Adam Curry goes 100% podsafe

Adam Curry, godfather of podcasting, has had an epiphany:

I was told – maybe I should say … threatened is not the right word – but ‘promised’ that they (the music/broadcasting companies) are gonna come after podcasters, and they’re gonna shut them down. What was implied, is that they were going to shut podcasting down.
(at 9:58 in DSC-275-2005-11-07.mp3)

So he did not take this ‘promise’ lightly and got rid of all his licensed music.

11:10 Wondering why certain episodes of DSC are not in the archives? Adam has been contacted by several Dutch representatives of international music services tell him “hey, this file’s on your server, it’s licensed music, get it off there.” Adam has removed episodes with such songs on there. Adam has even “cleaned” his computers at home of every possible mp3, and now has only podsafe tunes on there. Adam will not play any non-podsafe song on the DSC. No more Mashups. If it’s not on PMN, it doesn’t get played.
from Daily Sourcecode Show Notes

Adam was actually in Brussels while doing that podcast, visiting some European Parliament contacts. He is concerned that the music industry could get a European directive passed, making sure that there will be no way for podcasters to play licensed music, no reasonable priced yearly/monthly license. Playing commercial music is only for the big boys.

So Adam’s reaction is: “Scr*w you, we’ll make you irrelevant”. Don’t know if it’ll work, but it’s a big step.

Once they get to know new artists in the free-and-legal bag they aren’t reliant on music which can only be shared in the underground, but getting them over the hump is not so easy: they have to hang around long enough to absorb new sounds and stop being disappointed that they can’t have the old ones. With Adam and the many podcasters he influences on board, we have a good shot at breaking through.
from Lucas Gonze’s blog via beatmixed

I am still before that hump, I’m not ready yet to throw out all my RIAA/IFPI licensed music. There’s just to many memories linked to music I have. Long Hot Summer, I Keep Forgettin’, Knocks me off my feet, That Night, these songs mean something for me, I cannot switch completely to podsafe music. Yet.

Technorati: podcast – music – podsafe – riaa – ifpi

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