Journal: News & Comment

The only B.C. artist in Podsafe for Peace

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I was the only British Columbian, and one of three Canadians (the others being Jim Fidler of Newfoundland and Tara Thompson of Toronto), who was part of Podsafe for Peace, the worldwide supergroup of 32 singers and other musicians from nine countries who worked together over the Internet last month to record "If Every Day Were Christmas." The song is a benefit single, with all proceeds from online sales (99 cents U.S.) and radio and TV play going to UNICEF.

Now that you can buy a copy of the song, Podsafe for Peace has a press release that suggests story ideas for media interested in this first-of-its-kind event. Each of us who sang recorded our own vocal (mine in my basement studio, for example), then Slau in New York put them together. That's unusual enough, because it's only recently that such a wide-ranging project could even be possible, especially in the short time between when podcasting pioneer Adam Curry had the idea just after Halloween 2005 and the song's completion at the end of November.

The song is different in another way too, because it is podsafe, which means that it is available for podcasters to play and promote for free on their shows. The downloadable song for sale is also an unencumbered MP3 file, with no restrictions that prevent copying, sharing, or conversion to other formats. "If Every Day Were Christmas" takes a new approach to promoting a song—something particularly worthwhile when the money is going to charity. This approach is trying to take advantage of the Internet rather than fight against it.

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