Sunday, January 22, 2012


A Question for the Readers

If you haven't heard, today Filesonic reacted to the Megaupload travesty in a very predictable way: files uploaded to their file-hosting service are now only accessible to the original uploader. This renders file-sharing impossible, and it is highly likely the other file-hosts will soon follow suit out of fear of prosecution. What this means is that file-sharing as we have known it in the blog world looks to be a thing of the past. There are still torrents, but the blog-end has been dealt a crippling blow (at least for now). My question for you is if there would be any interest in a review website with links to purchase from independent sellers and perhaps sound-clips but no free downloads? I await your input, as it will largely determine whether I return with a new blog in a month or so or if I instead focus all my efforts and energy on exploring my new status as an eligible bachelor....

55 comments:

  1. I think alot of what is happening with the file sharing services is reactionary. MegaUpload was a big target, and they flaunted their size and status in a way that led to prosecution. Other sites, particularly those with US-based servers, are going to wary for a little while, but I would expect that many of the sites will resume normal operations before too long. And, of course, new ones will pop up.

    While I would certainly miss the posts of downloadable music, I would still read/follow a review blog.

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  2. Eric, I tend to agree with you that this, in some ways, might blow over at some point. Maybe I'll just wait it out a bit

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  3. I noticed the tip of my nose so I started walking forward trying to follow my nose and then I was running because the tip of my nose was just so there and just so in front of me and I couldn't catch up to it but then I saw a naked lady and it slowed me down because I lost focus on the tip of my nose. The next day it happened again. So, I'll probably end up following my nose or whatever else appears before me whenever I feel like it or have no choice to.

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  5. My friend, I hope we don't lose you! You've turned me on to some fantastic music with this blog and Plastic Palace People. I for one would read a review-based blog.
    Given all this turbulency and change, I can understand blogs and people disappearing - your idea is a welcome compromise.
    With filesharing sites being targeted right now, nobody knows which are safe. This creates uncertainty.
    I think we should lay back in the cut and see how this plays out. In the meantime, I would appreciate your reviews, and indeed all the work that you have put into this blog so far.

    Regards,
    Vinnie

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  6. Don't know what happened!
    Voixautre, I used to visit luna a good while ago then stopped. Something happened and a lot of things changed, mentally more than anything. Easy stuff difficult; old things known become scary ... I have been visiting places but gradually music started to become ....
    Babbling.
    With all this madness I was moved to come visit two old haunts in particular and I am of course saddened to see all the beautiful work you did here become 'gone'. Is it gone?
    Also to see that personally things are very difficult for you at this time. I hope that you have in your day-to-day life friends and support to help you. I'm sure you must have as it was always apparent here that you were one of those open and sensitive souls that the world is in dire need of. I hope you are keeping yourself together as much as possible ...
    As for luna; trying to be positive(I am not known for this particular trait)I think this time is not likely to be the death-knell for file sharing sites. Who knows, it may well be, but I feel that filesonic panicked big-time and maybe a few others are itching to follow suit out of fear. Right now though there are still most I believe continuing to function.
    Perhaps start to look at alternative mirrors with a short-term view, discuss with other blog contacts possible alternative ways of managing your content, what to do in case of further closure of sites, about considering invites, or .... well, I don't know - I don't know anything of such things.
    What I do know is that whatever you think is the perceived value that people place on what they find here, amplify it a thousandfold. Yes you get grateful comments and know that you share true gems with folks all over the planet. I know that for a great many, getting to enjoy in their lives things which otherwise they would never again enjoy is nothing less than a life-affirming experience. It's something that makes one hang on in there, to believe in something and to cherish something as if Santa had personally just flung open their 45yr old bedroom door and handed 'em the best present ever.
    In other words, my god is this important. Relationships come and go(in the most part)but music the like of which you and others share here will still mean something when we are all struggling along towards our deathbed decades from now.
    ..
    Excuse me if I have gone a little overboard in my expressed sentiments, but christ is this something that needs to persist and not just disappear as soon as the vine is chopped down. Move, re-energise, persist, persist, and do not, under ANY circumstances, let the bastards drain the snakes from your eyes.
    Persist, persevere, endure, ... continue. Personally and professionally.
    .
    Whatever you do I will make attempts to refocus my attention, and to come support if I can.
    Try to keep yourself okay out there.
    Be well.

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  7. I love you, man, but follow the pussy.

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  8. the era of filesharing and being able to profit from it may be over. and thank god. i never realised just how many fucks only uploaded to collect points/money/whatever. that's not filesharing. if i share a can of coke i'm not expecting to get anything in return apart from a thanks. so I have no remorse for those people, who also have the arrogance to complain about rapidshare and mediafire not having point systems. now of course very very very few of those people are in the blog world - and certainly none in this part of it - so I have heaps of remorse for you guys. I think filesharing on rs/mf and the like has a future. links may start getting taken down faster and faster. but if the site doesn't do stupid shit like run a video streaming site with it or pay uploaders i'm confident they'll be fine. and of course new guys will pop up



    but i'm no law talking guy. i'm just a kid. i could be totally wrong.



    ps yes 2 review site

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    1. where does this talk of uploaders getting paid come from Spikey? it is just not the truth man... please, stop perpetuating this myth. we upload to share the music, period. no profit, no piracy.

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    2. Apparently megaupload rewarded users who posted massive amounts of stuff. I don't know how much they had to upload, nor do I know what the exact rewards were. I never heard about this until the whole takedown. I used megaupload for a long time and I never received any rewards, nor was it any sort of incentive for me to post there. It was simply a reliable service.

      Some dick used to come to my former blog on a regular basis and post about us on twitter accusing us of "cashing in". All I can say is that we never made a cent off of our blog and we never intended to. We just wanted people to enjoy the things we enjoyed.

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  9. voixautre, i would be looking after myself if i were in your shoes... don't be locking yourself away in a darkened room with a computer and boxes of CDs man. try and get involved in the real flesh and blood world of bachelordom. humans need a little of the loving touch my friend, and you won't find that on a computer. all the best to you.

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  10. "where does this talk of uploaders getting paid come from Spikey? it is just not the truth man... please, stop perpetuating this myth. we upload to share the music, period. no profit, no piracy."

    Oh yeah you guys don't - "and certainly none in this part of it" - but it def happened - Thread title on a Warez forum where most people used FS, "Will you be still uploading If filehost stops paying you !" When RS got rid of their system (looking like a good move) there was a bit of a backlash against them too. So it happened, and it's incredibly frustrating to hear those guys complaining about it compared to you guys and the other bloggers who are just solid dudes putting up hard to find records in a hard to find format for us. I'm not criticising you guys, i'm criticising the filehosts and some uploaders who got greedy.

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  11. I think it's highly unlikely that every filehoster follows because there are now incredible opportunities for generating extra revenue after MU and filesonic went away.

    lets just wait a week and see which hosters the "scene" (movies, tv shows) chooses.

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    Replies
    1. 20% increase in TOTAL subscriptions for uploaded.to in a SINGLE DAY when filesonic went down.

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    2. philipp you are the greatest journalist i've never met :)

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  12. I have never been interested in those blogs that offer (or offered!) downloads without any commentary. In fact, one of my fave blogs is "365 bands in 365 days", which is a download-free zone.

    So in summary - I would definitely read, assuming you're able to maintain my interest - which I'm sure you can do based on your previous posts.

    But as usual I agree with the wise man bedlam - there's more interesting things to do than sit at a computer!

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  13. Don't know what's happening in the USA about all this. In Europe, Fileserve has now gone but there are still plenty of servers still going.
    Over on Zinhof (blog.hr) it appears Wupload, Depositfiles, Turbobit, Filejungle, Mediafire, Filefactory and Rapidshare still seem to be operating.
    However it looks like the age of file sharing could sadly, eventually grind to a halt. All the best in whatever you decide to do, and also with the rest of your personal life.
    Michael.

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  14. What all is happening at least I can tell is a tragedy. By this moment I noticed that lots of bloggers are turning to the RS solution, which I'd always preferred, of course there are and other hosters as and anon already mentioned. Things for the moment with Rs work fine.

    Sad news GARAGE PUNK 66 is out of business, probably shut down by the well known suspect.

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  15. the jolly roger flies from the mastJanuary 23, 2012 at 6:40 AM

    Chainsaw Fellatio has a link about former senator now mpaa chief Chris Dodd (?) not sure if that name is correct, I try to keep fascist scum out of my life, admitting to being bribed by the mpaa and threatening extortion to other politrick scum if they don't play along. A reviews and click a link to buy sounds fine. Nobody does a review up like you V. If that is not cool with the internet nazi fascist scum in the people's republik of amerika then it is time to just pull the plug on the internet.

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  16. Your reviews are really unique, so while I find the direct download links useful, I think they're not really essential and this is my suggestion: post reviews and let your readers post links in the comments section. I'm sure there'll be always a way to share files, and if a link die another will come.

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  17. Such a waste with all the music posted in your blogs. It really took a lot of time. Keep me in your mailing. I'm quite sure sharing will respawn in another form. Until then, enjoy the silence.

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  18. tin foil hat conspiracies (who's laughing now)January 23, 2012 at 8:54 AM

    Who is the 'well known suspect' who has the power to sweep blogs away? Do tell! Just read a tinfoil hat conspiracy nut page that said they are gonna start hitting people with felonies for sharing. So post up all those disclaimers and cover-your-ass warnings and hope your lawyer is a good one. Sharing is caring but felonies on your record, especially in the U.S.S.A. is bad for your health. Note to the rest of the world: Are you pussies just gonna sit by while Amerika claims ownership of the internet? How many pieces of silver will you get for that?

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  19. A heads up to blog admin, that subversive sounds blog link comes up as a known attack page. It is probably a false positive but just letting you know.

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  20. Voix, I've always thought (La) Luna was great because of your reviews, and I would support a future blog with affiliate links.

    Your reviews are the real appeal to this blog for me. I have a large music collection, so reading (for example) your reviews made me go back to my CDs (Echo & the bunnymen, etc)

    Don't lose hope. I only wish I would have commented more often.

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  21. it's a good idea voixautre,
    and, if i can, i really love the work done by bandcamp website, where you can listen the entire album without interruptions or stupid fade in/out or strange sounds so you are free to decide to buy or not.

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  22. What about Rapidshare?

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  23. The whole point to me is about communication with like-minded souls who you would probably never meet in the "real world". There are more sinister issues going down here way beyond file sharing. There's a British guy who is in the process of being extradited to the US where he faces a Federal trial and the possibility of ten fucking years in the slammer. He wasn't even hosting any files, his site was an aggregator type site. This is not 2012, it's really 1984.
    Sorry for the rant but there is something very dangerous happening to our basic freedoms.

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  24. NNTP with nzb links. Let's see them shut off the nntp protocol.

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  25. the well known suspectJanuary 23, 2012 at 2:35 PM

    Could you make some threats over an open internet connection? Hint:Better do so behind a proxy.

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  26. Grüße an dich, voixautre! I will miss (La) Luna (!!) ... But would definitely enjoy reading/appreciate a review website! (Will your texts stay online at killingmoonmusic?)
    Alles Gute für dich: Ich hoffe, du findest das beste für dich! And of course there are more important things than music (sometimes ;)..)

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  27. filesharing is satanic and *evul*January 23, 2012 at 9:22 PM

    Just read of an even more draconian law against file sharing coming out of Europe called ACTA. Any ideas of using a hoster in Europe to get around U.S. copyright laws might be dashed.

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  28. This could be an interesting development:

    http://www.smh.com.au/it-pro/security-it/anonyupload-faceless-group-steps-in-after-kim-dotcoms-arrest-20120124-1qewy.html

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  29. You gotta do what you love. But, I love your reviews and would visit without the dls

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  30. Please pass this around: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WJIuYgIvKsc&feature=player_embedded#

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  31. Filesharing is TerrorismJanuary 24, 2012 at 10:40 AM

    File hosters and sharers are satanic terrorist devil worshippers who eat fetuses! They helped bring Hitler to power and must be stopped!

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    Replies
    1. sorry but i think you are the devil

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  32. Focus all your efforts and energy on exploring your new status as an eligible bachelor!

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  33. I'm in Voix - but I gotta side with Bedlam on this one....while I love the posts and the write-ups it's better to step back from the cold world of the computer and spend some time reaquainting yourself with your new lifestyle. I've had to walk this path myself and used my work as a mask. Took me a while to realize it and step back, eventully quitting and going someplace where I made less but had more time for me. I'm not rich, but MUCH happier. I wish you the best on whatever you decide to do and good luck. If you do post, I'll definitely read but it might be better for you if we didn't see you for a while - if you catch my drift. Cheers mate and keep the faith.

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  34. Voix - Not knowing me from Adam or Eve, but thanks for all you efforts in exposing me to great music (MOST WHICH WAS OUT OF PRINT). I can say with certainty that I have PURCHASED more music than I would have due to your selections. Take care first & foremost, but I hope to see you return in any form (reviews by you are excellent).

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  35. I agree with Sunflower Blues. I don't visit my fave blogs (this one included) only to grab free music. I'd visit here regularly whatever you did with the blog. Wishing you all the best, my friend.

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  36. V, your reviews were part of what's fun about music - connecting the dots between people, scenes, major happenings, weird little eddies in time -- much of what you put up I knew, some not, some I don't think I'd heard (or thought about!) for years. The dl's were great, but if that side slips beneath the waves, I for one would be happy to keep returning to read your great little mini-essays. Then I'd dig through my records to see if I still have what you're writing about!

    So, when you aren't out hitting the dating scene, toss out a review or two and post them. I'll still read.

    Good luck, friend!

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  37. HansofHolland says: I dare say that the fact that I could download music to get to know it, was half of the fun visiting various blogs. But there's no question about it that getting good advice (reviews) was the other half. So keep me(us) informed on where you go.

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  38. I just started visiting here recently but I enjoyed your posts over there in the plastic world. I'd take Bedlam and other's advice and maybe step away for a while, do some sorting out. Take walks through the park, occasionally gazing up at the sun. Depending on you, this could take over real quick and make you reclusive. Maybe just put all your music posts in draft for now but leave the blog up. Let us know your plans some time in the future.

    I don't think this is the end of file sharing. I think this will filter out some of the less desirables, meaning posters and hosters. It was unfortunate that me and many others lost their files and some money. MU needed to go, though. Fileserve needs to go. Maybe some people will get smarter about uploading and not have their archives clearly titled as to what they are. Passwords, encryption are good too.

    Anyway, good luck.

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  39. Unfortunately I didn't have the time to visit your blog in the last two or three months, so I probably missed a lot and now these chances seem to be gone. Before that I came quite often and heard some great music I never heard before or only heard of (and I went out and bought some of this stuff), and also some albums that I have on vinyl but not on CD, so this was a good chance to "digitalize" them.
    Maybe it would be good to wait some time, maybe a few weeks, to see what happens and which file hosts survive.
    But I really hope that you find the time to replace the lost MU links with others that are and remain available. For me, this would be more important than new postings. I mean, you would not have to replace the information part of the blog ;-)
    Anyway, thanks for your site.

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  40. God, how I miss your site...you had one of the finest collection of download, in high quality. Though your critics are higly valuable, your file sharing was also a great opportunity to rediscover some gems from the past. Hopefuly I am confident you will find another way of sharing the accumulation of treasures.
    Love, Vincent, France.

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  41. One word - Mediafire. They'll be good for a while yet.

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  42. I loved your old blog and would like to see it return. I just became aware of it a few months ago and I found so much wonderful music on it. I hope that once you are somewhat done with the heavy-duty stuff in your personal life, you will return to this blog.
    Thanks so much

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  43. You might want to have a look at Jumbofiles. I am not so sure about Mediafire as they are under fire too.

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  44. I read this a few days ago:
    - zSHARE links are still there but they're not allowing downloads.
    - MegaUpload - Closed.
    - FileServe - Closing does not sell premium.
    - FileJungle - Deleting files. Locked in the U.S..
    - UploadStation - Locked in the U.S..
    - FileSonic - the news is arbitrary (under FBI investigation).
    - VideoBB - Closed! would disappear soon.
    - Uploaded - Banned U.S. and the FBI went after the owners who are gone.
    - FilePost - Deleting all material (so will leave executables, pdfs, txts)
    - Videoz - closed and locked in the countries affiliated with the USA.
    - 4shared - Deleting files with copyright and waits in line at the FBI.
    - MediaFire - Called to testify in the next 90 days and it will open doors pro FBI
    - Org torrent - could vanish with everything within 30 days "he is under criminal investigation"
    - Network Share mIRC - awaiting the decision of the case to continue or terminate Torrente everything.
    - Koshiki - operating 100% Japan will not join the SOUP / PIPA
    - Shienko Box - 100% working china / korea will not join the SOUP / PIPA
    - ShareX BR - group UOL / BOL / iG say they will join the SOUP / PIPA
    *
    Maybe we have to learn some japanese?

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    1. Why learn japanese? Japan supports ACTA.

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  45. Some people will read and some people wont. I'll be honest, and say that I don't have time to sit down reading blogs. I love to skim though (I don't count that as 'reading').

    I'd be interested in seeing suggestions - possibly with a hand-picked set of your favorite tracks from whatever album available to stream. That would probably keep me coming back to the blog and if you could link to an independent vendor with FLAC/CD's for sale that would be great.

    The above doesn't work for albums that people have ripped by users for sharing though. Lot's of those 24/96 vinyl rips - I hope it doesn't mean the end of those.

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  46. Very late to the game here, but I would definitely read it. I purchase as much as possible anyway, and always appreciate the new leads and insight you provide.

    Cheers.

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  47. This is indeed sad. I am going to avoid a lengthy post here, but I value the information posted here and have discovered, or in some cases recovered, a great deal of music and artists that I might not have ever experienced otherwise.
    Thanks for everything and a I wish you strength in your personal matters.

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