DEATH
I met Muxtape far too late in life. While its birth was in March of 08, I got to know of its existence only in May. From when I first found out about Muxtape, I dreamed of how much we could do. But I never really used it. In August of this year, I put up a muxtape. August 13, to be precise. On August 18, the RIAA's pursuit to end free listening caught up with Muxtape, and the site had to be put on hold till its problems were sorted out. There went my muxtape, and my music 'blog' was replaced by a message that spelled out doom for the simple site and its admirable administrators. On September 25, Muxtape, as we know it, died.
This simple website was exactly what we--as music seekers, as people with achingly open ears--needed. Planned to the extent that you knew what you were putting up, and in what order. Random to the extent that hitting the next button on the top right corner of the screen took you to another muxtape in another part of the world and brought you music you might never have heard, sitting in your pixel on the GoogleMap. Simple to the extent that you click to play, click to pause, and click on the 'buy' link to buy, click on the 'share' link to share.
But it's gone. So fuck you RIAA. Fuck you and your rules and your inability to give us the liberty to listen to music online without having to pay an unnecessary price for it.
What sort of resurrection? I don't know more than I'm supposed to. I'm supposed to know that, from now on, bands will put up muxtapes. Not us. We will be allowed to listen. For a price? I don't think so, but you never know. I hope not. I'll still visit.
The future has answers. We don't. Let's wait and watch. Meanwhile, there's always Jamendo.
1 comment:
Death, resurrection, clever.
This Muxtape dude, Justin, I admire his vision and his resolve to be true to it. I get basically the same idea from his message that you do. Sounds like any bands that don’t care about royalties (I’m thinking no-name bands mostly), that just want their music to be heard, will make their music available free and simple, just like it was before the RIAA. Looks like that’s what Jamendo’s about…
And I’m also thinking this whole thing is kinda like a pair of dead jeans that fit so perfectly but they don’t make them anymore so I’m freaking out ‘cause now I’ve to to go looking everywhere to find replacements and OH! Resurrection! I find a pair even better.
So now, while you wait and watch, your curious self will be flipping through new music all hyper-happy, yes? And like me in a bargain basement, you’ll find shit you neva eva coulda possibly dreamed of findin’.
And that goes both ways, awesome and awful ;-)
missalister
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