[EMW] Electronic Music World to become US-only
Mar 26, 21:12 by Stefan KoopmanschapThe world is becoming a weird place. And I’ll tell you why.
A few weeks ago, I received a letter by registered mail from the US. A lawyer claiming to represent some of the big labels was telling me that my website, Electronic Music World, was publishing information that was meant for the US market only. I had two choices: I either had to take the site down, or take technical measures to ensure only people from the US would be able to see the site. That, or I’d have to only publish news that was not “just meant for the US market”.
Crazy. Of course, this is stupid. I thought I was being joked with. But when you receive a letter, from the USA, through registered mail… that’s some effort to take just to do some practical joking. So I started checking some stuff out. I ended up calling to the US, and indeed, the office of the lawyer sending the letter confirmed that it was indeed true.
At that point, I got a bit scared. I called around a few dutch services for free legal advice (I don’t have an insurance for legal assistance). With the limited knowledge they have about foreign laws, the only advice they could give me was to comply to the demands. Either that, or spend a bunch of money to get in an export on US regulations.
I’ve given it some thought, and even though I don’t agree with what they say and feel at least 50% of what they claim is a bunch of bullsh*t, I’ve decided to comply to their demands. Obviously, I can not ensure that no others than US people can read my content, but I can make a reasonable effort to block people based on IP addresses. Their lawyers have agreed with my technical plan, which I am required to have implemented by the end of this month.
And so, starting from next sunday, Electronic Music World will only be serving content to the USA. I am sorry, but I don’t like to quit. This is my site, I still feel dedicated to the music industry, both indie and commercial, and I want to continue that. And so I will continue.
#Lo Fi Fee Fum and other tales from the vinyl jungle Chipstock