WQLZ Music Minute

STOP ACTA & TPP

Stop ACTA & TPP! - Never use trade agreements to mess with the Internet!

They tried to push internet censorship through Congress and we stopped them with our STOP SOPA/PIPA protests. But the companies behind SOPA & PIPA have a backup plan: secretive trade agreements like ACTA & TPP. If we can't stop these backroom deals, the internet's future belongs to SOPA's backers. DO EVERYTHING IN YOUR POWER TO SPREAD THE WORD, CALL YOUR REPRESENTATIVES, YELL FROM THE STREET CORNERS, ALL OF IT! You can start by using the form below to send a message. Get more detail from KILLACTA.org

I urge you to vote no on ACTA and to communicate its severe problems to your colleagues. ACTA's vague language locks us into obsolete copyright and patent laws, preventing democracies from updating their laws to unlock new economic and social opportunities.It criminalizes harmless remixes by ordinary users if they achieve 'a commercial scale' (art 2.14.1) which many amateur videos do on sites like Youtube. And it criminalizes legitimate websites by making them responsible for user behavior ('aiding and abetting' art 2.14.4).Worse, it permanently bypasses the democratic process by empowering the 'ACTA Committee' to 'propose amendments to [ACTA]' without your approval. (art 6.4) In other words, it's impossible to know what you're voting for.The global movement against the US law SOPA showed that internet freedom is a crucial issue which belongs in the legislative process of each country. You should view ACTA as an attempt by a handful of companies to circumvent the democratic process, and you should vote against it.Thank you. Please reply if you have any questions.

March 1, 2010

Music News from the Rock Station, 92-7 WQLZ by Bishop

True crime book

Former Pantera front man will be involved in a tell tale book. Will it be an autobiography or a biography? As is the case with many recent “autobiographies,” there is usually a ghost writer or some famed author that helps with the bulk of the work. Well, this is the case with Phil Anselmo's forthcoming autobiography. Anselmo signed on with MetalSucks.net writer and true crime author Corey Mitchell. That's rather fitting, because the earlier part of Anselmo's life with Pantera is indeed a true crime (with all the drug use, and crazy parties … surely some crimes occurred).

What's in a name?

Trouble on the Black Sabbath front. There's always some crazy conflicts going on with band names. In particular there is a case between Tony Iommi and Ozzy Osbourne over the name Black Sabbath. A judge in New York has ruled that Osbourne can indeed sue Iommi about Iommi's use of the band's name. Osbourne claims that Iommi has illegally taken sole ownership of the name and is using it without permission of other band members. Osbourne is seeking 50 percent ownership of the name and some of the recent profits Iommi made from using the name. This is merely round one of a long drawn out process. Who wins? We may not know for years. Meanwhile, Ozzy has a new book out and an album forthcoming just around the corner. The dark one also recently got the key the city of West Palm Beach. Say what? See photos of the event here.

New song streaming

Killswitch Engaged has a new song available for streaming. Be sure to check out the track My Obsession online today streaming worldwide here. The song officially will be part of a digital extended soundtrack for the Playstation 3 game “God of War III.” The soundtrack will be out officially tomorrow and will feature tracks from Killswitch, Trivium, Opeth, and Dream Theater.

Catch the Music Minute every weekday with the Free Beer and Hot Wings Show on 92-7 WQLZ, the Rock Station.