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A few days ago, we reported
on the sad developments in parts of the online
(DUB) Reggae artist community as a VERSIONIST.com
(Vc) website update caused what seemed to be an
exodus of the majority of artists and listeners in
favor of the REGGAEDUBWISE.com (RDc)
website.
We also reported
on RDc's offer to purchase Versionist
for $1500 and explored the overall vibe on the two
websites in what really is a sad thing, even a
tragedy.
Things often go fast in Cyberspace, and so,
only a day after our initial report, we were told
that RDc increased their offer to $4000 only to
discover that there would be no deal. RDc's
Webmaster, himself an acclaimed online (DUB)
Reggae artist, stated it like this:
WE made 2 attempts this week to talk in
PRIVATE with the current site owner. We increased
our offer yesterday to $4000. We did not hear so
much as a respectful whimper back from the current
site owner and we take that to mean NO. (LINK)
The correspondence between Vc and RDc was
subsequently put
online, in which Vc stated to be
willing to sell for $7500. At the moment this is
written (May 25, 2008), there is still someone
trying to negotiate but as of now there is no news
concerning that.
Technically, we are talking about tons and tons
of material that was uploaded to the Versionist
Website. Music, samples, forum postings, et
cetera. Stuff that can't just be bought and
therefore requires the explicate permission of
every individual contributor before any of it can
be traded or moved to a different website.
But there's more than just some technical
issues.
Many are blowing off steam as they express
their deep frustration concerning everything. Not
for nothing, because the bulk of their work and
several projects had been lost. Plus: the Vc
website had been their (main) Cyber home where
they shared The Good, The Bad and The Ugly
for several years.
Some even play the blame-game and point
their arrows on the Versionist Webmaster. "How
dare he change our Website?", you can
almost hear them say.
The Versionist Webmaster responded on his
website, how he himself had not been aware of the
dynamics behind what he called "the
culture that had been Versionist".
A culture which had determined the
runnings, the dynamics of the website that he
owns, and the name of that culture is known to
many as Versionist. Not in the least by those who
know themselves to be part of that culture!
A "simple" site update revealed, how
the users and members of the V website have been
doing their things without the site owner(s) being
involved on the appropriate level. On the other
hand, where members had developed a culture that
had in itself nothing to do with Versionist as a
website, they had still chosen the name Versionist
for their projects for which they now pay the
price.
So for now, it's all in the name.
RELEVANT
LINKS:
OUT
OF VERSIONIST... AND BACK? (1)
VERSIONIST.com
- REGGAEDUBWISE.com
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