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Archive.org's Live Music Archive makes available in loseless format the work of hundreds of tape-friendly musicians, including the Antibalas Afrobeat Orchestra (8 shows), northwest favorites the Decemberists (18 shows), and, of course, Ween (71 shows! push those little daisies!). And let's not talk about crappy jam bands.

TechCrunch » Super-Stealth Ether to Launch Tonight

And the fun doesn’t stop there. Sellers can also sell any type of digital content through Ether as well.

Listening Post

My old pal Chris Rolls, author of MP3.com's 'Great Albums' column, has launched a companion podcast that's a cut above some of the other music podcasts I've heard. I credit Rolls' encyclopedic knowledge of popular music, soothing voice, and cast of sidekicks that are astoundingly knowledgeable about hip hop (if you've ever wondered which rapper used to drive a cab in Philly, just listen to their Wu-Tang podcast).

Wired 14.03: START

Software like DVDFab Decrypter (www.dvdidle.com/free.htm) removes a DVD's copy protection. Remember, this is the illegal part, which is why DVD decrypting software is always a moving target.

News Corporation to Tap Not Just Its Film Vaults, but Art From the Street - New York Times

In what is the boldest venture yet by an established media company to insinuate itself into millions of cellphones, the News Corporation has created a mobile entertainment store called Mobizzo and a production studio to focus exclusively on developing cellphone entertainment in much the same way that 20th Century Fox creates movies and television.

He Helped Build the iPod; Now He Has Built a Rival - New York Times

Samsung executives said they had engaged Mr. Mercer and Iventor to design a user interface for the Z5 because they were hoping to offer an ease of use that matched that of the iPod, which has a simple screen and a distinctive touch-sensitive scroll wheel for making selections.

MPAA speaker finds "choir" unreceptive

Although Hunt's position at the podium could probably be described as preaching to the choir, his comments were surprisingly not well-received.

Napster boss blames Microsoft for woes

Napster Chairman Chris Gorog knows who is causing him problems. No, the scrappy head of the once-scrappy online music company isn't talking about the iTunes Music Store and its approximately 80 percent of the online music market, he's pointing the finger at corporate buddy Microsoft.

"There is no question that their execution has been less than brilliant over the last 12 months," Napster Chairman and Chief Executive Chris Gorog said at the Reuters Global Technology, Media and Telecoms Summit in New York.

"Our business does rely on Microsoft's digital rights management software and our business model also relies on Microsoft's ecosystem of device manufacturers," he added.

Slashdot | A Bit of Bittorrent Bother

we're totally scared of new media, because new media is railways and we're canals, and you all just know how that's going to end.

Slashdot | Da Vinci Code Author Sued

The Bangkok Post states that 'The question the court is facing is whether you can copyright an idea, a conjecture.'
The answer is very explicitly "No" in the U.S.

Slashdot | Doctorow on DRM and Activism

If you're in the UK, hold the BBC to account. Why is it shipping the IMP, a DRM crippled player? Is there a point in the future where the BBC imagines that bits are going to get harder to copy?
In all fairness, the BBC is pretty progressive as compared to most.

Slyck News - New Round of RIAA Enforcement Actions

The RIAA has filed 750 potential lawsuits against alleged P2P pirates.

p2pnet.net - the original daily p2p and digital media news site

In a move which is claimed to be the death knell of Bit Torrent and other unauthorised services in Australia, Australia's largest ISP Telstra has announced the commencement of a new digital download service known as "BigPond Movies Downloads".

Bringing The Web And TV Together - Yahoo! News

Veoh Networks, which is looking to combine a Napster-like peer-to-peer network with a viewing recommendation engine to create a limitless video universe with hyper-targeted advertising.
SNIU

frog Design Mind - Gizmodo

DRM has been around a long time in the form of copy protection for software and games, so why such animosity now? The answer lies in the audience. Copy protection has expanded to content your average consumer cares about: movies and music.

The Legal Landscape After MGM v. Grokster, Part 2: Understanding the Impact on Innovation, by Lipinski, Tomas A.

lipinski_03106

Furdlog » A Matter of Degree?

The $60-billion TV industry has a simple answer to Palmer’s question: because the future of free TV may depend on it.

Furdlog » Propping Up the Universal Service Fund

At a Tuesday hearing convened by the Senate Commerce Committee, several senators from largely rural states called for expansion of the Universal Service Fund (USF), a multibillion-dollar pool of money that’s currently used to subsidize telecommunications services in rural and other high-cost areas, schools and libraries.

The Patry Copyright Blog: Preliminary Injunctions and Affirmative Defenses

The opinion, however, missed contrary authority, and perhaps most importantly, understandably did not discuss a Supreme Court opinion handed down the same day (February 21) that held to the contrary.

Yahoo Says It Is Backing Away From TV-Style Web Shows - New York Times

After proclaiming grand plans to bring elaborately produced sitcoms, talk shows and other television-style programs to the Internet, the head of Yahoo's Media Group said yesterday that he was sharply scaling back those efforts.

Senate Bill to Address Fears of Blocked Access to Net - New York Times

Senator Ron Wyden, Democrat of Oregon, will introduce new legislation today that would prohibit Internet network operators from charging companies for faster delivery of their content to consumers or favoring some content providers over others.
To date I haven't read anything about the effect of such things on P2P traffic, but the threat is definitely there.  Colleges which throttle P2P traffic do see a reduction in such activity.  If it happened to the whole 'Net, however, we'd rapidly see pseudo-darknets evolve that couldn't be detected.

--Ari