Vinyl Podcast, R.I.P.
Well, this post is long overdue, but I wanted to make a formal announcement that the Vinyl Podcast is defunct. A number of factors influenced my decision to cease production of the podcast. I began a masters program this summer in addition to working full-time, and the 2-3 hours required to produce each show were harder to come by. Also, this fall I got a packet in the mail from BMI, informing me of the details of their podcast license. It wasn’t threatening, but I interpreted it as a friendly first warning.
As of this moment, it is nearly impossible to legally podcast major-label music. I give ASCAP and BMI some credit for introducing relatively low-cost blanket licenses for podcasting, but these only solve half of the problem. ASCAP and BMI cover rights to the composition, i.e. the part of a song that you could write down on manuscript paper, but they don’t cover the mechanical rights to the recording, the actual sounds produced by the musicians. In order to license a recording, each song has to be cleared individually through the Harry Fox Agency, at a rate which is determined in part by the number of copies you intend to distribute. This scheme is prohibitively expensive and time-consuming. For example, at Vinyl Podcast’s peak, I had over 5,000 subscribers. Using an example from harryfox.com, a song 4:07 in length would have cost $455.00 to license for use in my podcast.
I took great pains in the design of the Vinyl Podcast to be respectful of the artists whose music I presented. The music I played was not available commercially except for in the second-hand market or, in some cases, via import. Each Mp3 file I distributed included several minutes of commentary, and my voice overlapped the beginning and end of each song. Each recording was made from 20+-year-old vinyl, and was not cleaned up or enhanced, throwing the DMCA’s notion of a "perfect digital copy" out the window.
That said, I was well aware that the Vinyl Podcast was operating afoul of current copyright statutes, and it became clear that the wild west that was the early months of podcasting would quickly become less Black Rock City and more Las Vegas, and that the inevitable commercialization of podcasting would bring increased scrutiny to the legality of the show.
So, I hope those of you who listened to the show on a regular basis discovered through it some different music, or rediscovered some old favorites that may have been languishing in the attic. I hope a few people dusted off their old turntables, and discovered that the cheapest source of un-DRM‘ed music is your local second-hand record store.
I’m keeping a couple of my shows online for download here, specifically those containing music that, to my knowledge, is not covered by ASCAP or BMI license. As with most early podcasts, the Vinyl Podcast was a money-losing operation. I spent about $20/month on hosting. I racked up about $50 in Google AdSense revenue, which, should Google ever see fit to cut me a check, will be donated to the EFF. Thanks for listening.
P.S. - I intend to blog sporadically at codyhanson.com. Eventually, this feed will be redirected to the feed from that site.
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January 4th, 2006 at 4:04 pm
Thanks for doing the vinylcasts as long as you did, and it’s a shame you have to call it quits. I completely understand your decision– I just wish the (legal, financial) realities were different enough that you didn’t have to do so.
From one vinyl hound to another, I salute you, sir. Best of luck to you in the future.
January 4th, 2006 at 4:39 pm
Thanks Cody. Enjoyed it while it lasted.
January 4th, 2006 at 10:49 pm
Thanks Cody. I, too, enjoyed the show while you did it. I learned a lot and heard great music that I never would have heard otherwise. I’ve got the whole back catalog of Vinly Podcasts, and I’m sure I’ll be dusting these off and relistening to them in years to come.
January 5th, 2006 at 2:38 am
The Vinyl Podcast was one of the reasons to why I got into podcasting.
So thanks for all the great work, I too really enjoyed it while it lasted. And here’s hoping we’ll hear from you again sometime in some form.
January 5th, 2006 at 2:56 am
i loved vinyl podcast. the first podcast i subscribed to. you have an awesome vinyl collection. so sad we cant enjoy them anymore, all songs had 5 star in my itunes ;)
January 5th, 2006 at 2:53 pm
Sorry to see your voice silenced for such reasons, but totally understand where you are coming from… I’ll still listen to the old shows to keep the flame alive. Hope you can return to podcasting at some point.
January 5th, 2006 at 2:58 pm
Vinyl Podcast RIP
That was the announcement today at the long-idle Vinyl Podcast site. The once-popular podcast is a victim of overzealous application of copyright collections.
The podcast, in it’s heyday, featured rare songs from old vinyl records. Music long o…
January 6th, 2006 at 7:28 am
Thanks for the great music & best of luck with your studies. In my opinion some good musicians lost their chance to get known.
January 6th, 2006 at 8:05 am
This is quite a shame, as the vinyl podcast was one of the first podcasts I listened to, and really got me interested in podcasts because I could discover some great music I had never before experienced. It’s a shame that The Man has to destroy things like this. All it does is generate more interest in their products! Oh well, the music industry will have nobody to blame but themselves.
Thanks for your hard work on the podcast while it lasted!
January 6th, 2006 at 10:42 am
Too bad, but it was great while it lasted.
Totally understand your reasons and thanks for a great show while it lasted.
January 8th, 2006 at 12:36 pm
I first found the Vinyl Podcast while doing some research on Fanny. It sure was a great podcast.
I really don’t get it; I understand the legality of it, but I don’t think that playing something that is a part of a “show” should require a mechanic license. Since podcasting is actually a download rather than a webcast we’re all screwed.
The music business is in such lousy shape thanks to the fact that the lawyers and bean counters are in control. They only care about moving units. And, rather than embrace those that love music and include it as an important part in their lives, they pounce the lawyers on us. Too bad.
BTW, how do these folks get away with having mp3 blogs???
http://hublog.hubmed.org/archives/001281.html
That is a serious question.
January 9th, 2006 at 5:43 am
shame shame. Keep up the good work elsewhere. A pity, thoroughly enjoyed it while it lasted.
January 11th, 2006 at 5:16 am
Just like to add my condolences to all those who will miss the vinyl podcast. It was great, a real treat of a show.
Cody, good luck with the Masters from one of your listeners in Ireland.
January 19th, 2006 at 2:15 am
:(
Thanks for the shows you did. I still think this was one of the best podcasts going. Good luck on your future endeavours,
February 4th, 2006 at 11:28 am
Thanks Cody. Great podcast concept. Maybe things will get better and you can come back … — Steve
February 10th, 2006 at 8:24 am
Cody,
We wish you all the best. Thanks for your Podcasts we loved them
here in the shop.
March 18th, 2006 at 12:52 am
Like many of those who have posted here, the Vinyl Podcast was the show that got me hooked on the whole Podcasting phenomenon. Now that I’ve been hooked for over a year year to many podcasts I’m still searching for a show that even comes close to the Vinyl Podcast. It’s the only podcast that I don’t throw away after the first listen. The format was perfect. Short, sweet, to the point and a new song that I know I wouldn’t hear anywhere else. It’s a formula that has not been replicated…and now probably won’t be. Well done Cody. The show will be missed.
P.S. I’ve even gone out and added some of the albums to my collection.