For fans of the music website Muxtape (and I happen to know personally there are more than a few of you out there) it’s been a week filled with mix tape withdrawal as the site has been forced offline by the RIAA (Recording Industry Association of America). 

Muxtape had quickly becoming an internet darling by allowing its users to post mixes of music which could include up to twelve songs and could be shared with friends via a simple URL.  The site was extremely popular among music fans and served as a modern update on the much-beloved cassette mix tape from back in the day.  The shut down took place last Monday (August 18) and since then there has been no change in the website’s status and no comments from Muxtape founder Jason Oullette.

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One of the reasons I avoided writing about the dust up between Muxtape and the RIAA last week was because it initially appeared to be a temporary shutdown as illustrated by the message below which greets Muxtape visitors on the site’s front page:

However, in a statement received by Portfolio magazine last week from a RIAA spokesperson, it appears that this “brief period” may last a little longer than expected as the RIAA accuses Muxtape of “hosting copyrighted sound recordings without authorization from the copyright owners”.  Trust me when I say that these are words that should strike fear in the hearts of music sharing sites.  And while it may not mark the end of the site entirely, this situation will probably result in a noticeable change in the way the site operates if and when it does indeed return.

When coupled with the RIAA’s recent decision to further increase the rates that internet radio stations are required to pay (which could effectively shutdown yet another cool interent music site, Pandora.com) it appears that the internet crackdown on behalf of the music industry is in full swing.

Now maybe I’m missing something here, but this all seems a little crazy to me.  Hasn’t the internet become the leading medium for music fans to discover, share, and purchase new music?  From my point of view it almost appears as if the music industry is shooting itself in the foot.  While I am no fan of illegal downloads (the artist should be paid for his/her artistic endeavors), sites like Muxtape and Pandora are/were in essence providing a service that the RIAA seems to be struggling with at the moment, and that is providing a venue for listeners to discover new music.  What are your thoughts?

[For music fans looking for a substitute to the Muxtape experience check out Wired.com’s article, Life After Muxtape:  Where Do We Go Now? which highlights five music sites that offer similar services.]  In the meantime, I’m heading out to the Dollar Store to pick myself up a pack of 90 minute Maxells.  I’m gonna make myself a mix tape the old fashioned way.

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