The US corner of the Internet started this year with a bang, marshaling its forces to help bring down a pair of Big Media threats to the the Net's free existence, the infamous SOPA & PIPA (themselves the dual US wing of the currently-infamous ACTA). Among their prime movers, of course, was the RIAA (representing what might be called "Big Recording", "Big Music-Retail", & so on).
Not long after Congress shelved those versions of the bills, fellow opponents at Reddit started new sub-Reddits (we'd say "groups") dedicated not only to keeping an eye on further anti-Internet bills (like Joe Lieberman's this week — see Adam B's diary) but to start building more venues for independent artists & alternative media.
(For a sudden burst of enthusiasm, follow me below the Kos Wingding...)
I have become a great fan of the music & arts community of Daily Kos — even more so because now, you are my daily reminder of what the still wide-open world of New Media is capable of bringing the world at its best. More than just a little light entertainment next to a political site, you know well the power that music has to bring messages of hope, humanity, truth, & justice in this world that's so full of darkness, cynicism, & the crass politics of the moment.
With this in mind, I've had a running idea for a diary-series in which Daily Kos musicians (amateur or pro) can either trade current musical & songwriting ideas freely, promote their own music (or Kossacks can promote indy artists they admire), discuss publishing issues of the day, or whatever.
I just think that the more people we can get to show or discover their creativity, the better. Let's see if we can make our home-grown creativity too big to fail!
What do you think? Any suggestions? The floor is open!
(UPDATE: Adam B updated his own diary, declaring it an April Fool's hoax. I'll leave the line about it, albeit struck-through, though, as a lesson to myself — though, to be fair, what he described did sound similar to something I've read about in recent months...)