Conspiracy Theory #18
Conspiracy Theory recovers from its week off.
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Stories
- Amazon MP3 Store to Go Global in 2008
- RIAA sees a 99.6% capitulation rate from students at UT
- First-ever electronica album released under Creative Commons with collecting society support
- Copy a CD, owe $1.5 million under “gluttonous” PRO-IP Act
- Italian Parliament To Mistakenly Legalize MP3 P2P
- Sony kills DRM stores—your DRM music will only last until your next upgrade
- A brave new world: the music biz at the dawn of 2008
- The RPM Challenge
Theme Music
All of Fifteen - "Tulsa" from Away Game.
Conspiracy Theory #17
Conspiracy Theory reviews its first album of 2008.
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Stories
- No “iPod tax” for Canada
- Music Industry, Souring on Apple, Embraces Amazon Service
- The RIAA speaks--and it gets worse
- Exonerated RIAA defendant scores double victory in court
- EMI cuts jobs, proposes “sponsored” bands
Review
Theme Music
Fire at Will - "Dark Blue Sky" from their self-titled album.
Conspiracy Theory #16
Conspiracy Theory powers in to 2008.
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Stories
- MTV calls 2007 “The Year The Music Industry Broke"
- FCC to investigate Comcast BitTorrent blocking
- Under pressure from EMI, RIAA could disappear
- Sony drops DRM - sorta
- Sony drops DRM - for real
Theme Music
The Stabones - "Didn't Get Laid at the Prom" from their album, Liver Let Die
Conspiracy Theory #15
Conspiracy Theory finally delivers on its promise and names the 10 best albums of 2007.
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Top Albums
- Battles – Mirrored
- The Weakerthans – Reunion Tour
- El-P – I’ll Sleep When You’re Dead
- The Gaslight Anthem – Sink or Swim
- Odd Nosdam – Level Live Wires
- A Wilhelm Scream – Career Suicide
- Maritime – Heresy and the Hotel Choir
- Lifetime – Lifetime
- LCD Soundsystem – Sound of Silver
- Chuck Ragan – Feast or Famine
Theme Music
Truman Sparks - "Egglore, The Dragon Mummy" from their free album, The Gentle Laxative Demonstration
Conspiracy Theory #14
Conspiracy Theory kicks off its countdown of the 20 best albums of 2007.
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Top Albums
- Sundowner - Four One Five Two
- Art Brut - It's A Bit Complicated
- The Playing Favorites - I Remember When I Was Pretty
- Bracken - We Know About the Need
- Cloak/Dagger - We Are
- J Church - The Horror of Life
- Fog - Ditherer
- Bomb the Music Industry! - Get Warmer
- Pissed Jeans - Hope for Men
- Defiance, Ohio - The Fear, The Fear, The Fear
Theme Music
Truman Sparks - "Green Machines" from their free album, The Gentle Laxative Demonstration
Conspiracy Theory #13
Conspiracy Theory returns this week with more stunning RIAA testimony, more forward-thinking Congressional ideas, and more confusing Microsoft news.
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Stories
- PRO IP Act Aims to Increase Infringement Penalties and Expand Government Enforcement
- Copy That Floppy, Lose Your Computer
- DOJ Blasts New 'Copyright Czar' Bill
- RIAA Argues That MP3s From CDs Are Unauthorized
- Microsoft rebrands PlaysForSure to Certified For Windows Vista, confuses world
Lightning Round
- Time for Luddite & Wanton Label Chiefs to go
- Remove iTunes DRM easily and quickly with iMovie HD
- The Moby Equation
Review
The Weakerthans - Reunion Tour
Theme Music
Truman Sparks - "Esophogalapagos" from their free album, The Gentle Laxative Demonstration
Conspiracy Theory #11
Time to bust out the stuffing and gravy -- it's Conspiracy Theory's Thanksgiving preview! This week we update old stories, tell some new ones, but mostly read the title and say, "yeah."
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Stories
- Corrupt Congressmen say no financial aid to schools that don’t send money to DRM services and bust file-sharers
- RIAA: Jammie Thomas has “no basis” to complain about damage award
- Infringement in perspective: major movie bust fine dwarfed by RIAA tab
- Warner CEO: “We were wrong to go to war with consumers”
- Comcast Sued Over P2P Blocking
- At UN meet, worries about US Internet control, free flow of information
Theme Music
- Minus the Sidekick - "Treading Water" from their album, The Mineral EP
Conspiracy Theory #10
Get ready for contests, prizes, and a very special guest for Conspiracy Theory's 10th anniversary bonanza!
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Stories
- OiNK’s new piglets proof positive that Big Content’s efforts often backfire
- Sub Pop Opens Digital Download Store 7
- MLB rips off fans who bought DRM videos
- Prince to fan sites: No pictures, no artwork, no album covers 4 U
- PIRATE Act dons eye patch, swashbuckles back into Senate
- Larry Lessig: How creativity is being strangled by the law
Review
Theme Music
- The Nice Jenkins - "Sweet & Filthy" from their album, The World Famous Hallelujah Cotton Candy Rent Party
Conspiracy Theory #8
This week’s Conspiracy Theory goes international with news from Canada and England, and nearly gets shut down by Comcast back in the states.
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Stories
- Viacom CEO Dismisses Google (YouTube) Antipiracy Plan
- Canada to tax legal digital music downloads
- Illegal Torrent Site OiNK Busted by Police
- Comcast Bittorrent Round-Up
Lightning Round
- Download “Punknews.org Presents the Fest 6” compilation right now
- Happy Sixth Birthday, iPod
- Hot Water Music together again
Review
Maritime - Heresy and the Hotel Choir
Truman Sparks Tour
Nov 9, 8pm–Millcreek Tavern, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Nov 10, 9pm–Piano’s Manhatten, New York
Nov 11, 9pm–Goodbye Blue Monday w/Titus Andronicus Brooklyn, New York
Nov 12, 9pm–The Ivy Mansion New Brunswick, New Jersey
Nov 13, 9pm–700 Club Wilmington, Delaware
Nov 14, 8pm–TBA, Baltimore, Maryland
Nov 15, 9pm–Club Sandwich w/Dear Dear & Meneguar, Harrisonburg, Virginia
Nov 16, 9pm–TBA, Richmond
Nov 17, 8pm–The Spazzatorium Galleria, Greenville, North Carolina
Nov 18, 9pm–DUST, Charlottesville, Virginia
Nov 19, 8pm–TBA, Charlottesville, Virginia
Theme Music
Truman Sparks - “Death at a Swamp” from their self-titled release
Conspiracy Theory #7
Another week, another Conspiracy Theory. This week we dissect Universal's latest ploy to destroy iTunes, celebrate iTunes' step in the right direction, and only mention Radiohead in passing.
Tell us how we're doing, or leave a comment below!
Stories
- Universal Music Takes on iTunes
- Court Upholds Internet Deregulation
- Apple officially cuts DRM-free track prices to $.99
- YouTube Filtering Is On-Line
Lightning Round
- Appeal in RIAA case to focus on “unconstitutionally excessive” punishment
- Weezer’s Cuomo Compiles Demos for Release
- Name-Your-Cost Radiohead Album Pirated More Than Purchased
Review
A Wilhelm Scream - Career Suicide
Theme music
The Nice Jenkins - "Melk" from The World Famous Hallelujah Cotton Candy Rent Party!
Conspiracy Theory #6
It wouldn't be Conspiracy Theory if we didn't talk about Radiohead. Somehow we also squeeze in Nine Inch Nails, the dark art of copyright law and a new, exciting lightning round.
Tell us how we're doing, or leave a comment below!
Stories
- Nine Inch Nails splits with label, goes rogue
- YouTube: The Big Copyright Lie
- Yahoo Music to record execs: No more DRM, ever
- RIAA round-up
Lightning Round
- What’s the Future of the Music Industry? A Freakonomics Quorum
- The Mighty Mighty Bosstones to reunite for five shows
- Nirvana’s Unplugged Gets DVD Release
- iPod “nana” spews chest-high flames from trousers—lawsuit at 11
Review
Theme music
Fire At Will - "Underground Heroes" from Increase the Violence Can't Taze This - YouTube's finest.
Conspiracy Theory #5
Conspiracy Theory continues this week with new stories from the world of digital music. We explore the industry's idea of "stealing," nerd out with an MP3 technical essay, and somehow find more reasons to talk about Radiohead.
Tell us how we're doing, or leave a comment below!
- Understanding MP3 compression
- Microsoft announced new Zunes
- Sony BMG’s chief anti-piracy lawyer: “Copying” music you own is “stealing”
- RIAA trial verdict is in: jury finds Thomas liable for infringement
- Has free music become a listener’s birthright?
- Radiohead lets fans pick price for new album
Review: Caribou - Andorra
Theme music: Minus the Sidekick - "Sideways" from the Mineral EP
Conspiracy Theory #4
This week we're taking Conspiracy Theory in a new direction. From now on, we'll have a brand-spankin'-new episode every Sunday night at midnight. We'll rehash the biggest music news from the previous week as well as keep you apprised of the latest Record Theory gossip. Each week we'll have a corresponding blog post containing links to everything we talk about.
We hope you enjoy! Let us know if you have any comments.
- Phil Spector murder case ends in mistrial
- Kim Gordon: Starbucks “Less Evil Than Universal”
- Amazon launches DRM-free “Amazon MP3” music downloads
- Radiohead says no to iTunes in effort to keep upcoming album complete
Review: Bomb the Music Industry! - Get Warmer. Physical media available on Asian Man Records.
Theme music: All of Fifteen - "Effigy" from the Thankless EP.
Conspiracy Theory #3
This time around I hooked up with my old band, the Stabones. We reminisced about old times, set the record straight on a few incidents, and talked about the plethora of new material waiting to be recorded. But most of all, we discussed how they used to be good. You know, before they sold out.
P.S. Green Day is a punk band.
Conspiracy Theory #2
For our second podcast, I crashed the Truman Sparks going-away party with piles of recording equipment and forced the four of them to answer the tough questions. Like a true professional, I spilled beer, got a phone call, and basically made an ass of myself.
In other words, another successful podcast.