A Modest Proposal Part 2 : alt.binaries.sounds.mp3.peel

[sqdrldr]

I'm canvassing opinions for the Modest Proposal, which is a Peel Usenet binaries group.


Read the original M-P here if you like:

http://launch.groups.yahoo.com/group/peel/message/2230

(For those of you who don't yet know what Usenet is or how to use it, I fear this is 
not the time or place for an explanation. Please hang on or hit Google. Ta)


Where I'm at:

Thus far I've sent a feeler out to alt.config, which I learn is the polite thing to do. 

The form of my posting is dictated by alt.config's particular requirements (so apologies for 
the obvious stuff)  and *no other* considerations. I learn that alt groups can be started by 
anyone, but I'm working out justifications for doing so which could be the basis for a 
Charter.

Your input is requested: feel free to be As Rude As You Like about this proposal,  and I 
especially welcome comments from long-term Yahoo-Peelists who know loads more than I 
do, and (let's face it) would make any Usenet group sink or swim in the long run.

I/we don't have to start absmp or absmj-p after all, and indeed this needn't go any further 
if people here don't like the sound of it, and can tell me why they don't. 

I am pretty keen on taking it forward, however.


here it is, fyi:

8<--------------------------------snip-------------


From:	sqdrldr <no@...>
Date: 	Monday, 1 November 2004, 12:29PM
	Subject:	[PROPOSAL] alt.binaries.sounds.mp3.peel 



** Proposal

I propose the creation of 

alt.binaries.sounds.mp3.peel

as un unmoderated group for John Peel Radio1 shows and sessions in mp3 format


** General:
 
In case you didn't know:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Peel



** Significant numerical interest:

Recent Usenet interest: Google (on 31 Oct 2004) listed some 165 posts on Usenet 
(alt.domains only) relating to John Peel in the month prior to Oct 31 2004, (not including 
the hundreds in of binary posts in absm.indie; or including other non-alt hierarchies which 
returns a number of 390 in the same period) or roughly 12 messages a day in total.

Peel was a broadcaster for 37 years on UK national Radio with two shows a week, so it's 
fair to say there's some depth of history and a wide base of interested parties here, and 
reaching further back into Google usenet archives confirms this supposition. 

BTW, His recent untimely death (the very reason for this newsgroup request) was reported 
by all major global news streams including Reuters, CNN et al and was further covered (at 
length) by all UK national newspapers, with long encomia and tributes from critics, fans 
and musicians of the last twenty years, including Prime Minister Tony Blair. And semi-
coherent tribute from old alcoholics like Mark E Smith from The Fall, as if that weren't 
enough.

Additionally, a well-known web search engine counts over 300 members in a Peel-centred 
group, with whom I have discussed the idea of a Peel binaries group and received positive 
feedback. 

** .binaries you say? 

There are are least 300GB of Peel radio show home-archive materials floating about on 
various lesser networks known to this author, as well as 272 cd or vinyl releases of Peel 
radio currently sessions available at Amazon. I suggest a binaries group is neeeded to fill 
the vacuum Peel's death leaves behind, and to distribute this existing body of work, 
specifically shows and sessions.

** Why not post this stuff to .indie? Or some other .alt group?

Good question. As the 1m listeners Peel attracted every week could tell the uninitiated, the 
hallmark of Peel shows (hence binary files) was a heartfelt and programmatic disregard for 
musical genres. Genre-based groups are well catered for. 

Already people are having to apologise for posting OT reggae or Pink Floyd Peel Sessions 
to .indie, which is clearly bad idea in the long-term. 

Posting to a.b.s.radio.bbc would seem to be another logical place, but problem is 
specificity. The BBC now has no less than 7 radio channels, and I suggest there is no 
reason for marginalised-music Radio 1 Peel posts to cohabit with mainstream audio posts 
from the other six, which include spoken-word, drama, comedy news, sport or current 
affairs. In addition, I want to make clear that the proposed group is for an mp3 files only.

And, whilst .indie posters are not especially fractious compared to some ng's, there is 
necessarily  a limited tolerance for reggae, hip-hop, blues and gabba there, all of which 
the Peel shows championed. Finally, while a lot of music could reasonably be called avant-
garde, there are enough sweet dumb pop tunes there to irritate purist hairshirt noise 
bores in absm.avantgarde, of which I am proud to be one.

So: any binary genre-newsgroup will (not unreasonably) object to off-topic posts, and 
nearly all Peel radio show can be guaranteed to have multi genre material. Since the 
majority of archived shows tend to be undivided radio recordings of 1 or two hours, they 
need their own home.

Plus, there are those of us who like more than one kind of music, although we are seldom 
seen. Like lemurs.

The Charter I'm outlining and will further develop in relevant groups will welcome 
specifically these binaries, in suggested order of importance 
1 radio shows
2 sessions
3 miscellaneous Peeliana
4 Peel-sponsored bands


** Can you help me?

Yes please. I've never started a newsgroup. I don't know how to send newgroup control 
messages. I'd appreciate some help. 
I also realise that alt groups don't need to be formally approved, but I'm hoping that this is 
still the right place to get help, advice and plug the idea in any case.


** In Memoriam 
Lastly, Peel's name may not mean anything to many people, but as any trawl of Usenet 
right now will reveal, he meant a great deal to a large number of us.

This idea has a very good chance of being both worthwhile and successful, I think. And 
anything that gets Peel material off ephemeral networks into one place on Usenet is simply 
a Good Thing.

I would hope that this proposal is taken seriously, and anyone with anything to contribute 
will do so. Fire away.


Thank you! 
sqdrldr

8<--------------------------------snip-------------


Now then, alt.config are notoriously snappish, but you can read their helpful critiques 
(some helpful, some less so) at that group.


Other ideas floating around and my 2p-worth:

http://www.cus.cam.ac.uk/~djhc2/peellist.htm

seems a bit labour intensive to flourish to me.

To answer Gary's very reasonable quibble with a Usenet peel archive (impermanence/3 
month retention at best) - that's the price you pay for having high-speed globally 
distributed files on a superstable protocol that even Outlook Express can handle. Simple is 
good, and Usenet is... simple. I suspect nobody wants to pay cash money for the 
bandwidth/potential legal hassle of hosting a colossal underground Peel archive, streamed 
or otherwise. 

love, 

sqdrldr