Shipping from Kunshan!
Author: Christopher S Penn
-
Cover Music on the Podsafe Music Network
There was a great discussion on Twitter today about cover songs and the Podsafe Music Network. Disclosure: I am not a lawyer. My understanding of copyright and intellectual property law is based solely on all the stuff I’ve read to be in compliance with the law and what ASCAP/BMI sent me when I applied for licenses for my show, the Financial Aid Podcast.
There are three basic rights when a song is created by a musician:
- Composition rights. This is the sheet music, the notes themselves.
- Performance rights. This is the expression of the music out loud.
- Mechanical rights. This is the recording of the music. Sometimes called reproduction rights.
In the United States, performance rights and mechanical rights are often lumped together, while composition rights are kept separate, thus necessitating clearinghouses like ASCAP and BMI for composition rights, and labels and Harry Fox Agency for mechanical rights. As I learned at Podcasters Across Borders this summer, Canada separates all three and has three distinct licensing agencies to deal with the varying rights.
When it comes to cover music on the Podsafe Music Network, an artist who uploads a cover has rights only to the performance and the mechanical; the MP3 file is both performance and recording in one. The artist does NOT have rights to the composition itself, and uploading a cover to the PMN is a violation of the terms of service, because they’re essentially misrepresenting someone else’s composition rights as their own. This also means the composer is NOT getting paid for use of their work.
When it comes to playing music on your podcast, play it safe. Only play original podsafe music uploaded by the artists or their legal representation (labels), unless you have an ASCAP/BMI license. If you’re not sure whether a song is original or not, Google the title and a lyric or two, and you’ll soon find out.
-
Awaken YOUR Superhero Powers : Power 1 of 10 – Generosity
Awaken YOUR Superhero Powers : Power 1 of 10 – Generosity
Fu Sei
Dana Paramita
GenerosityAs part of my every thought, word, and action, I am inspired by the heroic ideal of generously caring for others. I want to make the world a better place!
The foundation of your superhero powers rests on your desire to make the world around you, from distant cities to your neighborhood, a better place. Even something as simple as picking up a piece of litter makes a change for the better.
Even more powerfully, you can turn what are normally human weaknesses into strengths. Selfishness can be twisted into enlightened self interest, where you work for solutions that benefit you AND benefit the people you work with. Find ways to help everyone win, and in doing so you’ll gain the benefits for yourself as well. The more you can give, the more you can share, the more you’ll earn and grow. Some people call this the Golden Rule, others call it Giver’s Game, but at each opportunity to score a win for both the home team and the visiting team, do so.
Commit today and every day to make the world a better place with a focused thought, word, and action.
Thought: In a situation today and every day when you’re inclined to view a situation as win/lose, find a way to twist the situation to everyone’s advantage.
Word: In a conversation you have today and every day, find a moment to turn harsh words into constructive ones, free of venom but helpful.
Action: In a place today and every day, find a moment to clean up a piece of litter, turn off a leaky faucet, or another small but meaningful gesture that helps make the world a better place immediately.
Endnote: The powers themselves are translated by Senior Master Instructor Stephen K. Hayes from the Enlightened Warrior Gyoja Practitioner Recitation Handbook, published by the Kinryuzan Golden Dragon Mountain Kasumi-An Dojo.
-
Awaken YOUR Superhero Powers : Introduction
Awaken YOUR Superhero Powers : Introduction
We live in an age starved for heroes. The resurgence of hero movies, hero TV shows, hero stories, and the willingness by the media to label anyone with an ounce of initiative a hero shows how badly we need to find heroes in our society.
But… what if you could have more? What if, instead of fictional characters in tights and capes on a screen, you could find a hero inside yourself? What if you could LIVE the powers of a superhero, brought to life inside your own heart and mind? Would you?
I’m going to publish a series of 10 blog posts on the topic – the 10 qualities of a superhero. The powers themselves are translated by Senior Master Instructor Stephen K. Hayes from the Enlightened Warrior Gyoja Practitioner Recitation Handbook, published by the Kinryuzan Golden Dragon Mountain Kasumi-An Dojo. These have very, very old roots, and the commentary on them is mine alone.
The ten qualities of a superhero aren’t a means to obtain superpowers, because you already have those. Today, from a device the size of a candy bar, you have access to the bulk of humanity’s knowledge. Today, from a telephone in a pocket, you can instantly communicate with the other side of the planet. Today, from any broadband computer with a Web browser, you can see and affect events in far away lands. The abilities technology gives us would have been labeled magical a hundred years ago, and sorcery three hundred years ago. You already have the powers; the qualities of a superhero are to help guide you and put them to use.
Shikin haramitsu daikomyo. Every day could be the day when it all comes together, when everything WORKS, and we begin to bring our potential to life. Get ready to awaken your superhero.
-
Is PodCamp Too Corporate? or, Welcome New Folks!
Is PodCamp Too Corporate? or, Welcome New Folks!
Bill Weye on his blog asks a great question – has PodCamp Boston, in effect, sold out, with its huge list of attendees from corporations?
Gosh, I hope so. But not in the sense he’s thinking. In terms of sponsors and vendors, there are so far three – VON, Blue Sky Factory, and Jay Berkowitz. You’ve heard VON’s commercial pitch – attend Video on the Net for 200 instead of1,695. Blue Sky Factory hasn’t gotten their sponsorcast stuff to us yet, but they’re a mailing list service, the one that powers PodCamp Boston‘s outreach efforts.
Here’s my thinking about all the corporations, venture capitalists, media, and marketers coming to PodCamp Boston:
Welcome! Please go meet some new media people, and learn all about new media.
In the year that’s passed since PodCamp Boston 1, there have been a number of success stories about new media folks being able to make a living doing what they love to do most. At the same time, there are orders of magnitude more stories about people wanting to get connected to resources (money, media, marketing) to share their work who haven’t been able to. At PodCamp Philly, Brian Conley from Alive in Baghdad mentioned very publicly that AIB is desperately looking for donors/sponsors. He and his organization are doing great, very important work telling stories that the mainstream media aren’t.
It’s my hope as one of the organizers of PodCamp Boston that if we put folks like Brian and AIB in the same room as producers and directors from media buyers, venture capitalists like Openview and Masthead Venture Partners, that new media experts with legitimate, great content can get connected with resource partners. It’s not about selling stuff to PodCamp attendees at all, but rather connecting new people and new media together to make exciting partnerships and friendships.
If PodCamp Boston didn’t invite people with resources to the new media community, we’d be doing the community a disservice. As Bill Weye pointed out, people come to PodCamp to collaborate and meet others doing exciting things. I hope that idea and feeling extends to new people who want to know more about new media, and isn’t just reserved for people already in the community.
Finally, I’ll remind EVERYONE of this: the Law of Two Feet – meaning you walk away from what doesn’t interest you – doesn’t just apply to sessions. In every interaction at PodCamp, you have the right to walk away, and should do so immediately. With so many people of so many different backgrounds, you can find plenty of people of similar mind if you choose to do so. I hope you don’t. Corporate or evangelist, early adopter or conservative, I hope you meet some new friends and find ways to help each other in whatever best suits your needs in new media.
-
So about those podcasting associations…
So about those podcasting associations…
… with Tim Bourquin’s Podcast Expo coming up, I’ve gotten no less than six emails in the past week (names withheld to protect the guilty) asking me either what I thought of the ADM and APOMP, ADM vs. APOMP, etc., both as a podcaster and as that PodCamp guy along with Mr. Brogan.
Short version: I’m waiting to see. Until I get a chance to study what these two organizations are doing, I can’t offer a valid opinion. I do think podcasting needs standards, but I also think podcasting needs to move away from the pageviews/downloads mindset and towards metrics that count – funded student loans for me, maybe speaking gigs for Mitch Joel, maybe Webinar opportunities for Bryan Person, etc. At the end of the day, whose name will be on the paycheck or accounts receivables?
Ultimately, if podcasting is to be a valid vehicle for business, it needs to have more than just eyeballs as a metric. The last time folks tried that was 1999, and we all know how that ended.
-
Decor change
Got tired of WuCoco, so I changed up the decor around here along with a new mission statement: Awaken Your Superhero. When I thought about it, the moments in my life that have been the most powerful and moving are those when a friend or loved one suddenly stepped outside their comfort zone, stepped up, and became something – someone – greater. I hope to be able to bring that experience to as many people as possible in my lifetime, starting with PodCamps. PodCamp won’t make you a superhero, but it will give you the venue and time to help you find it within yourself.
-
Frankly, I worry when you don't search my luggage
Adam Curry had an interesting post on his travel experiences recently, especially with his TSA experience. I’ve had some interesting experiences with the TSA, and I generally assume I’ll take half an hour to get through security these days.
Frankly, I really worry when the TSA doesn’t pull me aside and search all my belongings. If I were a TSA employee and saw the stuff I carry when I travel, I’d probably request a background check and fingerprints.
On my most recent trip to PodCamp Philly, my luggage contained:
- A 750 GB external hard drive plus firewire cables and AC adapter
- A Logitech MM50 media player plus cabling, case, and remote
- Two sets of headphones, one noise cancelling, plus battery chargers for them
- A Nikon D40 plus USB cables and battery charger
- A Sanyo VPC CG65 plus cables and battery charger
- A MacBook Pro plus cabling
- A 5 GB iPod plus dock cable, AC adapter, and USB
- An M-Audio Microtrack plus adapter and charger
- An Audio Technica PRO/24 condenser mic plus cabling and batteries
- A Samson C01U large diaphragm condenser mic plus cabling
- An Airport Express wireless access point plus Ethernet cable
- Several Ethernet cables
- Lots of USB to mini-USB cables
- A Nokia N91 phone plus data cable, car charger, and desktop charger
- Two USB card readers plus cabling
- A Plantronic bluetooth headset plus charger
I worry when security looks at all of that in the X-Ray (because I don’t check the luggage – it’s all a carry-on) machine and doesn’t wonder what the heck I’m doing. And all of that, by the way, weighs only 38 pounds.
-
When Business and Charity Align – The Triple Win of Luck of Seven
CC Chapman just pointed out an interesting project/book called On The Luck of Seven. The author is traveling around the world and pre-selling his book for 11.11. CC pointed out that it was a good cause and worthy of support.
When I stopped by the site, I saw something else entirely – an opportunity for SEO – search engine optimization. See, the author is doing something smart – he’s letting donors provide link text and links in exchange for donating.
Those of you in SEO know that quality inbound links cost money –250 or more per link per year. This site is selling good links for $11.11. It’s a steal just on those merits.
On examining the site further, it’s got an estimated PageRank of 5, which is great, and decent numbers with Compete, QuantCast, and Alexa (whose data by itself is suspect, but combined with other metrics gives a relative sense of worth).Now, it’s not just donation – buyers will also get a kid’s book of some kind. I don’t know what it is, but chances are I’ll flip it to a local charity and bingo – my inexpensive inbound link will transform into a charity writeoff, too.
Helping a cause is nice, but helping a cause and helping your business AND getting a small tax break? It’s a triple win.
