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Why Would You Do That?

Just because I post a photo on the Internet, it does not give anyone the right to grab a copy and use it on their own site.  It certainly does not give anyone the right to edit that image and remove it's watermark! Why do I say this?  Well, a Music, Art, Film and Food print/online magazine here in Ireland did just that with one of my images. Was I annoyed when I saw the image on their site?  Yes!  Was I even more annoyed when I realised just what they had done?  Oh hell yes!! I contacted the editor of the magazine and got the 'oh it was the intern' excuse.  That's not a valid excuse.  If they are an intern, they are there to learn under your guidance, you should have noticed the issue.  The buck stops with you, the editor. Back in 2018, the European Court of Justice ruled that you the consent of the photographer if you wish to use their work online. The judges said: “The posting on a website of a photograph that was freely accessible on another website with the consent

Bandcamp Friday

Bandcamp Friday... If any online music company comes out of the Covid19 Pandemic with honours, it looks like it will be Bandcamp.  Why?  Well, it's quite simple, it's down to Bandcamp Friday.

What's Bandcamp Friday? Well, on the first Friday of each month, Bandcamp waives its fees on album and merch sales (on both physical media and downloads), meaning more money goes to the artists. This all kicked off in March as the world ground to a halt and with it, the music business. 

OK, the waiving of these fees won't make up for the loss of earnings from not gigging, but y'know, every little bit helps.

Today, being the first Friday of the month, I did some shopping.  I picked up a copy of the Sowing Acorns Limited Edition EP by Emma Langford on cassette. Yes, you read that right, on cassette.  Look, don't ask why, just go with it!

I also picked up a copy of a copy of The Swedish Railway Orchestra LP by, well, The Swedish Railway Orchestra on vinyl.  Yeah yeah, I know, look at him buying vinyl. Look, I like it, I like the fact it's tangible, I like the fact that it's big, I just like it!  Anyway, you couldn't find two artists further apart in their styles if you tried, but hey, it's all good music!

So yeah, that's just a brief note on Bandcamp Friday and why I think it's a pretty cool thing.  I've been using Bandcamp for a good few years now and I've no complaints about the service at all.  You should check them out and maybe support your favourite independent artists through it.



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