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Over the past five years I've taken on the mantle of karaoke nerd (I will also answer to diva), and I've really enjoyed performing the karaoke tracks which I bought from your website and persuaded various KJs to import. "First of May" tends to get me some funny looks, and despite the disclaimer, I've yet to be punched in the nose after singing it./

Do you have plans to release any new karaoke tracks? Is there any chance that "Still Alive" will get one, or does Valve own those rights?

What about more sheet music?

Sorry, but your argument is wrong.

Most "Owned" Bands (i.e. on a Major Record Label) do NOT make their money on the CD Sales. They make a pittance. They make most (if not ALL their money) on tours.The reason we have things like JB, is they sell their souls to the music industry and allow them to be totally manipulated and peroform cookie cutter music that you can't tell from the other 20 performers of that style of music.

As for the "ugly" comment, You're telling me that a performer like Ted Nutgent.. I mean Nugent can't sell tickets ? Sadly he does.

If you want REAL musicians, Look up an Indie artist. There are a bunch. And some are even geeky. You have Marian Call, The Double Clicks, Molly Lewis, Jonathan Coulton, Paul and Storm, and others.... Support them and support their music.

http://www.jonathancoulton.com/wiki/I_Feel_Fantastic/Lyrics

Two facts you seem to have missed:
1) Coulton paid the appropriate licensing/royalty fees to cover Baby Got Back. He did not steal from Sir Mix-a-Lot. To quote what he said:

Back when I released it, I bought the statutory license to distribute my version of this song through Harry Fox.

2) While covering a cover may not be a violation of copyright (as he mentioned later in the link that I provided), his recording of the song is an original work of art that is protected under copyright law, meaning that it cannot be used without proper compensation and/or attribution. Fox and the producers of Glee never asked for permission to use his recording, yet it appears that they did exactly that, since elements that he added (e.g. the duck quack) were present in the Glee version.

So, troll better next time.

Joco has flac versions in his store (see Thing a Week 1 for this track). No clue where to find a lossless recording of the Glee version

JoCo explicitly notes in his store that his covers are not CC.

The question is whether Glee crossed the line from "sounds similar to" to "used the same background recordings as". Coulton has a karaoke version available, and at one point it was possible to purchase a usb drive containing source tracks of this song (among others) as part of a creative commons fundraiser, so it's certainly feasible that the Glee version simply stuck new vocals on top of JoCo's existing tracks. There is some strong evidence that that is exactly what happened.

Er, the problem is exactly that people stopped buying movies and music, they just didn't stop consuming them.

"Revolution" is one way to fix the issue of bills like these. People giving up piracy and paying for what they use would probably also work, as it'd take away the rationale and I think the labels/studios would lose interest in lobbying at that point, given that it's expensive, slow and frustrating for all involved.

Of course most people want to shout "fuck the corporations" and feel radical at the same time as they guzzle down Hollywood movies from TPB. So that solution isn't going to happen.

When the major labels tank, it will be because their individual investors finally accept that the world no longer values the product. It doesn't matter whether people are pirating or not - if we valued the product, we'd buy it. (Portal Song author) Jonathan Coulton, for example, gives a non-trivial amount of his music away free on his website. http://www.jonathancoulton.com/ At PAX East he was selling signed, branded thumb drives which contained his complete discography for about $60 - and they were selling (besides which, the dude gives a hell of a show).

Literate consumers aren't geese anymore, ready to have shitty media crammed down our throats to produce financial pate for greedy marketing slobs. I've downloaded plenty of media that turned out to be garbage, and so I don't pay for it. I'm not ashamed in the least, either. I feel it makes me a truly informed consumer, and I vote with my wallet every chance I get. Good luck returning a shitty movie, piece of software, or album if you pay in advance. The industry is inside out. It forces you to commit a crime to determine value. Fuck 'em.

If that anchor has a lot of money attached to it, then what's the problem?

I'll start with Ben Franklin, and finish with Jonathan Coulton:

"They who can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety, deserve neither liberty nor safety." - Benjamin Franklin

(Works with financial safety as well as physical safety.)

"Here are some things I do differently from some other artists: I own all my music 100%, which means I have complete control over how I sell it (or not). I can give it away, I can bundle it on a USB key or in a zip file, I can allow people to make and post music videos, and I don’t have to deal with lawyers or labels to do any of that. I also get all the profits." - Jonathan Coulton

Currently, a record label contract is the equivalent to indentured servitude.

It's no less arbitrary that those of us who create content (and I'm one of them) claim it's somehow our right to profit from it.

Take a look at this blog post by Jonathan Coulton. I can't think of any way I could agree more:
http://www.jonathancoulton.com/2012/01/21/megaupload/

I've heard that "in the future, the currency will be bullets. Because you can 'buy'[1] something with them; or, you can 'BUY'[2] something with them." [1] -- hand held out, open palm; [2] -- hand held with index finger pointing and thumb up (simulating a sidearm).

Perhaps it'll be the future soon? Speaking of which, Jonathan Coulton has some new music, and a blog post about SOPA/PIPA/MegaUpload on his site.

oh wait, he did. http://www.jonathancoulton.com/

How many others I wonder?

The first thing I thought about after skimming the article is, "what about all the hackers making a dime these days." It seems that folks like Lady Ada and some of the folks over at iFixit are making a decent shot of it. I have no idea what their finances are, but their sites and offerings continue to grow. It looks to me like they are making some decent and honest money based off of the industry of others.

Jonathan Coulton of Code_Monkey fame is doing alright. I heard a pice on NPR about him recently. He's making a living writing fun songs and distributing them himself.

Obviously not everyone who gets into the on-line creative business is going to make a fortune, but it looks like there's plenty of niches that aren't all occupied.

I've heard "Can't Keep Johnny Down" isn't about either of you. Is there any chance it's about your current opening act Jonathan Coulton ?

Coulton as the opener?

Can you provide more details on that? No mention of him on their upcoming calendar, and Coulton's calendar at http://www.jonathancoulton.com/shows/ only shows one event today in Amsterdam.

MESSAGE REDACTED

For those not getting the joke:
http://www.jonathancoulton.com/wiki/index.php/Chiron_Beta_Prime

It's the end credits from the video game "Portal" by Valve. It was written by Jonathan Coulton: http://www.jonathancoulton.com/2007/10/15/portal-the-skinny/

The exact style and content of his music is largely irrelevant.

I beg to differ!

Jonathan Coulton writes lyrics targeted to a technologically savvy audience, and distributes online, exactly where his target market is available. He has the perfect storm of content distribution and audience demographic.

I didn't know he was still alive. So much for assumptions.

I only knew he was still alive because of this song.
http://www.jonathancoulton.com/songdetails/Mandelbrot%20Set

Cripes, JoCo will need to update that verse of the song. Only, I don't think "Mandelbrot's in Heaven... ... ..." and a long pause, while respectful, would work as well musically.

Of course, he sings an updated version of "Curl" in some of his live shows to account for the fact that the leader of a curling team is the Skip, not the Skipper, so maybe we'll hear a new version soon.

...at least he is now that he's dead. Right now he's no-longer alive and teaching math at Yale. Thanks for all those bad-ass fucking fractals! http://www.jonathancoulton.com/2007/09/02/mandelbrot-set-video-2/

I didn't know he was still alive. So much for assumptions.

I only knew he was still alive because of this song.
http://www.jonathancoulton.com/songdetails/Mandelbrot%20Set

Well at least we know Jonathan Coulton will be on the music appreciation portion.

http://www.jonathancoulton.com/songdetails/Re%20Your%20Brains

Best. Reference. Ever!

If you don't know what this is, go here. Scroll down to "Thing a Week 2" and click the play button on "Re Your Brains".

Well, I have this half-monkey half-pony hybrid, but my girlfriend doesn't like it.

They should get a big DJ rig and run this L4D2 classic.

Don't forget about the always awesome Jonathan Coulton as well. On topic: Yeah, I don't really care about getting more "selective" with the music. The things I care most about are new features within the game engine itself.

Sure, they keep the horde of undead occupied while you escape via the parking garage or roof.

That will work in the short term, but future company meetings become really awkward.

I wonder how obscure this reference is. Always brings a smile to my face :-)

I agree with you. But I think there are things you can do that make the people who buy your stuff feel special and important. And as long as you do that, I think you'll end up with a lot of people buying your stuff.

I look at what Radiohead and NIN have done in this regard. Johnathan Coultan is also a good example.

People could've gotten and can still get the work of any of those artists for free. Many people choose to pay anyway. And the reason is that those artists do things to make the fans who choose to buy feel appreciated.

I get up early when the sleeping pill wakes me
I take a wake up pill and fill with energy
I power on hard and I check my messages
But I don't have any messages
I take a driving pill and head to my car
I drive around a bit cuz work isn't very far
I call my phone and I check my messages
But I don't have any messages

All I know is driving on drugs feels better when they're prescription
All I know is the world looks beautiful, the world looks so damn beautiful

I feel fantastic
And I never felt as good as how I do right now
Except for maybe when I think of how I felt that day
When I felt the way that I do right now, right now.
I feel fantastic
And I never felt as good as how I do right now
Except for maybe when I think of how I felt that day
When I felt the way that I do right now, right now, right now.

Work is anything but quiet these days
I try to medicate my concentration haze
I can feel/see the day unfold in front of me
So I take the stairs and hit the gym
The phone is ringing when I get to my desk
What was a stinging's now a sharp pain in my chest
So I take a Calminex and just chill
And then it's time for lunch again

All I know is work is easy when you don't stress out about deadlines
All I know is I take my medicine I always take my medicine.

And I feel fantastic
And I never felt as good as how I do right now
Except for maybe when I think of how I felt that day
When I felt the way that I do right now, right now, right now.
I feel fantastic
And I never felt as good as how I do right now
Except for maybe when I think of how I felt that day
When I felt the way that I do right now, right now, right now. (6 right now's that fade out)

Sometimes I'd like to slow things down
Enjoy the moment
But when I look the moment's gone

Work is over but I can't stay to work late
Got to leave and get ready for my second date
With a pretty girl that I met at the pharmacy
Right in the prescription line
I take a pill for my social anxiety
I get a table and a nice bottle of chablis
Now it's getting late and there's still no sign of her
I have another glass of wine

All I know is the wine lasts longer when you don't gotta share it with someone
All I know is the steak tastes better when I take my steak tastes better pill

And I feel fantastic
And I never felt as good as how I do right now
Except for maybe when I think of how I felt that day
When I felt the way that I do right now, right now.
And I feel fantastic
And I never felt as good as how I do right now
Except for maybe when I think of how I felt that day
When I felt the way that I do right now, right now, right now.

(Live) (JoCopedia) (Store)

I get up early when the sleeping pill wakes me
I take a wake up pill and fill with energy
I power on hard and I check my messages
But I don't have any messages
I take a driving pill and head to my car
I drive around a bit cuz work isn't very far
I call my phone and I check my messages
But I don't have any messages

All I know is driving on drugs feels better when they're prescription
All I know is the world looks beautiful, the world looks so damn beautiful

I feel fantastic
And I never felt as good as how I do right now
Except for maybe when I think of how I felt that day
When I felt the way that I do right now, right now.
I feel fantastic
And I never felt as good as how I do right now
Except for maybe when I think of how I felt that day
When I felt the way that I do right now, right now, right now.

Work is anything but quiet these days
I try to medicate my concentration haze
I can feel/see the day unfold in front of me
So I take the stairs and hit the gym
The phone is ringing when I get to my desk
What was a stinging's now a sharp pain in my chest
So I take a Calminex and just chill
And then it's time for lunch again

All I know is work is easy when you don't stress out about deadlines
All I know is I take my medicine I always take my medicine.

And I feel fantastic
And I never felt as good as how I do right now
Except for maybe when I think of how I felt that day
When I felt the way that I do right now, right now, right now.
I feel fantastic
And I never felt as good as how I do right now
Except for maybe when I think of how I felt that day
When I felt the way that I do right now, right now, right now. (6 right now's that fade out)

Sometimes I'd like to slow things down
Enjoy the moment
But when I look the moment's gone

Work is over but I can't stay to work late
Got to leave and get ready for my second date
With a pretty girl that I met at the pharmacy
Right in the prescription line
I take a pill for my social anxiety
I get a table and a nice bottle of chablis
Now it's getting late and there's still no sign of her
I have another glass of wine

All I know is the wine lasts longer when you don't gotta share it with someone
All I know is the steak tastes better when I take my steak tastes better pill

And I feel fantastic
And I never felt as good as how I do right now
Except for maybe when I think of how I felt that day
When I felt the way that I do right now, right now.
And I feel fantastic
And I never felt as good as how I do right now
Except for maybe when I think of how I felt that day
When I felt the way that I do right now, right now, right now.

(Live) (JoCopedia) (Store)

So maybe you aren't an instant star. Big Fucking Deal.

Do you think that the guy behind Portal's Still Alive song was picked for that honor because the Valve devs heard him on the radio?

Do you think the reason someone gets invited to PAX every year is because he's got an agent behind him doling out the payola to Tycho and Gabe?

No, you can't find their CD's browsing Best Buy or Wal-Mart. But I bet you they still make enough on their work that they can afford dinner at the end of the day.

From Jonathan Coulton's song, "The Future Soon":

Work through the daytime, spend my nights and weekends
Perfecting my warrior robot race
Building them one laser gun at a time
I will do my best to teach them
About life and what it's worth
I just hope that I can keep them from destroying the Earth

You wanted an example?? Jonathan Coulton.
http://www.jonathancoulton.com/primer/info/

The problem I see with relying on big trackers like TPB is that you're lost in the crowd. Indies need their own tracker, where label music isn't even allowed. Legaltorrents.com is a start, but it needs to be promoted in the P2P community a lot better than LT, which hardly anyone knows about. And there needs to be upfront understanding that no lawsuits will result from using it.

but does it have half-monkey half-pony monsters? Hungry wolves patrolling the grounds?

Whadday mean, it's not inside a mountain? Color me "meh."

Give me Skullcrusher Mountain* any day.

*If you haven't yet, buy the song or the album. Jonathon Coulton's a genius and ought to be making more money than all of RIAA and its ass-ociated labels combined. And I like Spiff's videos for Coulton's music. Somehow, much of Jonathan's music seems to work very well as WoW machinima.

Those "lobsters" today... they're not even furry! A disgrace.

I cannot lie either. If you haven't heard this version, click the "Play the song" button.

Jonathan Coulton is creative commons and a big geek to boot. Use his music! Granted there are already quite a few music videos based on his music but that doesn't mean you can't use it as background music for your latest viral video attempt.

I partly agree with you - except that Flash has the best media playback available. It isn't all bad, but it is misused most of the time.

Some sites make really good use of Flash:
http://www.youtube.com/
http://www.hulu.com/
http://www.jonathancoulton.com/

Sorry, but there is no possible "business" that can be conducted along the lines of "give it to me for nothing or I'll take it." That is where music is today.

That's simply not true. I'm more than willing to pay for my music - I'm just not giving money to the RIAA.

I discovered Jonathan Coulton after someone posted a link to a video on YouTube of his Re:Your Brains song. I purchased all of his music legally on his website.

I also happily purchased a recent NIN album on-line.

It's all a matter of value. People need to feel that they're getting their money's worth.

I don't see a future where many bands put out music for everyone to download for free just for the exposure. What the heck do I care about a band in New Jersey if I am in LA? Sure, I might download their stuff but they aren't getting me to buy drinks in the bar they play at.

No... But maybe you're getting them some ad revenue from their website. Or maybe their music is good enough that you decide to buy a t-shirt or hat or something. Or maybe they've got an album with some nice box art and extras that you decide to buy. Or, if they get enough exposure, maybe you'll buy a ticket to go see them live.

By the way, the other thing that dies is FM radio. When there is no music promotion, there is no FM radio as we know it today.

I doubt it. There's still plenty of people watching broadcast TV despite the availability of cable TV and the ability to download shows on-line. Local FM radio offers local flavor and personality that you aren't likely to get from a pile of MP3s. And it can be a great way to showcase local talent.

And even if FM radio fades there's always IP radio...unless the RIAA manages to silence it. All my local radio stations are available on-line... And then they're not only getting revenue from the ads they sell on the air, but the ads on their website as well. And I've been a happy user of last.fm for a while now.

Kudos indeed, but this isn't just a random artist choosing DRM this is the bloke from the Beatles who co-wrote the first hit for the Rolling Stones and the Frog Chorus.

Jonathan Coulton does this is well, and he is hardly a "big guy" (he's the guy who wrote code monkey)

JoCo's website

You might check out Jonathan Coulton.

You can download all his stuff for free, and it's very, very high quality.

I'm sure others will point out other free artists; his lyrics generally speak to the inner geek in all of us, and the songs have catchy beats to match!

Oh, also, he did the song at the end of Portal, although that wasn't his voice, as it sounds much better.

Some of his favorites of mine: Shop Vac, I Feel Fantastic (excellent song about "better living through chemistry"), Todd the T1000, Better, Ikea, SkyMall, Someone is Crazy, Furry Old Lobster, Code Monkey (the song that introduced me to him, great coder tune), The Presidents (now needs to be updated!), Not About You, Flickr, "Dance, Soterios Johnson, Dance", Chiron Beta Prime, The Future Soon, Octopus, Gambler's Prayer, and Re: Your Brains (about a well-educated zombie).

Perhaps... Jonathan Coulton? He recently stated that he is now making more money off his music annually than he did working as a software engineer.

The guy with the incredibly malformed <a href> link.

No, that's not right. Jonathan Coulton has an awesome http, the best on teh tubes. I am JAFI has teh fail http. But meant well.

Seriously (SRSLY), Jonathon Coulton rose to geek prominence with this distribution model. Weird Al doesn't need more prominence, but at least credit him with seeing the wisdom of Coulton's* model.

*Yeah, Coulton didn't invent or pioneer this. He just made it visible, at least within the 'net community. Most "music consumers" have never heard of him, so obviously his inroads into RIAA's territory are minor. Maybe this will be Weird Al's place in the evolution of media sales and distribution.

Signed,

idontgno
Yet Another Code Monkey

The two aren't necessarily exclusive... he just needs to familiarize himself with this song by Jonathan Coulton.

I don't agree. Independent professional musicianship is possible for the first time in history because of non-localized self-promotion via the Internet. Take Jonathan Coulton as an example. He quit a day job as a software developer to start a musical career. Without contacts in the music industry, he rapidly gained an audience on the Internet.

Independent musicians are less likely to become millionaire superstars, but I don't see that as a negative.

I'm more impressed by the recent update to this field of work done by Coulton, Storm, Paul, et. al. But Queen had some important thoughts on the world's goings and the roundedness of certain supply chains.

Sorry, I can't help but post this. Awesome song about the Mandelbrot set for those who haven't heard it.

http://www.jonathancoulton.com/songdetails/Mandelbrot%20Set

I know that 1 example does not a business model make, but check out Jonathan Coulton. He's never touched a major label, but he does fantastic stuff (of both the geeky and less-geeky varieties), and I hear he makes a pretty good living for himself.

http://www.jonathancoulton.com/store/downloads

You can get all his stuff for free as in beer and as in libre.

Oh, and he's damn good, so he's got that going for him.