Muxtape, the online mixtape service which was shut down after legal action by the Recording Industry Association Of America earlier this year, is to relaunch as a service exclusively for bands. As far as I can see, it'll be much like MySpace Music, except that it'll probably work properly, which can be no bad thing. Though it won't boast MySpace's massive existing membership, which will obviously hinder it a little.
The man behind the site, which allowed users to upload their own MP3 playlists with a view to introducing new music to those who surfed the site, has also published a lengthy account of his dealings with the US record industry, claiming that he had been in talks with the major record companies about getting his service properly licenced just as the US record industry's trade body was taking legal action to have them closed down.
Founder Justin Ouellette writes: "There was a popular misconception that Muxtape only survived because it was 'flying under the radar', and the moment the major labels found out about it it'd be shut down. In actuality, the labels and the RIAA read websites like everyone else, and I heard from them both within a week or so [of launch - in March 2008]. The first red flag came in August. Up until then all the discussion had been about numbers, but as we closed in on an agreement the talk shifted to things like guaranteed placement and 'marketing opportunities'. I was denied the possibility of releasing a mobile version of Muxtape. My flexibility was being constricted. I had been worried about Muxtape getting a fair deal, but my biggest concern all along was maintaining the integrity and experience of the site (one of the reasons I wanted to license in the first place). Now it wasn't so simple; I had agreed to a variety of encroachments into Muxtape's financials because I wanted to play ball, but giving up any kind of editorial or creative control was something I had a much harder time swallowing".
He continues: "I was wrestling with this when, on 15 Aug, I received notice from Amazon Web Services that they had received a complaint from the RIAA. Per Amazon's terms, I had one business day to remove an incredibly long list of songs or face having my servers shut down and data deleted. I moved the domain name to a new server with a short message and the very real expectation that I could get it sorted out. I still thought it was all just a big mistake. I was wrong. Over the next week I learned a little more, mainly that the RIAA moves quite autonomously from their label parents and that the understanding I had with them didn't necessarily carry over. I also learned that none of the labels were especially interested in helping me out, and from their perspective it had no bearing on the negotiations. And so I made one of the hardest decisions I've ever faced: I walked away from the licensing deals. They had become too complex for a site founded on simplicity, too restrictive and hostile to continue to innovate the way I wanted to".
Read the full account at www.muxtape.com