NevilleHobson.com

If you’re a UK-based podcaster and concerned about digital rights, an upcoming event from the UK Podcasters Association (UKPA) may interest you:
UKPA is hosting a seminar on rights with the Open Rights Group at the Guardian, Farringdon, London, Saturday March 29th 2pm - 5pm and it would be great if you would come and take [...]

A number of things struck me as I sat in a briefing room in Microsoft’s main London office yesterday morning.
The occasion was a press event by Microsoft to announce their vision for online video in Europe including their strategy for MSN Video, its on-demand free video channel on the web.
Probably the biggest news was [...]

Maybe a nail in the coffin for the advertising-supported music download business model.
From The Times yesterday:
A website which promised to give music lovers the world’s first legal file-sharing service was forced into a humiliating climbdown today after it emerged that the company had not secured the backing of the record industry.
Qtrax, a New York [...]

A disturbing but far from surprising trend reported by Reuters:

Children in Europe are aware of the risks of illegal downloading, but often rationalize their act by saying that everyone — including their parents — is doing it, according to a major European Commission survey.
Other excuses included: the download is for personal and private purposes; [...]

I watched quite a bit of the Live Earth concert at Wembley Stadium yesterday.
What a great line-up of singers and music for a spectacular event! Not only in London but also in eight other cities around the world.
For me, the absolute highlight of the London gig was Madonna, the closing act of the concert there. [...]

No sooner has the iPhone hit the streets across the United States than a smart podcaster has developed a way to iPhone-ify your blog or website so that, if you’re a podcaster, iPhone users can get your podcast on their iPhone.
Chris Penn of the Financial Aid Podcast is the man!
Chris has developed the Financial Aid [...]

So I’m still persevering with my zen experiment, even though I know that I’m definitely not an early-morning person. That’s one reason why the idea of the B-Society appeals to me.
Still, today has been quite productive so far as I take care of many things I’ve not paid much attention to in recent weeks.
Updated my LinkedIn [...]

What a blast! A great party last night at the Coca-Cola Virtual Thirst pavilion in Second Life.
Organized by my crayon colleague CC Chapman (aka Cleon Goff), the event featured MoShang Zhao live from Taiwan playing his unique Chinese Chill music, streamed into the venue.
That got everyone dancing almost non-stop, me (aka Jangles Junot) included.

Dancing in [...]

I was listening to the live webcast from EMI and Apple at lunchtime today announcing the availability of EMI’s music catalogue without digital rights management (DRM) restrictions.
The first outlet where you will be able to buy such DRM-free music will be Apple’s iTunes store.
What this represents is an evolution of the current business model where [...]

Internet radio broadcasters face the alarming prospect of paying much higher royalties to song performers, says the Wall Street Journal, a burden that could silence some online stations.
This looks a possibility if you’re an internet station in the US as it relates to a decision by the Copyright Royalty Board (what the Journal calls an [...]