June 13 - Bossa Nova Guitar Search Engine - We have been away for some time investigating currently the hottest subject on search engine technology the whole Internet is talking about these days - theme based search. And while everyone's talking about it - WE DID IT! Now we can proudly say that we have implemented one of the first theme based search engines in the world and that is about your favorite music - BOSSA NOVA. Well, to be perfectly honest it is related to Brazilian music in general, but the emphasis is made on Samba, Bossa Nova and MPB. At present we have around 5,000 URLs stored in our database and this number is growing every day.

Like all great ideas, search technology is essentially very simple. It is all about surfing around the Internet, collecting information about URLs found, including keywords, titles, description and other stuff and storing it in a database. But all general purpose search engines like Google, Altavista and similar include many URLs not strictly related to the theme you're interested in. That's why you're often forced to scan through numerous non relevant links in search engine reports to find the one you hope that might lead you to the page that contains the information you need.

With Bossa Nova Search Engine this is not necessary anymore, because our database contains only Brazilian music related URLs. We have developed proprietary technology for distinguishing theme based sites from other non relevant URLs. We have the special spider - that's just a software that surfs the web sites automatically but it is special in that it contains the code for scoring a particular web page according to the theme we're interested in. Our spider is called SailBOT and it even implements the algorithm for prioritizing the links found on relevant pages, so it tries to crawl more around theme based sites - hence the name, it automatically goes to where the Brazilian music "winds" blow. (admin@bossanovaguitar.com)

March 6 - Tristeza is online again - After it had been banned from MP3.Com because of restrictions based on the agreement between MP3.Com and BMI (Broadcast Music Inc.) that prevented MP3.Com from making BMI affiliated songs available for streaming and download, Tristeza (Haroldo Lobo - Niltinho) by A Jacarandá has found new home. It is available for listening and downloading from new music service provider - Ampcast.Com. 

'We are very glad to see such options exist on Internet so that musicians are able to find new host within a seconds. Ampcast is a new player, but it provides services similar to MP3.Com and we can expect to see more companies providing Internet users with streaming music in future. We intend to promote our music on most of them' - says  A Jacarandá. Having in mind a great number of pop, rock, jazz and other contemporary songs in BMI repertoire, we may expect Ampcast and other providers that allow for BMI music to reside on their servers become more and more popular in future. Downloading music from Ampcast is of course free, so don't wait to get your copy of Tristeza. (admin@bossanovaguitar.com)

March 5 - Tristeza was banned from MP3.Com - After it had been online for a very short period of time Tristeza (Haroldo Lobo - Niltinho) by A Jacarandá was banned from MP3.Com permanently. MP3.Com official says that Songfile.Com database contains an error regarding ASCAP affiliation and that this song is affiliated with BMI. According to their current agreement with BMI, MP3.Com is not allowed to broadcast (stream and download) BMI licensed music. What does this agreement allow them isn't clear at this moment. BMI is performing rights organization and they are supposed to collect the money from music performances and not to disallow them. They even have 'broadcast in their name - BMI is an acronym for Broadcast Music Inc. This way their music is not performed, they don't collect any money and their member songwriters aren't being paid for their song performances.

 'We don't believe anyone is satisfied with the current setup. However, Tristeza will still be available on CD that is scheduled for release at MP3.Com later this spring. In the meantime we plan to make Tristeza available for download from some other Internet music service provider' says A Jacarandá. The exact details of this new location are not known at this time but will be announced here, so bookmark this page now so that you can continue listening and downloading Tristeza once it goes online again.

Tristeza stayed in top 10 bossa nova songs during 3 months on MP3.Com and recently reached No.2 on Brazilian music chart, still climbing. (admin@bossanovaguitar.com)

March 4 - Tristeza is 'on hold' again - After it had been online for a very short period of time Tristeza (Haroldo Lobo - Niltinho) by A Jacarandá was once again put on hold. These unreasonable activities at MP3.Com were connected with previously registered series of inacurate claims filed by an unknown music saboteur. 'The song was legally registered and licensed from Harry Fox agency, just like thousands of other cover songs on MP3.Com are. The publishers get their money so we see no reason why it should be treated different than others. We are trying to provide free music to millions of brazilian music lovers and such activities are hurting them.' - says A Jacarandá. What can we say except please keep watching this page until you see Tristeza online and then keep listening and downloading Tristeza to help spreading this wonderful music even farther and shut up those envying, untallented individuals. (admin@bossanovaguitar.com)

February 28 - Music Sabotage at MP3.Com - Tristeza (Haroldo Lobo - Niltinho) by A Jacarandá was put on hold by MP3.Com personnel as a result of saboteur activity. Unidentified person reported to MP3.Com that Tristeza was not supposed to be available at MP3.Com due to their policy of not allowing songs represented by BMI (Broadcast Music Incorporated). The pirates supported their claims by attaching an excerpt from a Songfile database:

• TRISTEZA  (BMI)  ASTRUD GILBERTO     LUIS FLORIANO BONFA, MARIA ELENA TOLEDO

Anyone could read the text clearly written in this database record - that the writers of this BMI represented song were Bonfá - Toledo, and not Lobo - Niltinho. Furthermore anyone can  clearly distinguish a difference between this slow samba cançao tune by Luiz Bonfá and very well known and famous samba Tristeza by Lobo-Niltinho. Finally, those who are really, really curious, and try to find a song called Tristeza by searching in Songfile database will get the following results:

• TRISTEZA (ASCAP) - HAROLDO LOBO AND NILTINHO, NORMAN GIMBEL
• TRISTEZA (BMI) - LUIS FLORIANO BONFA, MARIA ELENA TOLEDO

as well as 11 other Tristezas. It is clear that Lobo-Nitinho's Tristeza is completely different song, represented by ASCAP and according to MP3.Com policy available for streaming at MP3.Com. 

'It is obvious that someone deliberately wanted our song to be took off MP3.Com' - says A Jacarandá. Thinking about whom might this saboteur be we cannot conclude other than that it must have been some envying 'artist' whose songs are so bad that they cannot make through their way up the list without dirty tricks such as this one, especially now when Tristeza completely legally, after staying for almost 3 months in Bossa Nova Top 10, reached No.2 on Brazilian top list, as well as No.2 on South/Central American list. Of course our saboteur, like all experienced pirates, didn't leave any trace so it is impossible to know who he was, but what we can do is make sure that we don't allow such immoral activities in future produce any result by listening and downloading Tristeza even more once it comes online again.

So please, bookmark this page now, and check back often, and when you see Tristeza online again please click on play or download once a day and you'll help all loyal MP3.Com musicians to keep those envying, untallented, immoral, so-called 'artists' down there at the place that they deserve. (admin@bossanovaguitar.com)

February 24 - Corcovado Reached No.2 at MP3.Com Bossa Nova Top List - Corcovado (Antonio Carlos Jobim) recorded by  A Jacarandá, after just 3 days on MP3.Com jumped to No. 2 on bossa nova chart. It made it's first big jump from #126 to #11, then from #11 to #3 and finally to second place. This recording was inspired by famous João Gilberto's guitar-vocal performances, as well as Jobim's minimalistic piano solos. Check this incredible atmosphere by downloading or listening to this song at MP3.Com. The song Corcovado was named after a mountain near Rio de Janeiro and is about love and happiness, joy and beauty of life, just like bossa nova itself. This is a central part of bossa nova, 'a new style' for the new world. (A Jacarandá)