Ned's Treehouse
:: Posted by Sid Smith on Tue., Jan 24, 2012
You can read all about the Adrian Belew-produced Treehouse album by Ned Evett here. 

Germany, Grooveshark & GEMA
:: Posted by Sid Smith on Tue., Jan 24, 2012
This press release from GEMA suggests that Grooveshark's recent announcement that the company is ceasing operations in Germany might not be all they said it was.

Mister Stormy's Monday Selection
:: Posted by Sid Smith on Mon., Jan 23, 2012
What an absolute gem Mister Stormy has polished today - Robert Fripp making an early pass at the solo on Matte Kudasai, isolated from the Discipline multi-tracks and in breathtaking up-close detail. 

Z'Zooom!
:: Posted by Sid Smith on Mon., Jan 23, 2012
My thanks to Justin Brandis who writes to say "Wandering around Taronga Zoo in Sydney, Australia, I was unfortunately too late to attend what seemed, at first glance, to be a performance by my favourite band."

Vive le Crimso
:: Posted by Sid Smith on Mon., Jan 23, 2012
My thanks to Becarmi for sending in this link about French trumpet player and vocalist, Médéric Collignon who has a liking for King Crimson's music. For anyone unable to get the gist of the article, Becarmi writes "His current project is about King Crimson music with a touch of Miles Davis. Larks Tongues in Aspic (Indiscipline, Vroom, Dangerous Curves) played with a small orchestra of 8 violins. Very interesting"

Meet The New Boss, Same As The Old Boss
:: Posted by Sid Smith on Sun., Jan 22, 2012
Our thanks to Eric D Nixon for sending this link to David Lowery's dissenting Facebook post on how the new digital-age music companies might not be all they're cracked up to be. On a related theme, Duff McKagan of the popular beat combo Guns N' Roses isn't winning many friends when he dares to suggest that some folks should "Quit whining about SOPA and PIPA. Where's the public outrage over internet piracy?"  

Grooveshark Quits Germany
:: Posted by Sid Smith on Sat., Jan 21, 2012
Grooveshark are quitting Germany according to this piece on Billboard. There's also some more on Grooveshark's Digital Music New subpoena here. 

Megaheadache
:: Posted by Sid Smith on Sat., Jan 21, 2012
Filesharing site MegaUpload has been taken down and some interesting details about the company have emerged. "Other emails discussed offering cash incentives to users who uploaded large quantities of unlicensed movies, and when not to take notice of takedown requests submitted by content owners under the aforementioned DMCA. One email also mused “we have a funny business … modern days pirates :)”. Court papers also say that the Mega companies took $110 million through PayPal, which had enabled Schmitz to pay himself $42 million in 2010 alone. The Mega group had 60 bank accounts around the world, and owned a fleet of cars and motorbikes, some with personalised number plates using words like “STONED”, “GUILTY” and “MAFIA”." Read all about it here.  

It's No Joke
:: Posted by Sid Smith on Sat., Jan 21, 2012
My thanks to BrotherBeavis for sending in this excerpt from a blog by comedian Patton Oswalt. BrotherBeavis says "Here's a post about the execrable behavior of people who try and tape his shows; Uncle Bob might find some resonance to his own experiences"

"I can't stress this enough: she clumsily brought the camera out and started taping after I'd done half of the story...
So in that single act I've lost control of which version of my story has been turned from signal to noise, as well as who decides when, where, and to whom it's shown.

It's the equivalent, to me, of sitting at a table in a coffee shop or library, writing the first draft of a short story, or screenplay or, were I a musician, song lyrics, and having someone walk by, whip the sheet away from me, snap a pic with their camera, and then say, "Hey, I'm a fan of your stuff. I want the new thing you're working on permanently on my phone now. I'm deciding when it's 'done.'"

More at pattonoswalt.com

Happy New Year
:: Posted by Sid Smith on Fri., Jan 20, 2012
Robert's updated diary enters 2012 today!