Completely Conspicuous Episode 139: Through the Past Darkly

Part 1 of my look back at the rise and fall of the dotcom era with special guest Ric Dube (http://morelosttime.podbean.com).

Topics:

- Webnoize looked at how entertainment and the Web converged

- We covered the start of the MP3 revolution

- Napster let people a world apart share music

- Before Napster, the only choice you had if you liked a song was to buy the CD

- Dube: Napster was a collective act of civil disobedience

- Recording industry said online sharing would hurt, but nobody listened

- Most companies' Internet strategy represented an agenda, but no idea

- The dotcoms with good ideas often got bought out

- Napster's technology was art, not a viable business

- Millions of people used Napster

- We started noticing companies had no idea behind the money

- Apple capitalized on digital music with iPod and iTunes store

- Dube had one of the first iPods in America

- We rode around Boston with XM Satellite Radio listening to service before it launched 

- Amazon has thrived with MP3 store

- Music industry sales are hurting

- Ten years ago, CD duplication wasn't as easy and cheap as it is now

- Dube predicted the phone was the future of music industry

- Dube: Didn't see Apple becoming a big player in consumer electronics and media

- Lee was right about business convergence

- WiFi networks must improve

- Stitcher is an impressive app--turns iPhone into a TiVo

- Music will become more like a service than a product

- Bonehead of the Week

Music:

The Posies - Licenses to Hide

The Vaselines - Sex with an X

Boston Spaceships - Come on Baby Grace 

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The show is sponsored by Eastbay/Footlocker.com, a leading supplier of athletic footwear, apparel and sports equipment. Use promo code AFCOMP15 to get 15% off any order at http://www.eastbay.com, AFCOMP20 to get 20% off any order of $75 or more at http://www.eastbay.com and AFCOMPFL to get 15% off any order at http://www.footlocker.com.

The Posies song is on the forthcoming album Blood/Candy on Rykodisc. Find out more at http://theposies.net and download the song for free at http://www.ampmagazine.com.

The Vaselines song is on the album Sex with an X on Sub Pop Records. Find out more at http://www.myspace.com/thevaselinesband. You can download the song for free at http://www.subpop.com.

The Boston Spaceships song is on the forthcoming self-released album Our Cubehouse Still Rocks. Find out more at http://www.bostonspaceships.com. Download the song for free at http://www.pitchfork.com.

The opening and closing theme of Completely Conspicuous is "Theme to Big F'in Pants" by Jay Breitling. Find out more about Senor Breitling at http://clickyclickymusic.com and http://www.keepingsomedarksecrets.net. Additional music used in the show is by Me and Boris the Bull, which is the brainchild of the mighty Mark Campbell; find out more at http://www.myspace.com/meandboristhebull. Thanks to Bob Durling for the album art; find out more about his photography at http://bobdurling.blogspot.com/.

Completely Conspicuous is a Tan God Production. Word.