remix - ReadWriteWeb http://www.readwriteweb.com/feeds/tag/remix en Copyright 2012 Richard MacManus readwriteweb@gmail.com Tue, 14 Feb 2012 12:45:00 -0800 http://www.sixapart.com/movabletype/?v=4.35-en http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss 4chan Founder Launches Canvas, a Social Forum For Remixing Images canvas-logo.pngCanvas, an online forum for sharing, remixing and commenting on images came out of private beta recently. The site was built by 4chan founder Christopher Poole (known online as "moot") and is intended as a more interactive, less unruly version of 4chan.

On Canvas, users can upload images, edit directly in the browser and add captions. Once published, they can be remixed and commented on by other users. The site employs a badge-like system of stickers, which can be applied to images as a way of casting a vote. Drag the "LOL" sticker onto an image you thought was funny. Or you can give a cookie sticker to images that "need a little condescending acknowledgement." Stickers contribute to aggregate totals and help determine each image's overall popularity and placement.

]]> Since launching in 2003, 4chan has been a breeding ground for many an Internet meme, from lolcats to rickrolling. The site, whose users often post anonymously, also hosts adult content and has been used to organize DDoS attacks and hacking attempts. With Canvas, Poole is aiming for a decidedly less controversial forum, describing itself as a "worksafe site" and requiring users to sign up using their Facebook accounts. Unlike 4chan, Canvas's content will be archived indefinitely.

The interface is highly interactive and easy to use. Voting for (or against) images is done via dragging and dropping icons, as is the assigning of stickers. The images themselves can be modified within the browser using basic image-editing interface that even includes a Photoshop-style "clone" tool.

Unlike 4chan, Canvas's content will be archived indefinitely. Images are grouped into categories, such as politics, photography, cute and funny. There's even a tab dedicated entirely to animated GIFs.

Canvas has received funding from a few notable sources, including Union Square Ventures, SV Angel and Andreeson Horowitz.

canvas-lolcat.jpg

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http://www.readwriteweb.com/archives/4chan_founder_launches_canvas_a_social_forum_for_remixing_images.php http://www.readwriteweb.com/archives/4chan_founder_launches_canvas_a_social_forum_for_remixing_images.php Multimedia Wed, 07 Sep 2011 17:15:00 -0800 John Paul Titlow
Radiohead Continues New Media Onslaught With Remix Contest Rock band Radiohead has already pushed the envelope in the past year by first releasing their new album under a pay-what-you-want price scheme in October, and then calling on fans to create a music video for any of the album's songs in March. Now the band is at it again, teaming with Apple, makers of iTunes and GarageBand, to launch a public remix contest.]]> The contest offers up the single "Nude" from the album for remix. The band has for sale on iTunes "stems" for the bass, voice, guitar, strings/fx and drums for the song and anyone who purchases all five gets access to a GarageBand file that can be opened in GarageBand or Logic.

Until May 1st, the public can vote for their favorite remix, and remix authors can use a MySpace or Facebook widget to allow fans on social networks to vote for them. The prize, though, is just that Radiohead promises to "listen to the best."

So interesting idea, but like the rest of Radiohead's innovative marketing techniques, this one also feels a bit gimmicky. Requiring entrants to purchase the source files, and then offering as a prize only that the band will listen to the winning entries is somewhat lame in our book. Still, the site has already collected 142 remixes, so some great new music could come out of this for Radiohead fans.

Further, Radiohead has perhaps inspired many other mainstream musical acts to take the plunge and embrace alternative methods of distribution. Nine Inch Nails released an album via BitTorrent, REM open sourced their music videos and streamed their new album on iLike, and Pennywise put their album on MySpace. We may be able to credit Radiohead with making distribution experimentation cool, which can only mean a win for consumers in the long run.

Image credit: Steve Rhodes

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http://www.readwriteweb.com/archives/radiohead_remix_contest.php http://www.readwriteweb.com/archives/radiohead_remix_contest.php Music Wed, 02 Apr 2008 06:44:55 -0800 Josh Catone