BREAKING: Google deleting music blogger posts

via Inquisitr

There is a nervous chill going through the music industry bloggers corner of the larger blogosphere and it has to do with posts of theirs just disappearing. Literally one minute they are there and the next minute they are gone. LA Weekly is reporting on the story that the bloggers that are being affected are all using Google’s Blogger platform which needless to say has a lot of music bloggers looking for new homes.

The story first came to the forefront when Ryan Spaulding, the writer behind the Boston based music blog Ryan’s Smashing Life, noticed that moth old posts that he had written; as well as much older ones, were disappearing from his site. As far as he could see there was no rhyme or reason to it. Unsure of what was happening he started comparing notes with other music bloggers and as a result found that posts right across the web – everything from posts about Abba to Zappa, had vanished.

It was only after a number of emails and conversations that Ryan and the other bloggers figured out that all the affected blogs where located on Google’s Blogger platform

Eventually, though, a consensus emerged: Each post takedown occurred on a blog hosted by the Google-owned Blogger platform, the publishing system used by the majority of mp3 sites, particularly those founded prior to 2007, when the open-source WordPress software became the vogue. Google, the bloggers believe, has quietly changed the methods by which it enforces its user agreement. Whereas in the past, a blog owner would receive a warning before a post’s removal, Google is now simply hitting the delete button. In Spaulding’s case, this means that posts written over the past year or more on Wilco, the Annuals, the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Matisyahu and Earth, Wind & Fire are gone.

“I’d received the label’s press releases and followed their directions, spending my time and energy to promote their albums,” explains a frustrated Spaulding. “By pulling down my post, they destroyed my intellectual creativity, the very same thing they’re erroneously accusing me of doing. Say someone had linked to that post, or [blog aggregator] Hype Machine — it’s gone completely. If I go into my Blogger table of contents, it’s gone. Not de-published — gone.”

RIAA finds its soul, will stop suing individuals downloading music

Who is the bonehead that actually thought suing individuals would stop downloading? Instead of finding ways to bring the consumer better options they decided to basically sue people with little money. RIAA fail.

via Engadget

var digg_url = ‘http://digg.com/tech_news/RIAA_To_Stop_Suing_Individuals’; When you retard fair use with pointless DRM and then sue anonymous children for illegally downloading music while ignoring those of the execs at the top of the music industry, well, you’re asking for a public relations nightmare. Now, with more than 35,000 lawsuits to its credit, the RIAA says it will finally end the legal assault against consumers that began back in 2003. The Recording Industry Association of America will instead, focus its anti-piracy efforts with ISPs. Under the new plan, the RIAA will contact ISPs when illegal uploading is detected. The ISP will then contact the customer with a notice that would ultimately be followed by a reduction or cessation of service. As you’d expect, the RIAA is not commenting on which ISPs they are in cahoots with. The RIAA also says that it won’t require ISPs to reveal the identities of individuals but could, of course, go after individuals who are heavy uploaders or repeat offenders. For the moment though, it appears that single-mothers are in the clear.