The Interview And After...
It's almost becoming a tradition: SndChaser on Music Manumit. Tom Ray of Lorenzo's Music and I discussed Netlabel Day 2017 and digital music distribution on July 2nd. Listen to the show:
https://archive.org/download/170702MusicManumitPodcast/170702-music-manumit-podcast.ogg
The conversation was a lot of fun. He and I have been using the same distributor for our music, except I've had a number of issues that he hasn't. However, we found some common ground when talking about things like reports that we get from our service.
At one point in the discussion I referenced the battle over Net Neutrality, and Internet taxes (possibly one of the less noticed comments made recently). After we had recorded the show I became obsessed with remembering where I had heard or seen the reference to Internet taxes. (Probably one of the side effects of having to make an eight hour drive...) I found the reference later, so I sent the following update to Tom:
I couldn't remember where that thought had come into my mind, so I did some digging... The whole thing came from a President Trump Tweet:
The #AmazonWashingtonPost, sometimes referred to as the guardian of Amazon not paying internet taxes (which they should) is FAKE NEWS!
- Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) June 28, 2017
Saying that either Amazon or The Washington Post (or both) should be
paying taxes for their internet usage seems fairly dangerous to me.
Combine that with the assault this administration has asserted on Net
Neutrality, and all of us (Netlabels, Podcasters, Website Operators)
should be alarmed, in my opinion.
Of course it had to be our President. Who else could be so flippant with a remark that could potentially change the landscape of the Internet as we know it without considering the consequences. Given the recent protests over Net Neutrality, it seems quite appropriate to remember this tweet. While I suspect it was just an off-hand comment to try to divert attention from other major stories in the news on that day, a more sinister thought keeps nagging at me: what if this was a kite? That is, what if it was a test case to see what the reaction to the idea of Internet taxes would be?
Enjoy the show! And get ready for Netlabel Day 2017! Less than 24 hours to the start of the fun! Be sure to check out Into The Rift Volume Two: World Wide Storms on CerebralAudio Netlabel when all the fun starts at midnight!
Check out the original Music Manumit post for more show notes.
Photography from Unsplash, by:
(Pssst, please click on the artist link button above... I want them to know that CerebralRift uses their photographs, and gives credit...)
