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DIY, Host-Your-Own Muxtape?

Jamie Kohns on August 26th, 2008

I ran across an interesting article relating to the news last week that Muxtape had been shuttered while they “sort out a problem with the RIAA.” A new muxtape clone has been released as open source software. While it’s not a hosted service like Muxtape, it offers anyone with a webserver the ability to become their own Muxtape-esque service. The new software is called OpenTape, and runs on a common web host.The article points out: “Opentape doesn’t solve any copyright issues“. Rather, it seems to be a “fight the power” answer to the Muxtape close-down.

Already, at least one band has picked up the software and begun using it. Two Shots Of Rye use the OpenTape software to promote their new album on a dedicated site.

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Muxtape Site Down

Jamie Kohns on August 19th, 2008

Popular mixtape-making website Muxtape is down today, saying only:

“Muxtape will be unavailable for a brief period while we sort out a problem with the RIAA.”

The muxtape blog goes on a little to say that “No artists or labels have complained. The site is not closed indefinitely. Stay tuned.”

A cnet article speculates that the RIAA may be after royalties for streaming media for the thousnads of music files that stream from the service every day. Pitchfork’s article even suggest it could be a publicity stunt. The last time I checked out the service, I noticed it used a simple mp3-streaming mechanism for media delivery that left copies of everything you played in your browser’s cache (a trick I really love).

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