A sad week for music: R.I.P. OiNK
My favorite music site, OiNK, is the latest victim in the major labels’ anti-piracy war. They were shut down earlier this week in a raid by the UK equivalent of the RIAA. This will definitely result in me buying *less* music–as this was the only place where it was easy to find the obscure electronic stuff I’m into. If the RIAA had any brains, they’d start a site like this that:
- charged a small monthly fee, to directly compensate artists
- was DRM-free
- had both major label and indie/obscure/out of print music
This is wishful thinking - nobody will ever be able to assemble a legal site that has the volume and variety of music that OiNK did, since OiNK music was seeded by users, not by the myriad labels, artists, etc. whose music was posted here. The sheer volume of obscure music that you couldn’t find anywhere else (at least, not in one place) was astounding. I’ve discovered (and purchased!) so much great music through music sharing sites, OiNK in particular.
Requisite legal disclaimer: Downloading’s the future of the industry and and all–I always try before I buy–but remember to support the artists you love, so they can continue doing what they love.
Here’s some related reading:
- What to use instead of OiNK
- tehpaine - former OiNK admin’s blog
- Eloquent, insightful analysis by dj/rupture
- When Pigs Fly: The Death of Oink, the Birth of Dissent, and a Brief History of Record Industry Suicide.
Sigh. You’ll probably find me on Soulseek after this.
Apparently The Pirate Bay is bringing OiNK back - however, I’m doubtful that it will be nearly as good as it once was.
On a semi-related note, here’s a hilarious thread from a ex-OiNK member fratboy (ugh).