Despite Microsoft saying that Palladium isn't DRM, it's clearly not the truth.  [John Robb's Radio Weblog]

Dan Sickles found a Microsoft job listing for a Palladium program manager:  "Group Program Manager - Are you interested in being part of Microsoft's effort to build the Digital Rights Management (DRM) and trusted platforms of the future (Palladium)?"  Quibbling aside, you can't maintain that Palladium isn't DRM.  Don't believe the spin.

4:28:51 PM   

So has anybody noticed that this Blogchalk thing isn't working?

When I first heard about it (and posted my own Blogchalk), the pitch was this:  Make a post on your weblog with your Blogchalk data.  Search engines will see it, remember it, and any search on a phrase beginning with "blogchalk" will turn up your data.  A neat idea -- using Google as a community database of sorts.

But that apparently isn't working.  I did a quick Google search for "blogchalk" today, which turned up a measly 49 results, all of which are dated August 6.  That's not right.

10:16:11 AM   

Businesses act to make their customers happy.  When Clear Channel sells airtime to record labels, that's bad for listeners because the label becomes the customer, instead of the listener being the customer, as it should be. 

The same is true of Microsoft's Palladium.  Palladium is tailored to the needs of the MPAA and the RIAA.  The Entertainment Oligopoly becomes Microsoft's customer, instead of the end-user being the customer.  So Microsoft acts in Hollywood's interest instead of yours. 

Which explains why Microsoft is willing to trade your rights away in order to get access to the markets Hollywood dominates.

9:50:01 AM   

Murky Water for Clear Channel. Despite its dominant position in the U.S. radio market, all is not smooth sailing for the radio behemoth. Congress, uneasy at how large companies like Clear Channel have become, is considering legislation that would promote competition. Third of a three-part report by Randy Dotinga. [Wired News]

I'd recommend reading all three parts of this series (1, 2, 3).  You might want to check out Salon's excellent reportage on Clear Channel, too.

If you aren't sure whether there really is an entertainment oligopoly, the Wired piece points out that "the top 10 film studio owners account for 99 percent of movie profits, and five record distributors dominate 84 percent of that market."  Radio is rapidly approaching that level of consolidation.

9:34:44 AM