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The Dot Blockchain Music Project — “Growing up in public with your pants down.”

Benji Rogers

Benji Rogers

This has been quite a ride.

At my last look “How the Blockchain & VR Can Change the Music Industry” (Parts 1 & 2) has been read by more than 5,500 people according to my Medium Stats. Since November 24, 2015 we have journeyed together from a rather obscure idea about a new music codec containing a Minimum Viable Data Set that would create a globally distributed database of music rights to an open source architecture and user interface, a Github repository, and a working alpha version of the App. It’s second incarnation sits on my desktop as I type this.

Source: The Dot Blockchain Music Project — “Growing up in public with your pants down.” — Medium

A Breakthrough for Library E-Books?

In July, the New York Public Library rolled out its much-anticipated e-book app, SimplyE, which seeks to solve a problem that has plagued library e-book users by reducing the once-cumbersome process of checking out library e-books to three clicks or fewer. Make no mistake, the app represents a major step forward for library e-book lending.

The app comes after years of complaints from library e-book users forced to wrestle with clunky interfaces and processes for e-book lending, all powered by a growing array of vendors. Anyone remember the Tools of Change conference in 2011, when librarian Katie Dunneback famously demonstrated the 21 steps a library patron needed to navigate before being able to access a library e-book? The SimplyE app now puts all of that aside, providing users one simple interface for all ePub-based library e-books, regardless of vendor (such as OverDrive, Bibliotecha, and Baker & Taylor).

Source: A Breakthrough for Library E-Books?

Flak for Europe copyright plans

The media and sports industries are opposing the European Commission’s plans to change copyright law to make more films, sports and TV shows available online throughout the 28-nation bloc.

In its plans for a “digital single market” the commission wants to make broadcasters’ online transmissions more easily available across borders, but that risks diluting the licensing value of content and undermining the way films and TV shows are financed, lobbyists say.

Source: Flak for Europe copyright plans | Europe | BDlive

Justice Department Won’t Change Music Licensing Agreements 

The Justice Department has completed its review of 75-year-old consent decrees that govern how music rights organizations set rates for licensing songs — and they are proposing no changes.

“Although stakeholders on all sides have raised some concerns with the status quo, the division’s investigation confirmed that the current system has well served music creators and music users for decades and should remain intact,” the DOJ said in a lengthy statement explaining its reasoning on Thursday.

Source: Justice Department Won’t Change Music Licensing Agreements | Variety

U.S. Copyright Office Criticizes FCC’s Plan on Set-Top Boxes 

The U.S. Copyright Office criticized a federal agency’s plan to open up the market for pay-TV set-top boxes in a letter to lawmakers on Wednesday.

The letter adds to political pressure on Federal Communications Commission Chairman Tom Wheeler, who has been pushing since the beginning of the year for new FCC rules to open up the market for the costly set-top boxes—currently dominated by cable and satellite pay-TV providers—to new entrants such as Alphabet Inc.’s Google unit.

Source: U.S. Copyright Office Criticizes FCC’s Plan on Set-Top Boxes – WSJ

SESAC and SUISA join forces for transatlantic licensing solution

The initiative is in response to the European Commission’s wish for cooperation among music rights organisations to enable users to negotiate licenses with as few companies as possible.

The multi-territorial platform will offer single source licenses for reproduction, distribution and performance rights for both SUISA and SESAC’s repertoires, as well as those of music publishers seeking to license their catalogues across Europe and beyond – which SESAC hopes will be music to the ears of digital service providers such as YouTube, Apple and Spotify.

Source: SESAC and SUISA join forces for transatlantic licensing solution – Music Business Worldwide

Blockchain Startup DECENT.ch Rolls out Development Plan and Roadmap 

The development plan and roadmap of the DECENT Network is now available for ICO investors and others to learn more about how the team plans to fully decentralized and independent Blockchain media distribution system.

From its roots derived form a simple Blockchain conversation a couple of years ago between two friends impressed with Bitcoin technology – and now to a courageous worldwide project to build the first Blockchain-driven digital content distribution system, the road has been challenging and tough, but is now coming to fruition.

Source: Blockchain Startup DECENT.ch Rolls out Development Plan and Roadmap – Blockchain News

TuneCore Expands Live Presence in Britain With Trio of Partnerships 

The British arm of digital distributor TuneCore is growing its presence in the live sector by partnering with U.K. listings and ticket aggregator Ents24 and gig booking online marketplace Band Wagon.

The distribution company, which offers a range of support services to independent artists and has over 150 digital partners worldwide, including iTunes, Apple Music and Spotify, also announced a deal with London-based promoters HotVox that it says will help artists “grow their fan base and increase revenue opportunities.”

Source: TuneCore Expands Live Presence in Britain With Trio of Partnerships | Billboard

The blockchain future is here. And it needs a few good names

Although the term blockchain might sound like a torture device, you might know it from another source: Bitcoin. Blockchain technology is the foundation and principal innovation of bitcoin, the dark web’s infamous cryptocurrency. Blockchain is also the foundation of Ethereum, which some see as a successor to bitcoin.

So this quick decoding not only reveals that The DAO is a venture capital fund that tracks its money via a blockchain technology — a database — named Ethereum. It also shows how the meanings of these three names are at best confounding and at worst unnerving, evoking big government, immateriality and darkness both individually and as a group.

Source: The blockchain future is here. And it needs a few good names. – Recode

Portland Press Selects Copyright Clearance Center’s RightsLink Platform to Handle Article Publishing Charges for its Open Access Articles 

copyright-clearance-centerCopyright Clearance Center, Inc. announced Tuesday that Portland Press has chosen to manage Article Publishing Charges (APCs) for its Open Access publications using CCC’s RightsLink platform

RightsLink streamlines the entire author fee transaction for Open Access charges, giving publishers an author-centric workflow powered by a pricing, discount and business rules engine.

Full press release: Portland Press Selects Copyright Clearance Center’s RightsLink® Platform to Handle Article Publishing Charges for its Open Access Articles – Copyright Clearance Center

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