I’m not writing this post so much because I love the song (though it’s pretty good).  Nor do I really think the video is spectacular (but certainly worth watching).  Nope, I’m writing this because I want to talk about Topspin Media.  Or more precisely, I want to point out what a fantastic idea the “self contained embedded player cum music store” is.

Simply put, imagine every viral media chunklet you’ve ever seen transformed into a fully functioning music store (literally) in a box.  Not only is it a fantastic step in removing control directly from the major distribution channels, but it utilizes the fundamental strength of digital media: the ability to produce infinite copies for free. By this I don’t mean that they’ve created some new monster of illegal filesharing, nor did Topsin really create a new way to download music; instead they’ve leveraged the way people already discover new music, through embedded and shared media.

Congrats to the Topspin folks.  I’ve been following this company for a while, and hope to see really great things from them in the future.

(Video via fistfulayen, the blog of Topsin CEO Ian Rogers)

i guess it’s kind of pathetic that i never actually created a profile on technorati until now: Technorati Profile

it’s not that i don’t use it – i use it all the time to monitor various things for work and personal.  but for some reason i never considered logging in.

strange that this is in stark contrast to google.  the idea of logging into a search engine is a little bit scary, regardless of what it is.  but i suppose having a google login (or two or three) is useful in so many other ways that technorati logins are not.

perhaps a longer post coming later on the proliferation of site logins for sites that don’t really need it.

for those who don’t follow this stuff religiously the way that i do, the incredible awesomeness that was muxtape – the most beautifully, simply designed music application ever to hit the intarwebs – has been shut down for several months now.  in a lengthy and fascinating post to the muxtape website, the creator justin outlines exactly what happened, and where muxtape is going:

In May I had my first meeting with a major label, Universal Music Group. I went alone and prepared myself for the worst, having spent the last decade toeing the indie party line that the big labels were hopelessly obstinate luddites with no idea what was good for them. I’m here to tell you now that the labels understand their business a lot better than most people suspect, although they each have their own surprisingly distinct personality when it comes to how they approach the future.

it’s no secret that the big guys understand the inner workings of the new music economy.  it’s just that none of them seems to want to embrace it and make it work for them.  as with all good things, muxtape’s end comes as just another great piece of technology shut down by a system that fails to recognize its value.

fortunately for us music lovers, muxtape is to be reborn as a system for emerging artists to share their music with the world.  no real details have emerged, but it sounds like a similar concept to topspin, where embeddable widgets allow for mass dissemination of content and easy purchase.  it also seems they’ve got a system set up for bands to create their own site, a la myspace or bandzoogle or any of the myriad other sites that allow for quick and dirty modular band site building.