MY REQUIEM FOR MP3.COM produced an interesting email from reader Kelly Robinson:

As an avid user of MP3.com for the last several years – I was chagrined to learn of its demise.

While I don’t terribly care what CNET does with the brand – I DO care about a) preserving the vast storehouse of excellent INDEPENDENT music and b) providing a viable means by which unsigned artists can promote and distribute their music.

To that end, we’re forming a consortium to see if we can’t save the archive and then create a “new” MP3.com of sorts that returns to it’s roots – the centralized and simple distribution of original, independent music.

We’re chasing down the folks at CNET and I have a message into Mr. Roberson, in the hopes of leveraging his passion for his “baby”.

That’s a great point. I’ll keep you posted if I find out more. I don’t think that there’s anything in the MP3.com Artist Agreement to prevent this.

Failing that, they should at least give a copy of the archive to the Smithsonian or something. It’s quite a comprehensive document of music history.

UPDATE: In a sort-of related note, Magnatune is an internet-based record label whose slogan is “we’re not evil.”