The New Muxtape

While Muxtape sits in legal obscurity, I've been looking for other options. I discovered the website 8tracks this morning and it's looking the best so far. Unlike Mixwit, you can upload your own songs, which is exactly what I need. Mixwit is simply an aggregate of existing links on the internet -- you are not allowed to upload your own music. Most of the music that I own is not available through existing links because of its obscurity, so the ability to upload the music I own is essential. 8tracks also seems to be on more solid legal ground:

At current royalty rates, the hourly cost per user is just over $0.02 per listener per hour in 2008, increasing to nearly $0.03 per listener per hour in 2010. This means that 8tracks must earn a net CPM from advertising of at least $20 in 2008 (i.e., $20 per 1000 ad impressions = $0.02) and nearly $30 in 2010 (i.e., $30 per 1000 ad impressions = $0.03) to cover the cost of streaming sound recordings. In addition, 8tracks pays musical works royalties to ASCAP, BMI and SESAC, which generally comprises 3%-5% of revenues.

8tracks is taking 2 steps to reduce its royalty liability so can sustain itself as a business. First, it is opting into a Small Webcaster license offered by SoundExchange (at the request of Congress). This license provides for royalty payment on the greater of a percentage-of-revenue or percentage-of-expense basis, subject to a minimum fee, which will allow us to grow our user base -- and our potential for advertising -- before having to pay the more onerous compulsory rates owed on a per song, per listener basis.

Second, 8tracks is seeking direct licenses with independent record labels and artists who generally see greater promotional value in internet radio -- given relatively few alternative channels for exposure -- and are thus more willing to consider the percentage-of-revenue terms common to all other forms of radio (traditional, satellite, cable).

My 8tracks page can be found here, and I've created a test mix called The Longest Songs:

1. Public Image LTD - Theme (First Edition LP)
   
2. Pg. 99 - A Sonnet to Both Ugly and Murderous Living in the Skeleton of a Happy Memory (Document #7 LP)
3. City of Caterpillar - A Little Change Could Go A Long Ways (S/T LP)
   
4. Pissed Jeans - My Bed (Hope for Men LP)
   
5. Portraits of Past - Bang Yer Head (S/T LP)
   
6. Lightning Bolt - 2 Towers (Wonderful Rainbow LP)
   
7. Big Business - I'll Give You Something to Cry About (Here Come the Waterworks LP)
8. The White Mice - SEWERcide (BLasssTPhlEgMEICE LP)

The cool thing about 8tracks is that users can upload more than one mix at a time. I also like it's simplicity and minimalist aesthetic; although, Muxtape is still more visually appealing. One thing that 8tracks is lacking is the "stumbling" part of Muxtape -- only recent mixes are shown on 8tracks' home page. There is a search option, but that isn't quite the same to me, as I'm likely to just find music I already listen to. And there doesn't seem to be a "Favorites/Fans" feature like Muxtape has; however, I still haven't figured out how the "Following" feature works, so maybe that is something like Muxtape's "Favorites/Fans."

I'll have an 8tracks link in my side bar while I await the verdict against Muxtape. Click the 8 track tape to the right to listen any of my existing 8tracks mixes.

[EDIT]: So it seems that 8tracks has a 10 minute per song limit, which poses a problem for the Pg. 99 track that I had selected (it's 11 minutes long). I've switched it out with another song on the Document #7 LP, "Living in the Skeleton of a Happy Memory."