Live365 and the DMCA

Well, gang, it looks like Prometheus Radio Theatre will be dumping — more correctly be dumped BY — Live365. I’ve just received a threatening e-mail from their legal department, warning me to make our station “compliant” ASAP or have our broadcasting account suspended. What crime have I committed? Gasp! I’ve broadcast 16 tracks in a row by the same artist! This is a violation of the DMCA, and the RIAA has apparently lodged a complaint against us with Live365.

I’ve explained to them that we are an artist-owned station, which is supposed to make us immune to that bit of the DMCA. Perhaps they’ll see it that way, but I’ve been through enough BS with Live365 this year that I’m not willing to talk to them much more, particularly when they invoke the name of the infernal RIAA. Frankly, I’d like nothing better than to sue them for violating my First Amendment rights, but I’m sure some clever government-lover will explain to me that I have no rights in this case. (So why should this case be any different?)

And, because this has put me in a bad mood, I’ll snipe out the fact that the DMCA was signed into law by one of the sacred Democratic Party who’s supposed to swoop in and save us from fascism in 2008. This is just one of the many reasons that I don’t see any reason to prefer one party of special interest toadies over another.

I did take SOME small satisfaction in pointing out to the legal eagle who contacted me that he’s using AVG Free Edition to screen his e-mails against virus (it says so at the bottom) and AVG Free is not for use on corporate-owned PCs being used in a business environment. Throw the RIAA at me will you? I’ll see your music Nazis and raise you one visit from the BSA!