1. Shit happens!
2. Isn’t anyone paying attention?
3. So, what (the Hell) have you been doing for an entire month?

1a. Yes indeed.

Starting with Megaupload, which proved to be just the tip of the iceberg, the hull got breached.
It wasn’t targeted randomly, no sir. You don’t need to be a political analyst to realise it was a tactical hit, a display of power.
What better way to show who’s got the upper hand than to take down the *flagship*? Especially after failing to pass the SOPA/PIPA legislation.
The hearing of the news alone, was enough to intimidate [read: scare shitless] the majority of file hosting services which immediately took measures [read: disabling accounts indiscriminately, deleting any questionable material from their servers etc] in order to comply with the law [read: avoid being prosecuted like the chubby bloke who run MU]
Is it irreversible? Only time will tell.

You know something? I hope they ban everything! Bring the Internet traffic back to dial-up era levels.
Maybe then they’ll realise they were digging their own graves all along.
In nature, when the host dies so do the PARASITES.
I’d very much like to see them getting ridiculed (on second thought, they’re already used to that and probably won’t mind) trying to explain WHY there was no *sales* increase as predicted.
WHY? I’ll tell you why.
Because with or without file-sharing*, it all comes down to how much customers can spend.
*file-sharing ≠ “piracy”
RIAA, DMCA etc have been using the latter term arbitrarily in a rather pitiful attempt to convince the public of alleged crimes while concealing their true intentions:
To perpetuate an unjust system in which middlemen enjoy the “lion’s share” while the artists get peanuts.
Claiming that every *illegally* downloaded album or movie should count as *loss of profit* is laughable.
The vast majority has to deal with a very specific budget, do you honestly think they could afford them all?
Even if the file-sharing magically disappeared, they’d still be in no position to buy more than [pick a number] a month.
I know I wouldn’t. And I’m known to ignore basic necessities in favour of CDs!
Last month alone I purchased… Let me check my records…
Oh, to Hell with it! Here’s a fully detailed list:

The good news is, some of the file hosting services I’ve been also using [mainly FileFactory, iFile.it, Rapidshare] were spared from this witch-hunt.
Which means you can still access (most of) my CD-rips.
Of course the other services are nowhere near as convenient as Megaupload was, but you don’t have much of a choice.
I’ve already begun re-uploading a few of the stuff but haven’t made up my mind as to which will be the new *primary* host.
So, until further notice everything goes to iFile.it.

Feel free to make your suggestions and leave feedback, but bear in mind that, as an uploader, my criteria will probably differ from yours.
Downloaders typically care mainly for speed, wait restrictions, readable CAPTCHA [or ideally, no CAPTCHA at all] and so on.
My main concern however, is expiry due to *inactivity* [the longer, the better], reliability [some hosters disappeared over a night WAY BEFORE Megaupload’s shut-down] etc.
And that’s one of the reasons why I won’t be using Rapishare for obscure (=not so popular) albums.
One month is simply not enough 🙁
How about some tangible evidence?
Just check the screenshot below and you’ll immediately understand what I’m dealing with:

Rapidshare File Expiry

Almost forgot:

A number of threads [Dream Theater – “A dramatic turn of events”, Bob Katsionis – “Imaginary force” and Imaginery – “Long lost pride” to name a few] have been *red-flagged*.
In such cases DL links are being systematically *reported* and, as a consequence, remain valid for a very brief period of time – usually LESS than a week.
Re-uploading the deleted archives is futile. Once a post catches the attention of those SOBs, there’s no escape. It’s only a matter of time before the files are taken down again.

Well, NO MORE! I’m not bloody Sisyphus and this shite is holding everything back, OK?
From now on, whenever something like this happens -and it inevitably will-, the content stays private.
Posting the links publicly will only create a vicious circle and I’ve had my fair share of those “all links are dead, will you re-up please?” comments, alright?
In order to get them, you’ll have to contact me personally via e-mail.
[As a precautionary measure, I might a run a check on your IPs, e-mail addresses etc. to ensure you’re not one of the *bad guys* thus avoiding any nasty surprises]
Alternatively, you can visit RockPlanetArcadiaX.net [registration required] and view the respective thread.

Note: The above doesn’t apply for files that have been removed due to expiry 😉

2. Isn’t anyone paying attention?

I mean, seriously! Hasn’t anyone noticed?
Fine, just answer a simple question then:
Do you recognize the following logo? Y/N

What, not even remotely familiar? Haven’t you ever heard about Online Music Databases?
Discogs and RYM (RateYourMusic) are probably the two most popular.
Oddly enough, and despite occasional users’ requests, RYM never had a logo – just a *favicon*
The one you see at the right side of the blog [under Categories/Archives],

is an unofficial attempt and was placed there for a very specific reason:
To be easily distinguishable.
To draw everyone’s attention.
In other words, to urge visitors to click the damn thing!
And yet, no one seems to be the slightest bit curious about what it stands for.
What can I say? Maybe it’s not fancy enough for your taste, you know, an eye candy…

That wouldn’t normally bother me. But then a bunch of e-mails pop up in my inbox.
And guess what.
The senders -who quite often type in CAPITALS as if  delivering an ultimatum- are asking me to rip CDs I do NOT have.
Etiquette/good manners aside, it would be wise -and certainly save your time as well as mine- to check my RYM profile first.
Comprende amigos?
RYM‘s database (and any other music dB for that matter) can be extremely useful.
Hardly a day goes by without me visiting to check new releases/recommendations, catalogue my collection [at the rate I’m going, it’ll take years to add* everything :P], submit an issue/correct its details and so on.
A valuable tool for sure, whether you’re a collector or not.
Remember, “God is in the details” – from what I hear, the Devil too 😆

* for various reasons, I’ve only listed 20~25% of the CDs & vinyls I actually own.

3. So, what (the Hell) have you been doing for an entire month?

Clickety click, clickety click… I’m not done writing this part yet, but here’s a hint or two:
SSD with problematic firmware in conjunction with new Windows 7 installation.
Now throw these in

and you have a rough picture.
“A series of unfortunate events” would be a fitting title…