The Null Device Blog

This past Saturday was the second annual Madison Area Music Awards (MAMAs). Last year we were nominated in two categories and won neither. This year we were nominated in three and won two.

I’m very proud. I do realize that in the grand scheme of things, a plastic trophy doesn’t amount to a hill of beans, and if we’re lucky it’ll mean maybe one or two more CD sales, but, eh, at least our name is out there.

Plus, it was a really fun show. And all proceeds go to the Madison Metro School District’s music programs, which in my book is always a good cause.

There were some really standout performances…last year, the German Art Students completely blew me away with their high-energy brand of post-punk. This year, the Profit$ impressed me with their mellow acoustic rock. Also, Know Boundaries had some issues setting up (they couldn’t find a powerstrip) but proceeded to just nuke the stage with their monster hiphop. Their bassist is insane.

Other highlights were the floating head of Dr. Ryan Parks, accepting “Best Radio Station” for WORT, wacky band antics, and The Gomers playing “Jesus Christ Superstar” after one of the winners thanked her Lord and Savior onstage. And then there was the pageant of guitars and basses that Good-n-Loud Music was donating to the school system. 22 of them, and many of them were damn fine instruments.

I of course made an ass of myself when first called up there. I was so convinced we were going to lose that the shock completely knocked any knoweldge of who to thank out of my brain. The second time was a little better, although I nearly forgot to thank Kristy V and Nilaihah. I didn’t forget to thank Eric G, Dan, and Chuck, though.

So, yeah, pretty neat.

A recent court judgement has allowed allofmp3.com to stay in business.

This is categorically a bad thing.

“But Eric!” you say. “Aren’t you a big supporter of digital distribution? Don’t you even think Kazaa and Soulseek and those are kinda sorta okay?”

Well, yes, I do, to an extent. I’m okay-ish with soulseek, because nobody’s selling anything. Yes, I’m losing money on the deal if someone steals a copy of Sublimation, but at least nobody else is making money off the deal.

Which is why I hate allofmp3.com. The Slashdot community is hailing their court victory as a triumph for the consumer, a blow against the evil RIAA. What they’re failing to note is that a sizeable portion of those artists on allofmp3 are not RIAA artists. They’re indie artists.

You’re still probably asking what the big deal is.

Well, see, it’s like this: allofmp3.com takes a CD, rips it, and sells the mp3’s. What’s so bad about this? They don’t pay anybody. How do they get away with this? Well, a particular loophole in russian law allows them to, provided that they have provisions for artist payment, if the artists signs up with them.

So, great, I’ll sign up with them…oh, wait, I need a lawyer familiar with russian copyright law…who speaks russian…and can deal with these guys…

If you’re an indie artist, how on earth are you going to afford a russian lawyer? It’s not like signing up for ASCAP, where you can fill out a few forms online and 6-8 weeks later a shiny silver ASCAP membership card arrives in the mail. This is deliberately difficult for the majority of allofmp3’s stable of “product” to get payment for.

It’s low, it’s wrong, and it’s not a blow for consumers’ rights or against big business. It’s a scam, plain and simple.

Worse still, when we had stuff up there – against our express wishes – they were selling tracks from the Footfalls EP and some older mp3.com tracks. They were selling things we were giving away for free.

That, my friends, is some stone-cold bullshit.

INFERNO
HaLO
March 9th, 2005
DJs EUROTIC, NULL and DELERIUM

EUROTIC
Keef Baker- Runt
Endif- Ashes (ctrlshft mix)
Cdatakill- Resting in Paradise (larvae mix)

[DJ Delerium set]

NULL
Stromkern vs Panjabi MC- Mundian to Bach Kern (Beware of Ned)
Juno Reactor- God is God
Chemical Brothers- Galvanize
Plump DJs feat Gary Numan- Pray for You
Junior Jack feat Robert Smith- Da Hype
*The Killers- Somebody Told Me (josh harris mix)
*Duran Duran- Astronaut
*The Bravery- An Honest Mistake
Venus Hum- Fighting For Love
The Streets- Blinded By The Lights (null device mmmmmashed mix)

EUROTIC
Underworld- King of Snake
Lights of Euphoria- Liquid Lust pt II
Epsilon Minus- Red Alert
Seabound- Poisonous Friend (iris mix)
Depeche Mode- Strangelove
Siouxsie and the Banshees- The Passenger
Bjork- Hyperballad
+Speedy J- Drill
HIV+ – Havoc2027 (bak iii mix)
+CombiChrist- This Shit Will Fcuk You Up

NULL
The Azoic- Illuminate (null device remix)
iiO- Runaway (ford radio edit)
DnTel- (this is the postal service mix of) Evan and Chan
Pet Shop Boys- Flamboyant (tomcraft mix)
Depeche Mode- World in My Eyes (cicada mix)
*Gus Gus- Ladyshave
Goldfrapp- Twist
Way Out West- Anything But You
*Hybrid- True To Form
Deepsky- Ride
Curve- Missing Link
Solar Twins- Rock The Casbah

EUROTIC
Rob D- Clubbed II Death
Stromkern- Stand Up (iris mix)
:Wumpscut:- Wreath of Barbs
Caustic- Drag Show Gone Wrong
This Morn Omina- The Immutable Sphere
CombiChrist- Blut Royale
Asche- 2nd Scrape
Caustic- Love That Taint
Manufactura- Pain Provider
Feindflug- Stromtod
16 Volt- Cloth Like Gauze
Infrastructure- Dream Dealer
Covenant- Like Tears in Rain