FCC legal action against Behringer has served as a wake-up call to the company’s management, according to a company spokesperson.
In February of 2006, the FCC proposed a $1 million fine against Behringer USA for apparent violation of the FCC’s equipment authorization rules. The equipment found to be in violation of the FCC rules included audio [...]

March 04: It’s free electronic music month at Synthtopia. All month long, we’re going to help you kick the RIAA habit by highlighting great electronic music that’s available for free on the Internet.
Today we’re highlighting YMO’s Ryuichi Sakamoto and his Stop Rokkasho project.
The Rokkasho-mura reprocessing plant in Japan’s Aomori Prefecture opened for testing on March [...]

 

 Thomas Dolby Windpower [5:11m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

 

 DJ Krush - Time To Melt [5:00m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Cisco and Apple today announced that they have resolved their dispute involving the “iPhone” trademark.Under the agreement, both companies are free to use the “iPhone” trademark on their products throughout the world. Both companies acknowledge the trademark ownership rights that have been granted, and each side will dismiss any pending actions regarding the trademark.
In addition, [...]

Apple CEO Steve Jobs posted a surprising statement on the company’s site yesterday, challenging the music industry to abandon DRM (copy protection) on digital music downloads.Jobs outlines three possible futures for digital music:

Continue as is it is now, with each manufacturer competing freely with their own “top to bottom” proprietary systems for selling, playing and [...]

Apple today filed its Form 10-Q for the quarter ended July 1, 2006 and its Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended September 30, 2006 with the Securities and Exchange Commission (”SEC”). Both filings had been delayed pending the conclusion of an independent investigation by the special committee of the board of directors into past [...]

The FCC has proposed a $1 million fine against Behringer USA for apparent violation of the FCC’s equipment authorization rules. The equipment found to be in violation of the FCC rules includes audio processors, equalizers, mic preamps, sample-rate converters, mixers, amplifiers and lighting controllers.
The FCC has concluded that Behringer violated its rules by marketing in [...]

The Mayo Clinic warns that portable music devices put your hearing at risk.
“With the older devices, like the Walkman, if you turned them up all the way, they sounded very bad, so people didn’t do it. Now, they don’t sound bad at maximum volume, and that could pose a problem,” says Jodi Cook, Ph.D., director [...]

It looks like Moby is reopening the white-boy rap / electronica artist feud. A recent post to his online journal, i’d like to write about misogyny, lays the smack-down on The Prodigy and eminem over their use of misogynistic lyrics.
“i respect the prodigy and i respect eminem as talented and relevant musicians, but i spoke [...]

Get ready for Sex everywhere.
Jessica Vale has announced the upcoming release of The Sex Album. The provocative CD features sounds (with the exception of Vale’s vocals) taken entirely from the recordings of live sex that were manipulated into dark electronic and ambient music.
Synthtopia recently interviewed Vale about making The Sex Album.
This is the first release [...]

Tiger Direct, an online computer retailer, today filed a lawsuit against Apple Computer in the United States District Court for the District of Florida. The suit alleges Apple Computer engaged in trademark infringement and unfair trade practices in connection with its recent marketing campaign for the latest version of its MAC OS X operating system, [...]

While the use of synthesizers has become routine in many types of music, they continue to be controversial when used as a replacement for a traditional orchestra. Kiku Enomoto and her six colleagues at the Opera Company of Brooklyn, members of the local musician’ union, refused to play with the OCB last February when it [...]

While the RIAA argues unequivocally that the file-sharing services are hurting musicians, musicians have their own opinions. A new study shows that more musicians feel that file-sharing benefits them than feel that it hurts them. Most musicians feel that the RIAA suits against file-sharing music fans will not benefit either musicians or songwriters.
The new report, [...]

Banned Music is a web project that promotes music activism, especially the non-commercial distribution of works that major record labels have driven underground. The site is one of several that are raising important questions about the role that the law plays in determining what we can experience.
The site is a project of Downhill Battle, a [...]

Underground remixes are suddenly getting attention all over the Internet. Nothing is hotter than Jay-Z and the Grey Album remix. Some may think this is just another example of people trying to get something for free. Others, however, see this as a type of civil disobedience, and ask why three or four companies should get [...]

Downhill Battle, a web site devoted to music activism, always manages to make music activism fun.
They’ve made a list of 6 reasons to tell the RIAA where to go:

Music diversity will grow.
Pay-for-play radio will end.
Independent music won’t be marginalized.
The lawsuits will stop.
Artistic freedom will expand.
Musicians will make a better living.

The list is supported with explanations [...]