What I’ve Been Listening To: V.1, P.21

Another week without muxtape, another chance to try something different. This week 8tracks is coming to the rescue. They rolled out a bunch of new features this week including the ability to embed mixes on third party sites, editing uploads, and listening while browsing.

Eliot Van Buskirk of Wired’s Listening Post recently interviewed the founder of 8tracks, David Porter. He offered a grim reality regarding the legality and future of muxtape.

there really was no “gray area” regarding the legality of the service.  It’s an on-demand offering, and that requires direct licenses.

They could come back online, but they’ll need to either (1) do deals with the majors and indie aggregators for on-demand streaming, the rates for which are around $.01/stream and require fairly substantial upfronts, or (2) re-fashion the usability of the site to make it compliant with the compulsory license for webcasting, the rates for which are (while still very expensive) roughly 1/7th the on-demand rate in 2008, and 1/5th that in 2009.

If Porter’s words are accurate do not expect to see muxtape return with the same functionality it once possessed. Of course you can opt for Opentape and step out from behind corporate protection from the RIAA. I”ll pass. Read the complete interview here.

1. Joy Division - A Means To An End, Closer
2. Ponytail - Celebrate The Body Electric (It Came From an Angel), Ice Cream Spiritual
3. Matt & Kim - Good Ol’ Fashioned Nightmare, Grand (download)
4. O’Death - Adelita, Head Home
5. Violent Femmes - Kiss Off, Add It Up (1981- 1993)
6. Jesse Dee - Slow Down, Bittersweet Batch
7. Devendra Banhart - In The Summertime (Mungo Jerry Cover), Live @ Outside Lands
8. Esau Mwamwaya, Santogold, MIA, Radioclit - Get It Up

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