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EFF Releases "The Tinseltown Club" 175

Posted by chrisd from the all-hail-the-floating-head-of-seth-david-schoen dept.
Seth Schoen writes: "Sing along, kids! EFF is debuting the EFF Action Center with a song produced by EFF and friends -- the Tinsel Town Club Song (a parody of the "Mickey Mouse Club Song"). "Tinseltown Club" makes fun of Disney for its support of legislation which takes away your rights. There's also an MP3 version (with better sound quality) for those who can't see the Flash animation, and we expect to make several other formats available soon. To help save bandwidth, we are encouraging listeners to share the song on peer-to-peer networks." Update: Seth has written in with some mirrors you can try, I've posted his note in the story..
Seth says:

"Please try P2P networks first, before going to an HTTP site! The song and animation are definitely out there on the P2P networks by now.

For those who have BitTorrent, use http://bittorrent.theory.org:8080/20020528_eff_tinseltown_club.mp3

For those who use http, get The MP3 from here.

Please go easy on action.eff.org (where the Flash animation is posted) and please do set up and publicize your own mirrors.

  • Seth"

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EFF Releases "The Tinseltown Club" More

EFF Releases "The Tinseltown Club"

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  • hard to grab flash (Score:3, Interesting)

    by mr_burns ( 13129 ) on Wednesday May 29, 2002 @06:30PM (#3605603)
    I tried to grab the flash file to share on gnutella, but eff.org keeps denying me when I use wget or curl (grabbed url from page source).

    Is there a URL where we can grab it so we can spread the word?

  • they thought about the sound aspect but dammnit people want to see the video also.For someone that was concerned about using up to much bandwidth they could have made a format for download so that we could see it offline. I guess that would have taken planning and forsight. Sigh... guess I will sit here and see if it ever loads. 3 minutes to slashdot effect and counting...

    Hey here is a thought, I got ten bucks that says we never see this on total request live...

    • Re:at least a download (Score:2, Interesting)

      by Phlog ( 154313 )
      Yes - you can view this offline. If you can manage to get this to download from their site, you can view the page source, go to the URL of the file (http://action.eff.org/tinseltown/tinsel.swf), then when it finishes downloading, go to File > Save As... (this should work in any browser, I believe..) and then save it to a safe place on your hard disk. Then, when you want to view it, open up your browser, and go to File > Open File...

      Of course, if you can't get a connection (as I can't as of this writing), you're out of luck - but that's just how the Internet is structured.. it doesn't matter that this is Flash - if it were any other format, you'd still have to download it initially.

      Unfortunately, Flash isn't Free Software (free as in speech and as in GNU). So, I can view Flash animations on this computer (x86, running GNU/Linux), but not on my Powerbook, which also runs GNU/Linux.. Macromedia only releases Flash for *Nix clones as an x86 binary, which cuts out all non-x86 hardware users running an alternate Operating System (or those who don't wish to run non-Free Software).

      Hope you enjoyed my mini-rant right there.

      -Phlog

  • sigh (Score:2, Flamebait)

    by BilldaCat ( 19181 )
    this is just sad. the last thing that's going to convince me disney is evil is a bunch of geeks singing, badly at that.

  • This is Hilarious! (Score:2, Insightful)

    by Anonymous Coward
    THis is Hilarious, I just hope that the EFF doesn't loose it's credibility as a result of this hilarious piece of work! They really should be acting more mature when it comes to serious matters such as these. Think about it, do we really want them to represent us with such works of art?
  • I unable to play Stallman singing " Free Software song [gnu.org]". Does anyone have a link to a music file of *him* singing it in another music format (ogg/mp3)?

  • A good example of a legitimate use of Peer-to-Peer (Score:4, Insightful)

    by cardshark2001 ( 444650 ) on Wednesday May 29, 2002 @06:45PM (#3605689)
    The EFF is making a good statement here, without even issuing a statement.

    1. Parodies are be protected speech, and the same content that is legal in "traditional" media should be legal on the internet.

    2. Disney really sucks

    3. Peer-to-Peer file-sharing software is not merely for eypatch wearing, parrot on their shoulder types. People actually use it legitimately.

  • Already in mp3 format, huh? (Score:3, Interesting)

    by guttentag ( 313541 ) on Wednesday May 29, 2002 @06:53PM (#3605739) Journal
    So do you think the RIAA would be stupid enough to come after me if I distribute this song on a Napster-like system?
    • So do you think the RIAA would be stupid enough to come after me if I distribute this song on a Napster-like system?

      Why not? After all, everyone knows that MP3's are illegal. And [1] this song is copyrighted, so you would be "guilty of distributing copyrighted material" [2]. So maybe we shouldn't be surprised if the RIAA did want to get involved... [3]

      [1] Every creative work has an automatic copyright, and I presume that EFF has not made a point of abandoning their copyright to the public domain. AFAIK, all GNU software is copyrighted, for instance.

      [2] Forget that the copyright holder may authorize anyone and everyone to distribute their work... The point is that "people are distributing copyrighted material"! Oh, the humanity! (No, make that stupidity.)

      [3] Sometimes I wonder if it will someday be a crime for me to distribute my OWN copyrighted material...
  • Does anyone think after hearing this parody, Disney will have some epic crisis of conscience and immediately reverse its support of anti-freedom legislation?

    Seems like the time and effort behind this would be better spent mailing/e-mailing/snail-mailing/phoning legislators to voice your opposition.

    • Well, um . . . Re:And The Purpose Is What? (Score:4, Insightful)

      by StefanJ ( 88986 ) on Wednesday May 29, 2002 @07:31PM (#3605982) Homepage Journal
      . . . unless it's changed since this morning, doesn't the last frame invite viewers to find out what they can do?

      The cartoon is motivating people to act.
    • Does anyone think after hearing this parody, Disney will have some epic crisis of conscience and immediately reverse its support of anti-freedom legislation?

      Don't belittle them with sarcastic strawman arguments. It's reasonable to expect they wanted to publish something that would stand a chance of grabbing the average person's attention thus increasing awareness of our loss of freedom to corporate masters.

      Seems like the time and effort behind this would be better spent mailing/e-mailing/snail-mailing/phoning legislators to voice your opposition.

      There is no need to sequence the events so we do this first, then that. We can do all that and more in any order we wish and benefit from having people do all these things simultaneously.

    • The point is to produce something that catches the interest of people who are otherwise completely unaware of its message. Once those people start questioning this stuff it's all over.
  • Odd that the EFF would use the proprietary Flash format.

    (someone shoot the lameness filter please. Cheers. *fears for all those CPU cycles burned doing gzip compression*)

  • saving bandwidth? (Score:1, Flamebait)

    by Rombuu ( 22914 )
    To help save bandwidth, we are encouraging listeners to share the song on peer-to-peer networks

    Huh? There is no bandwidth saved. What they mean is, we want to shift the cost of distributing this thing to other people.
    • "What they mean is, we want to shift the cost of distributing this thing to other people."

      It's saving bandwidth the limited bandwidth that their site has. The cost isn't shifted, it's dispersed. It doesn't cost me anything to constantly upload a song on that plan that I'm on.

  • Hypocrisy Alert! (Score:1, Flamebait)

    by Aquaman616 ( 131268 )
    Hmmm... so Flash is a bad evil tool of the devil (as spouted here at Slashdot) but when the EFF uses it, no problem? Come on.

    The toon simply proves the point that the SWF format is the best way to do such cartoons and interactivity on the web. Why won't the open source community embrace it and make a good GUI editor for it? While cool and all, I'm simply not able to make such a cartoon with free software. Unless the EFF is hiding some cool new tool from us they are using some non-free proprietary software to make that SWF, period.

    • Re:Hypocrisy Alert! (Score:4, Interesting)

      by _xeno_ ( 155264 ) on Wednesday May 29, 2002 @07:21PM (#3605927) Homepage Journal
      Oh well, I'll have to use my moderator point elsewhere.

      [S]o Flash is a bad evil tool of the devil (as spouted here at Slashdot) but when the EFF uses it, no problem?

      Flash is a bad evil tool of the devil when used in place of HTML or used in place of other, more accessible, standards. In this case, Flash is being used to make what is in essence a movie. When knowingly browsing to a movie, I am willing to accept that the movie might require a plugin in order to be successfully viewed.

      What I hate and find annoying is when Flash is used in place of HTML or other more accessible means. If Slashdot's front page were a large Flash animation, then it would be an annoying tool of the devil. If Flash were used for the topic icons, it would be another misuse. But if Flash were used for a cute little animation that is the basis for a text story, that's an appopriate use of Flash.

      Also, don't forget that there is no entity known as Slashdot. Some people like Flash, others do not.

      I personally hate Flash when used where simple html and images would have done since Flash sometimes causes my browser to crash and generally slows down the rendering of the browser page. But when it is used to create an animation with sound, I don't mind it - as long as I am aware of that fact before loading the page.

      This is just another right-tool-for-the-job issue, and in this case, the EFF is using the right tool for the job they wish to do.

    • Hmmm... so Flash is a bad evil tool of the devil (as spouted here at Slashdot) but when the EFF uses it, no problem? Come on.

      It's not as sensational *cough*karmawhore*cough* as you're making it sound. The FS/OSS community tends not to like Flash not because it's "a bad evil tool" but because it's TERRIBLY OVERUSED. 90% of Flash stuff SHOULD NOT be in Flash. The last 10% is what it should be used for: animation! The EFF are in this 10% with this cartoon, and thus it is not hypocritical.
      • 90% of Flash stuff SHOULD NOT be in Flash.

        This sounds about right to NOT blame Flash for the misuse. I believe your typical Fortune file says as much...

        "90% of anything is crap"
    • I have wonder why no tools that use vector graphic animation are avaiable? A lot of it is built into the GUI of windoze and even the 16 bit pile of junk found in 95-98-ME can do a fare job. Draw on a back screen and flip or blit copy it to the front.

      Problem is these days just trying to come up with somthing get you hamered with 10,000,000,000,000,000,000,000 halt or sue letters.

      The best so far I have seen of Flash were the Elmo Ardvark series, Thugs on Film and the Looney Toon's Esp the Porkey Pig Tech support and "Bug the Duck" ones.
    • This is the EFF, not the FSF. As far as I know, the EFF does not have a vendetta against non-free software.

  • link to it! (Score:4, Informative)

    by macsox ( 236590 ) on Wednesday May 29, 2002 @07:09PM (#3605847) Journal
    userland's [scripting.com] dave winer has an image [weblogs.com] you can use to link to the animation from your own website.

    (i humbly admit that i [pbump.net] made it. i am biased.)

  • Mirror of the MP3 (Score:4, Informative)

    by Turmio ( 29215 ) on Wednesday May 29, 2002 @07:11PM (#3605858) Homepage
    Kind of stupid to link an MP3 on Slashdot front page. I still managed to grab it after a couple of reconnect attempts.

    Download here: http://shakti.tky.hut.fi/slashdot/effmp3 [tky.hut.fi]

  • You should be angry at TIME WARNER, a true monopoly that wants to control every inch of the "entertainment food chain" from the movie studios to the set-top-box.

    People who are "served" by Warner digital cable are paying more $$$ than ever before for poorer service. (And each TV now needs its own Set Top Box.)

    AOL TIME Warner owns the magazines you read, the movie studios, movie theatres, 50% of internet users and nearly half of the cable TV customers.

    It seems like AOL Time Warner has the EFF in their pocket, too! They convinced the EFF to attack poor Disney, which is struggling to compete in the shadow of the massivce AOL Time Warner monopoly.

  • The EFF, a foundation created to defend the technological freedoms and rights of individuals around the world, is promoting the use of Macromedia Flash, the success of which will fill the coffers of a pro-DMCA company at the expense of open W3C [w3.org] standards. The irony is sweet and poignant.


    I mean, they don't have to be Free Software fanatics or anything, but I do expect the EFF to at least make a token effort at not squandering money, and keeping true to their beliefs. Surely the $1000 licensing fee for Macromedia Flash plus time spend developing the animation could have been better employed to defend peoples' rights in the real world, rather than promoting a proprietary plugin that I can't even see. I mean, the total amount I have donated to the EFF in the past is probably less than $1000, and I'd consider myself one of their more pecunative sponsorors.


    Self-declared "pragmatists" may claim that Flash is the most widespread, or that it is the 'best', but he is a fool who denies that freedom from vendor lock-in and the goals of the EFF do not go hand in hand. I'll be contacting them directly over the next few days; the only right thing for them to do is to remove the proprietary Flash animation from their site.

    • I seriously doubt the EFF actually bought a copy of Flash (which, by the way, doesn't cost $1,000). Most likely someone with way too much free time who already owned their own copy of Flash made this, and it didn't cost the EFF anything. And no, the "only right thing for them to do" is not to take it down. Having that animation on their site harms no one and there's no reason to take it down just because there are some fanatics out there who can't install a Flash player.

      And please tell us, what format would you have done this animation in? SVG has no audio support and isn't supported by any major browser (no, the rare svg-enabled Mozilla build does not count as a major browser). Java is bloated, slow, difficult to do animations with, and also somewhat proprietary. AVI and MPEG aren't at all suited for animation, and would result in huge file sizes and lower quality. There are no suitable open source formats available, so sometimes one must use a proprietary program.

    • The EFF, a foundation created to defend the technological freedoms and rights of individuals around the world, is promoting the use of Macromedia Flash, the success of which will fill the coffers of a pro-DMCA company at the expense of open W3C [w3.org] standards. The irony is sweet and poignant.

      Please point me to the place on the W3C site where it talks about an open standard for what flash does. Are you going to try to refer me to SVG [w3.org]? I don't think that will fit the bill. Don't see anything about sound or interactivity.

      Perhaps you could stop your whining and generate your Flash from PHP [php.net], or you could head over here [openswf.org] and read the spec for Flash, published by Macromedia in 1998.

  • Yeah, for earning the respect of the general public for an august organization like the EFF, there's nothing quite like making up a song that mocks those who disagree.

    If that doesn't work, maybe we can shoot Disney execs with spitwads or give them atomic wedgies.

  • Lyrics (Score:2, Interesting)

    by 3.1415926535 ( 243140 )
    I can't get to their main page now, so I'm trying to figure out the lyrics. This is the best I can come up with so far. Anyone know what these words I couldn't figure out are?

    Ooh, sing along kids!

    Tinsel town glow[?]
    Tinsel town glow
    Tinsel town glow
    Tinsel town glow

    Who believes the average chains a criminal on the ???
    Disney and his show biz friends
    Who have a lot at stake
    Who with their laws turn back the clocks
    The rights we have today
    The entertainment moguls and CBDTPA

    And they stell us stuff (it's overpriced!)
    They lock it up (and that's not nice!)
    So they can keep their profits in the sky (sky high!)
    So join the fight, defend your rights
    Before they're whisked away
    Speak up fast! Don't let them pass CBDTPA

    Numbers count (they make Congress pay attention!)
    Tell all your friends about that old CBDTPA
    • "Tinsel town glow[?]" to "Tinsel town club"

      "The rights we have today" to "on rights we have today"

      :-)
    • Who believes the average chains a criminal on the ???

      I think chains is really "Janes", as in average jane/joe.

      The last word in that line is "run", "Web", or is it "move".

    • Re:Lyrics (Score:1, Informative)

      by Anonymous Coward
      This is how it sounds to me anyway...

      Ooh, sing along kids!

      Tinsel town club
      Tinsel town club
      Tinsel town club
      Tinsel town club

      Who believes the average ?janes? a criminal on the make
      Disney and his show biz friends
      Who have a lot at stake
      Who with their locks turn back the clocks
      The rights we have today
      The entertainment moguls and CBDTPA

      And they sell us stuff (it's overpriced!)
      They lock it up (and that's not nice!)
      So they can keep their profits in the sky (high! high! high!)
      So join the fight, defend your rights
      Before they're whisked away
      Speak up fast! Don't let them pass CBDTPA

      Numbers count (they make Congress pay attention!)
      Tell all your friends about that old CBDTPA

    • Tinsel Town Club
      average Jane's a criminal on the make
      On rights we have today

      I'm guessing about the "on the make," but it makes sense and rhymes with stake. The others I'm pretty sure of.

  • As I said [blogspot.com] when I submitted this story in vain this morning at 6am, the phrases 'Mickey Mouse Copy Protection' and 'Mickey Mouse Computer' need to enter the language in this context - as in 'Do you want a Mickey Mouse computer that stops you making music?'

  • link for file on edonkey p2p network (Score:1, Informative)

    by Anonymous Coward
    if you have edonkey installed, this URL will get you the file(I know I'm sharing it, chances are other edonkey users are too); slashdot munges the URL, so you need to hand-paste it(sorry...yell at Slashdot.) Only works with IE, unless you've modified the registry to get edonkey links working inside of Opera.

    ed2k://|file|20020528_eff_tinseltown_club.mp3|18 75 400|7d4c0b5d11e81ef532048116e7c6077d

    BTW, you really DO need to get it from a P2P network. Their connection is crawling right now...and even if it isn't, each download costs 'em money.
  • Show Bud Selig...

    Vote Expos-Twins for All-Star Game... [0catch.com]
  • It's very catchy. Sort of obnoxiouse, but catchy. And thus, gentlemen, and the, err..3 ladies, I am going to burn this to CDR and mail it to my congresswoman, Joanne Davis (R, VA - 1st district). She a dunce who thinks the DMCA is about Napster no matter what i triend to tell her. As such I hate her, and subjecting her to this will be sweet revenge, as well as maybe getting the point accross -- unless that could be considered domestic terrorsim?
  • I listened to that MP3 a few times and I still can't understand the words.

    Here's a transcription, as best I can figure it out.

    Ohh! Sing along kids.
    Tinsel Town Club x3
    Who believes the average [inaudible] a criminal [inaudiable]
    Disney and ??? showbiz friends, hugalguglalguglsg
    Who blah blah blah and blah blah the rights we have today
    huguaglguglugualg
    We're all gay at the EFF
    We love to hug our macintoshes and program in Java
    DMCA!
    DCMA!
    See ya real soon

  • I have a copy at:

    http://cubicmetercrystal.com/eff_tinseltown_club.m p3 [cubicmetercrystal.com]

    The EFF is getting /.'ed pretty good, so try to use some kind of mirror if possible.
  • I got the MP3. Anyone got a mirror for the flash?
  • I'm staying logged into giFT at the moment to share this file (its the only one I'm sharing, actually), and I think it has spread to a few other users. See http://gift.sf.net/. I'm sharing the MP3, don't have the flash right now..

  • Lyrics (Score:1)

    by ay2b ( 21556 )

    Listening to the lyrics, there's a few lines that are a little difficult to understand. If anyone can understand them better than I, please let us know. In the mean time, here's a mirror of the song, in text format:

    Hello! Sing along kids!

    tin-sel town club
    tin-sel town club
    tin-sel town club
    tin-sel town club

    Who believes the average Jane's a criminal on the make?

    Disney and the showbiz friends,
    who have a lot at stake!

    Who with their lawyers and their (mumble) what rights we have today

    The entertainment mogels and CD-DGBA

    They said it'll stop
    It's all for right!
    They love getop
    And that's not nice!
    So they can keep their profits in the sky!
    High, high, high!

    So join the fight! Defend your rights, before they're wisked away!

    Speak up fast!
    Don't let them pass
    the CD DGBA

    Congress pass
    They make congress pay attention
    They are no friend of ours
    That old CD DGBA...

  • Nice, but wrong strategy. (Score:4, Insightful)

    by Dan Crash ( 22904 ) on Wednesday May 29, 2002 @11:39PM (#3607117) Journal
    The Flash video was nicely done, but I think trying to paint corporations as villains for trying to "keep their profits high" is a strategy waiting to backfire. Keeping profits high is what corporations are supposed to do. No one in power is going to spank them for doing that.

    The whole issue isn't about profits in the first place. It's about control. THEY want to control the things YOU buy AFTER you buy them. And they're using all their corporate powers -- money, lobbying, technology -- to stop you from owning things at all. In their world, you don't own CDs, just licenses to listen to them.

    I think we'd all be doing better if we lampooned these corporations as communist dictators instead of capitalists. The analogy fits better, and it's funnier, too.
    • I think trying to paint corporations as villains for trying to "keep their profits high" is a strategy waiting to backfire. Keeping profits high is what corporations are supposed to do.

      Not when they are deliberately and consciously subverting the constitution and working to neuter or outright ban the most democratic technology (the internet) to come along in two centuries to do so.

      And not when they are trying to ban the technologies that make it possible for hobbiests to create content equal to or better than what they produce, in order to protect their cartel at the expense of the wider society and culture.

      No one in power is going to spank them for doing that.

      Well, that is indicative of another problem ... the legalized bribery that has turned our once proud congress into a collection of cheap whores who routinely sell their votes (for a relative pittence) to their corporate sponsors in hopes financing their campaign to allow themselves to live on the public dole for another two (or six) years.
    • How about letting the heads of corporations (and their bootlickers in Congress) portray themselves [lockup.org].

      I can't figure out if they are evil or stupid. It's hard to be manipulative & devious if you were shortchanged at the neuron dispenser. I'm drifting towards the opinion that it's all an act to ingratiate know-nothings [infoplease.com] who are suspicious of technology.
  • You can get the BitTorrent installer for windows by running this file [bitconjurer.org]. You can then download the url given above by clicking on this link [theory.org].

  • An Association Named Sue [rootrecords.org]. Now available in ogg!

    [ original post [slashdot.org] ]
  • I see at least one copy of the song on giFT, and I just added my own copy to that.

    It's a nice song and all, but...I can't make out the lyrics. Are they posted anywhere?
  • I'm all for the root message (that the moves to restrict our rights is a very, very bad thing), but this animation makes me cringe. To me, it seems like a very sensible message is wrapped up in the wrong packaging.

    The problem is that our rights as consumers of media are being taken away from us. That by crippling the content we buy, and making it illegal for us to work around that crippling, or to even create something that could be used to get around that crippling, the entertainment industry is hamstringing the public's rights.

    The way this cartoon portrays it though, this may as well be a WTO protest. The clip seems to be one that has a strong anti-capitalist tone, the "big bad corporations want to make money" kind of thing. But this will not only NOT get the true severity of the problem across to John Q Public, it will align the EFF with the left wing anti-globalization/anti-capitalist protesters, who are far from acceptance in the mainstream. I live in Berkeley, and it reminds me a lot of the "hey, let's go protest something - it doesn't really matter what" mentality I hear all the time here. This means that they aren't just not quite getting their message across effectively, they're actually detracting from their position.

    I know plenty of people familiar with the situation find the clip funny, but the few people I sent it to who are not already involved all thought it was just being critical of Disney for being a big American company. Until I explained it to them, they weren't sure whether to dismiss it as radical propaganda or not.

    I fully support the EFF's cause, and I wish they had done something a little less propagandistic, and a little more explanatory.

  • ...than is immediately evident. After listening to it a few times I can actually remember the acronym CBDTPA.
  • It would seem logical for the EFF to specifically release the MP3 under the EFF's Open Audio License, using the (O) notation specified in that license. Admittedly, I've only been able to acquire the MP3 and haven't been able to get through to the EFF's own page or the Flash animation and thus might be missing an (O) notice, but I did check Radio EFF and CAFE and saw nothing of this MP3.

    And, of course, once released as Open Audio it would then be appropriate for listing in the Open Music Registry. :-)

  • Having studied only British English at school and preferring BBC (who use predominantly something resembling "Queen's English", apart from foreign guests and of course Vicky Parker) as my anglophone source of news instead of the US-centric American networks I find it a bit difficult to follow some of the lyrics in "cartoon-American".

    I couldn't find the lyrics for this EFF-Disney extragavanza anywhere but with the EFF being involved I must be missing something. Could some kind soul either point me to the right direction or alternatively post the lyrics e.g. here on Slashdot (potential karma goldmine awaits...)?

  • Yet another mirror (Score:2, Informative)

    by marcus-e ( 99580 )

    ...with the Flash movie and the music (in Ogg and MP3) has been set up here:

    http://marcus.pixelmagic.nu/tinseltown_club/ [pixelmagic.nu]

  • Is it just me, or is it wierd that the EFF uses ASPs on there home page. No a whole lot of freedom with that setup <shrug>.

    jason
  • Parody or no, this was a waste of my time and whoever made it. It doesn't send a usefull message and it's not "funny" enough to have any value.

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