: World Naked Gardening Day

September 9, 2006--Mark it in your calendars. I know what I'm wearing.

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BSWC Artist Playlist for 03.25.06

1. Les verus du varech by Le Collectif Unifié de la Crécelle
2. My Innocence by HYPE
3. Square Beer by Coconut Monkeyrocket
4. Shopping For Explosives by Coconut Monkeyrocket
5. Accidental Beatnik by Coconut Monkeyrocket
6. Munster Beat! by Martinibomb & The Coconut Monkeyrocket
7. Illogical Boogie by Coconut Monkeyrocket
8. Bloops, Bleeps, Bongos & Brass by Coconut Monkeyrocket
9. three o'clock mother by Bruce Lenkei
10. Bah! by Okapi
11. Spiegelverkehrte Leuchtkugel by Freiraum
12. conspiracy_theories by Messian Dread
13. Pole-Ice Water by Sure Dread
14. Make No Riot by Sure Dread
15. Dub Of The Many Mansions by Sure Dread
16. As Was by Procrustes
17. Rauhallinen by Analogia
18. Blissful Strides Remembered by beatgorilla
19. greensky by Bep
20. Seedy by Pete Victom
21. Goddesses by Jesus Calderone
22. Child of The Union by La Belle Alliance

Filed in: cc music radio playlist BSWC

Spanish Court Recognizes CC-Music

The copyfight has many fronts and this Creative Commons article highlights a court decision in Spain.

"The issue in this case was not whether the CC license was enforceable, but instead whether the major collecting society in Spain could collect royalties from a bar that played CC-licensed music."

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Filed in: CC music spain copyleft

Using Firefox? How to avoid RIAA on Amazon.

OK, so this might be a niche group -- people who use firefox and want to buy RIAA free music from Amazon, but hey, maybe not! And if this helps just one person by making it easier to make an intelligent decision, then its worth it. Plus, this is neat.

The Goal: Install Greasemonkey and then the RIAA_Radar script.

(Greasemonkey is very cool, and has many uses -- including one of my favorites which adds a tiny little flash player next to any mp3 link on the web so that you can listen inline.)

Requirements: Firefox and a few minutes (really, it doesn't take long!)

1. Install Greasemonkey by Aaron Boodman


2. Install RIAA_Radar by Ben Hollis


3. Go to amazon and look around for cds, you'll notice a little red
   WARNING
   that pops up next to the title of the cd on the detail page if the cd is RIAA, if it is "safe" you will see a little green
   SAFE
   icon. Each will link to RIAA Radar detail pages.

Another way to avoid RIAA music is to stick with netlabels, copyleft, & Creative Commons content. See Comfortstand, Jamendo, archive.org, Magnatune, BeatPick, ccmixter, WM Recordings, etc...

Have fun!

ss7

Filed in: BoycottRIAA amazon firefox greasemonkey

Can't get enough L'Onomatopeur

I've been totally digging this album. Slap Violin is the gateway track, but the entire album is well constructed and layered with goodness. It was time to put it front and center. (Downloading requires a BitTorrent client.)

Always Beating, by L'Onomatopeur



Download this album

Introducing BeatPick.com: FairPlay Music Label

BeatPick in their own words:

"We believe in Fair Trade. We release our music under a Creative Commons license rather then copyright. We split earnings 50/50 with our artists and they maintain full ownership of their creations.

You can listen to entire albums/tracks. We do not use DRM. Purchased music is compatible with all computers, ipods and Mp3 players.

Our music is pre-cleared and can be licensed instantly and online for commercial purposes such as film, TV, ad, games, video art and many others. Non-commercial projects use our music for free. "

They have a full range of genres and look like they are worth exploring. And we will.

Via Creative Commons Blog

Filed in: netlabel

The BSWC Insomnia Experience

From Subsystem7:

"I'm not sleeping

loop "aahhhh"
do some pigmies and then some seagulls
when they stop chattering, loop the Darbuka and bring in some occasional Waves and the sometime Woob, and you've got my insomnia experience."

Try it yourself

Insomnia Ambience: Customize the Insomnia Experience

CC 365 on the Chris Pirillo Show

Grant Robertson, the impressario behind BSWC favorite, CC:365, is featured on a recent edition of the Chris Pirillo Show:

"The problem with Creative Commons licensed music is a lack of taste makers finding the good stuff amongst all the potential garbage. Grant Robertson of CC:365 aims to be that tastemaker, finding music he loves and sharing it through the CC:365 podcast at indieish.com."

The Chris Pirillo show is a non-podcast Podcast originating in Seattle. Good to see Grant getting the word out about his tasty CC365 project.

BSWC Artist Playlist and Audio File for 03.18.06

1. Losslove by Bangguru
2. Mirrors by Cargo Cult
3. Cool As I Get by fourstones.net
4. Cincinmusser by Jerry King Musser
5. History by Comfortable Silence
6. fura futura by ostrowski i trzaska
7. 2084 by Broke Gringos
8. y a des jours avec et des jours sans by thierry blanchard
9. Deeper by Over All Brothers
10. Monde Limité by Brigitte Bijoux
11. Ultra by GuruFX
12. Seedy by Pete Victom
13. Sex Im Minibus (Instrumental) by Broke Gringos
14. no tv for and me by and me
15. debil by sichtbeton
16. Mad Boy by Broke Gringos
17. in y'own mix by ∫pirøbolo∫
18. Clones of each others fashions by Monomatik
19. Stop! I'm Watching TV! by Stark Effect
20. Slap Violin by L'Onomatopeur
21. something for the oldies by dubsy asylum
22. hi tech sisters by sleepy town manufacture
23. jag hatar psilodump by psilodump
24. Intimate by Vincent Casanova

Here is the audio file for 3.18.06. Link is to 192 Kbps MP3, other flavors can be found at the BSWC details page on archive.org.

Special One Hour BSWC Podcast

Here is the first hour of 3.11.06 BSWC in a podcast-only version. This is not the version that was heard on-air in the southern Berkshires. You can find the playlist for the program below. We had technical issues with the original airtime recording and things were too crazy to allow for a two hour reconstruction, so please enjoy the first hour.

France Takes a Stab at Online Music DRM

The Associated Press is reporting on a amendment to an online copyright bill that is making its way through the French legislative process. The amendment would restrict DRM Schemes like Apple's Fairplay and Sony's ATRAC3 on the grounds that they may "result in the prevention of the effective application of interoperability."

From the lead paragraph of the AP article:

"Apple Computer Inc. faces a serious challenge in France, where lawmakers have moved to sever the umbilical cord between its iPod player and iTunes online music store — threatening its lucrative hold on both markets."

The law and it's amendments needs to pass a formal vote on Tuesday before moving on to the French Senate.

DRM Impacts MP3 Player Battery Life

Here's something that should interest just about anyone who uses a MP3 device. CNET is reporting that DRM crippled audio files substantially decrease the battery life of your player. Encryption requires more computation.

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The real reason that no-one listens to current day music anymore.

Dynamic Range is gone! I've long felt this was the truth, and here's an article I found on digg.com with a fairly crisp definition...

)) subsystem7

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BSWC Artist Playlist for 03.11.06

1. Vide by Au Lit les Mômes
2. The Alternate World Waltz by Lisa DeBenedictis
3. Chocolate Caliente by Martinibomb
4. Bloops, Bleeps, Bongos & Brass by Coconut Monkeyrocket
5. Smoky Smoky by Coconut Monkeyrocket
6. the giant catch 22 by aleksi virta
7. Shaky girl by Christian DIDELOT
8. The Auld Lang Syne Hop by Kaffeinik
9. Autumn Leaves (feat. Martina) by Centerpole
10. Open your mind (Aura Fresh remix 4) by 3Phase and Dr. Motte
11. The Queens of King by Latex Distortion
12. Can't make it by Happy Elf
13. Decision by Freiraum
14. The Real Chronic Smokers by LeutOhm
15. Seedy by Peter Victom
16. Other worlds by RHYTHM BEATING SILENCE aka R.B.S
17. Occupation by Youthman Steppa
18. Dysfunctional (Shakey Mix) by Shakey
19. Like A Virgin by The Apartment
20. Fly Dream - Zrox remix by Z-ROX
21. mr machine's beat street by itoa (PatG / Revisque)
22. Drop Beat Not Bomb by L'Onomatopeur
23. Perfect by Eloi Brunelle
24. The Porn King by The Funky Filter

Time to Settle up with Sony BMG

The Electronic Frontier Foundation has a class action lawsuit against Sony BMG for the flawed digital rights management (DRM) they have been using to restrict consumer's use and reuse of the music they have purchased. EFF is in the process of negotiating a settlement with the defendant.

They are seeking members of the class that want to file a claim as part of the settlement. If you think you might be eligible to participate in the lawsuit as a member of the class they also have posted a list of affected CD's and have a description of benefits.

Ali Farka Toure passed away today

"If you know something and don't want to share it, then you are selfish. You came after someone, and someone else will come after you. You can't learn the entire sea by heart. No. That is why god created waves in the river and in the sea. Some leave, and some come."

He will be missed!

[Editor's Note: RIP]

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Lossless is The Way to Go

Guide to creating and playing back popular lossless audio formats.

[Editor's Note: This one is for Subsystem7 and Lee Harvey. I need to pay more attention to compression issues. Can you feel the love?]

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Blogspot.com Censored in Pakistan

The Pakistani Government has blocked access to hundreds of Blogs being hosted on the domain blogspot.com. The Blogging community in Pakistan appeals to everyone to join us in condemning this action by the bureaucracy in Pakistan.

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The Digg bug has spread. Can you Thump it?

Musicthump.com | Musicthump.com is a social bookmarking site similar to digg.com. It's focused on promoting Myspace bands, DJ's, and other music artists.

[editor note: Music Thump would benefit from a CC category or even a general music category, but they are just getting started...thump in on the ground floor.]

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BSWC Artist Playlist and Audio File for 3.4.06

1. Rien ne sert by nanar mouskouri
2. denial by irene bolis
3. Witness by Tryad
   
4. BelowLambourgino-teru-remix by teru feat. Lisa DeBenedictis
5. Big Ass Distraction Party by fourstones
6. Sine In by Lucid
7. tears like pearls by Colektro
8. Twin (Paul Keeley mix) by Dublee
9. Outback Master by The Uptones
10. the_uptones-bonnie_dub by The Uptones
11. PAS CHICHE by clouman
12. Black Mask by Kosmoo
13. Apollo 11 by Soul On Journey
14. what's a boy to do? by hachi
15. in staedten by sichtbeton
16. debil by sichtbeton
17. Siberia by Xerxes
18. Come N' Claim by Throttler
19. You foxy lady by Happy Elf
20. Frankophiel by Rockformation Diskokugel
21. Ich bin ein Muehlen Koelsch by Schaeng Pfui
22. attaque la banque by Miss Helium
23. Une charogne by David TMX

Here is the playlist and audio file for the first show of March. Two hours of pure CC joy. Thanks to the artists for their work and vision. 16 days until Spring.

Open Source Tool to Explore Commercial Image Manipulation

Are they real? Is she really that hot? The KickAssChicks have a post about The Art of DeTouch. DeTouch is a marvelous Java tool that exposes manipulated pixels in photos of commercial models.

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Sex Pistols to Rock n Roll Hall of Fame:Piss Off!

Notorious punk act the Sex Pistols declares they will not attend the March 13 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony in New York. "We're not coming. We're not your monkeys," reads a handwritten statement filled with spelling mistakes posted on the infamous punk band's Web site.

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Audio Broadcast Flag Licensing Act of 2006

Two Boing Boing posts in a row. Biotic really appreciates their diligence in keeping an eye on these kinds of issues, a case in point is Boing Boing's report on the recently introduced, "Audio Broadcast Flag Licensing Act of 2006" (H.R. 4861). The act requires digital radio makers to build in protections for the recording industry. "This is a bill to steal from tomorrow's entrepreneurs...in order to line the pockets of yesterday's recording industry fatcats."

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Boing Boing's Guide to Defeating Censorware

BSWC is pleased to offer a route to an excellent online resource. One of the most linked Blogs on the internet offers a guide to censorware work-arounds. Good stuff and on the right side of right.

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The Conet Project - Listen to Recordings of Shortwave Numbers Stations

For more than 30 years the Shortwave radio spectrum has been used by the worlds intelligence agencies to transmit secret messages. These messages are transmitted by hundreds of Â?Numbers StationsÂ?. Shortwave Numbers Stations are a perfect method of anonymous, one way communication.

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