SOPA Explained- Guardian UK

Not sure what this morning’s news that the House had “killed” SOPA will mean (obviously there will be other bills- or revisions at least), the the video above is quite telling.  Sitting directly in the middle by representing copyright holders, but being an ardent fan of Free Speech- I am conflicted on SOPA’s over-reaching ability if in-acted..  Perhaps I wont have to choose a side

PROTECT IP Act Breaks The Internet from Fight for the Future on Vimeo.

If you have been paying attention to digital music land lately, it is highly likely you have heard of a new(ish) digital music service on the market. In beta currently, turntable.fm may just change the way we listen to music. Billed as a kind-of interactive web radio, turntable allows users to take turns spinning their favorite tunes in genre-based rooms. Take the interactive nature of second-life and juxtapose it with a Pandora-like service and you have turntable.

I was skeptical at first, but have to admit after playing a few times, this is quite addictive. Content-wise they have all of the popular stuff… as you head to the not-so-common genres, it gets scarce. That is where the user uploaded content comes into play. All users have the ability to upload their own tracks making it truly a choose-your-own-adventure listening experience. The legalities of the uploaded content has many scratching their heads, but I have it on good authority that they are flying safely below the infringement line thanks to the Digital Millennium Copyright Act. On the legal side, they are paying for the uploaded recordings via Sound Exchange so it is all above board (for now).

Legal issues aside, this is a very cool and fun way to hear new music. Once it is out of Beta, I foresee this becoming a popular alternative to Pandora and last.fm.

The most interesting part of this visualization is the reality of where all of these services stand in comparison with Youtube and Pandora (see below). Be sure to go over to their site to see the actual usage numbers (hover your mouse over each section of the map for user numbers and other detail