EFF Releases "The Tinseltown Club"

Seth Schoen writes: "Sing along, kids! EFF is debuting the EFF Action Center with a song produced by EFF and friends -- the Tinsel Town Club Song (a parody of the "Mickey Mouse Club Song"). "Tinseltown Club" makes fun of Disney for its support of legislation which takes away your rights. There's also an MP3 version (with better sound quality) for those who can't see the Flash animation, and we expect to make several other formats available soon. To help save bandwidth, we are encouraging listeners to share the song on peer-to-peer networks." Update: Seth has written in with some mirrors you can try, I've posted his note in the story.. Seth says:

"Please try P2P networks first, before going to an HTTP site! The song and animation are definitely out there on the P2P networks by now.

For those who have BitTorrent, use http://bittorrent.theory.org:8080/20020528_eff_tinseltown_club.mp3

For those who use http, get The MP3 from here.

Please go easy on action.eff.org (where the Flash animation is posted) and please do set up and publicize your own mirrors.

• Seth"

Comments

hard to grab flash

[mr_burns]

I tried to grab the flash file to share on gnutella, but eff.org keeps denying me when I use wget or curl (grabbed url from page source).

Is there a URL where we can grab it so we can spread the word?

Re:hard to grab flash

[Yottabyte84]

`wget http://action.eff.org/tinseltown/tinsel.swf` works for me. REALLY slow (350bps) because of /. but it works...

Re:hard to grab flash

[zerocool^]

For reference, when you do things like this, put them on MP3.com a couple of days before they go through so that they appear on MP3.com (it takes a few days to validate). Then you can stream the mp3 (low or hi bandwidth), and bandwidth becomes their problem, not yours.

~Will

A good example of a legitimate use of Peer-to-Peer

[cardshark2001]

The EFF is making a good statement here, without even issuing a statement.

1. Parodies are be protected speech, and the same content that is legal in "traditional" media should be legal on the internet.

2. Disney really sucks

3. Peer-to-Peer file-sharing software is not merely for eypatch wearing, parrot on their shoulder types. People actually use it legitimately.

Why not make another statement?

[Anonymous Coward]

4. We don't need to use a license restricted format (mp3) when there's a better format available freely (ogg)

Re:Why not make another statement?

[JungleBoy]

This is gonna hurt, I just know it. But here is the oggification of it!

EFF-Tinseltown_Club.ogg

Why do I think that I'm going to regret doing this.
:S

-The JungleBoy

Re:Why not make another statement?

[thesolo]

I've mirrored JungleBoy's Ogg version, to help lessen the load on his server. (Hope you don't mind! If you do for some reason, email me.)

You can all grab it at:
http://www.realfx.com/EFF-Tinseltown_Club.ogg

It is 1 meg in size; I have enough bandwidth for the /. community, but please don't crosspost the link, thanks. And be sure to tell your friends about it!

Seriously, I am really impressed by this effort, plus the quality of the song is just excellent. Go EFF! Also, if you haven't already, Join or Donate to the EFF!

Already in mp3 format, huh?

[guttentag]

So do you think the RIAA would be stupid enough to come after me if I distribute this song on a Napster-like system?

link to it!

[macsox]

userland's dave winer has an image you can use to link to the animation from your own website.

(i humbly admit that i made it. i am biased.)

Mirror of the MP3

[Turmio]

Kind of stupid to link an MP3 on Slashdot front page. I still managed to grab it after a couple of reconnect attempts.

Download here: http://shakti.tky.hut.fi/slashdot/effmp3

Re:Hypocrisy Alert!

[_xeno_]

Oh well, I'll have to use my moderator point elsewhere.

[S]o Flash is a bad evil tool of the devil (as spouted here at Slashdot) but when the EFF uses it, no problem?

Flash is a bad evil tool of the devil when used in place of HTML or used in place of other, more accessible, standards. In this case, Flash is being used to make what is in essence a movie. When knowingly browsing to a movie, I am willing to accept that the movie might require a plugin in order to be successfully viewed.

What I hate and find annoying is when Flash is used in place of HTML or other more accessible means. If Slashdot's front page were a large Flash animation, then it would be an annoying tool of the devil. If Flash were used for the topic icons, it would be another misuse. But if Flash were used for a cute little animation that is the basis for a text story, that's an appopriate use of Flash.

Also, don't forget that there is no entity known as Slashdot. Some people like Flash, others do not.

I personally hate Flash when used where simple html and images would have done since Flash sometimes causes my browser to crash and generally slows down the rendering of the browser page. But when it is used to create an animation with sound, I don't mind it - as long as I am aware of that fact before loading the page.

This is just another right-tool-for-the-job issue, and in this case, the EFF is using the right tool for the job they wish to do.

Well, um . . . Re:And The Purpose Is What?

[StefanJ]

. . . unless it's changed since this morning, doesn't the last frame invite viewers to find out what they can do?

The cartoon is motivating people to act.

It's propaganda

[Paul the Bold]

"WTF are they up to?" It's propaganda; they are making a complex and boring issue palatable to the average person. This kind of campaign is common (I hate to bring it up, but we've all received a Chick tract). It's not an in-depth coverage of the topic, it's an attention grabber.

I sent this link to my sisters, who have taken no interest in this issue at all. I am know that the stupid cartoon and song will make them laugh, but the confrontational lyrics should make them think. (I'm just glad I sent it to them yesterday.)

Nice, but wrong strategy.

[Dan Crash]

The Flash video was nicely done, but I think trying to paint corporations as villains for trying to "keep their profits high" is a strategy waiting to backfire. Keeping profits high is what corporations are supposed to do. No one in power is going to spank them for doing that.

The whole issue isn't about profits in the first place. It's about control. THEY want to control the things YOU buy AFTER you buy them. And they're using all their corporate powers -- money, lobbying, technology -- to stop you from owning things at all. In their world, you don't own CDs, just licenses to listen to them.

I think we'd all be doing better if we lampooned these corporations as communist dictators instead of capitalists. The analogy fits better, and it's funnier, too.