What are you supporting? (NYTimes editorial on Grokster opinion)

When you download, what are you supporting? (If you're not registered at Nytimes you might want to consider it, it's a great free service, but if you can't be bothered with registering, maybe you can try bugmenot). Grokster and the Information Exchange

The legal battles over file-sharing are usually construed as a fight over intellectual property rights, plain and simple. On one side are copyright owners, including songwriters and artists as well as the major recording companies and movie studios. On the other side, a handful of advocacy groups and a legion of file-sharers bent on nothing more than outright theft of copyrighted music and movies. The short title of a recent appeals decision says it all: Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer v. Grokster. But the broader issue is the distribution of information. Software like Grokster creates a network of independent Internet users who can access one another's computer files without going through a central server. (Napster maintained a central server, which made it legally liable in very different ways.) Grokster can certainly be used to swap music illegally. But it can also be used to exchange electronic copies of books already in the public domain, transcripts of Congressional hearings or any number of other legitimate types of information. Much like a VCR that does not distinguish between a pirated tape and one legally acquired, the technology does not care what is shared. It is impossible to strike down software like Grokster for its use in illegal file-sharing without also destroying its capacity for legal and socially beneficial activities. This distinction lies at the heart of a recent Ninth Circuit appeals court decision, which upheld a ruling in favor of Grokster and against an army of corporate copyright owners. This decision does not make illegal file-sharing legal. But it implicitly raises a question central to most copyright battles. Is society better served by restricting or even prohibiting new technologies to protect the rights of copyright owners or is there a greater good in the widest possible exchange of information? The resolution lies somewhere in the middle. Finding it, as the court acknowledges, is properly left to Congress. These are thorny issues indeed. Freedom of information is at the root of American democracy, and yet every day we see that freedom being compromised, controlled and limited. The Grokster decision is a ruling in favor of keeping our bets open about which technologies will turn out to serve our freedoms best.

Gallo and Lennon at Rothko

The show last night was great. Sean Lennon and Vincent Gallo sung and played beautifully at the Rothko, a venue in the Lower East Side. Lukas Haas' younger brother backed them up well on the drums. Sorry, no audio or pictures, I had my tape recorder and digital cam ready to go but when I got to the line I noticed they weren't letting people in with any equipment, even people with cameraphones were not being let in (although it seems some people were able to sneak in stuff, check out the pics at alarming news). They played mostly songs from Gallo's When album that was released through Warp Records. They also played some of Lennon's work and they did a beautiful cover of King Crimson's Moonchild. The place was fire-hazardly packed and you were pretty much stuck in the same spot throughout the set. It lasted for a little over an hour. Gallo's new film Brown Bunny is being released this weekend in the United States and I heard he was on Howard Stern this morning, must have been interesting. If you didn't know, Vincent Gallo was poppin in Graffiti Rock back in the day and releasing 12inches under "Prince Vince." His music is well regarded by musicians like Rick Rubin, thats why you can see Gallo walking around in Jay-Z's video for 99 problems. He's also into films, motorcycle racing, audiophilia, steel work, sincerity and girls. He seems like a fun guy.

Babygrande Branching Out And Keeping Score

Babygrande has relaunched their site. Like they say in their update they've been busy dropping albums left and right, with the most recent release being Brand Nubian's Fire In The Hole. The site is now loaded with more graphics and other media (which I can't say is necessarily a good thing) and they have pics of Babygrande Films posted everywhere. In case you didn't know Babygrande is partially (primarily?) funded by selling hollywood scripts. They, and when I say they I mean Chuck Wilson, is responsible for the script behind Tical's "Soul Plane" and according to this press release (peep excerpt below) Chuck is getting ready to direct his first movie "Meet The Mo'Fockers" (not to be confused with Meet The Fockers). Anyway, keep an eye out for Babygrande, especially Jedi Mind Tricks next 12inch featuring the GZA. One more thing, Babygrande has some interesting numbers posted on their site, they actually made some soundscan scores available for the public, check it out.

CHUCK WILSON (Writer) recently signed a deal with Madonna’s Maverick Films to direct his first feature film project, Meet the Mo’Fockers, which he will also write. Wilson, a Washington DC native, attended the University of Virginia and received a B.A. from the school of architecture. He got his big break when he was hired as Spike Lee’s assistant on the feature film Crooklyn. He went on to write his first screenplay, Rock’n’Soul, in the late ‘90s, which is currently in development with Mos Def and Kerry Washington attached to star. In 1998, while working for Black Entertainment Television, Wilson sold his script Platinum Time to Danny DeVito’s Jersey Films. In 2000, Wilson’s short film Breakfast at Ben’s premiered at the Urban World Film Festival and was later released by Warner Home Video. Wilson produced Afrocentricity and co-produced A Gut Feeling for Warner Home Video as well. Wilson also has an extensive track record in the music business. While director of A&R at Priority Records, he produced the Training Day soundtrack. In 2002, Wilson started his own independent record label, Babygrande Records, which is distributed by Koch Distribution. The label’s most notable artists include Brand Nubian, Canibus, and Jedi Mind Tricks. In 2003, Babygrande released the soundtrack to the film A Man Apart.

Greg Hale Jones Passes Away (Boll Weevils, ruining the cotton fields)

Xeni Jardin over at BoingBoing reports that Greg Hale Jones has passed away. I couldn't find any more info about the circumstances but that's not what is important. Besides winning countless awards his work was featured in major films and soundtracks, but he got his start doing the music for the original MTV logos and top twenty countdown. You can read his bio here but I would suggest checking out this track: Boll Weevil (you will not be disappointed). Note: Boll Weevils remind me of corny ass producers, eating well but ruining the game at the same time.