Punkcast.com was an

online video Internet video (online video / cloud-based video) is the general field that deals with the transmission of digital video over the internet. Internet video exists in several formats, the most notable being MPEG-4i AVC, AVCHD, FLV, and MP3. There ...

site that covered the

NYC New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the Uni ...

underground music scene. The site, though not active, remains with an archive of videos from 1997 to 2011. Newer videos are now on the Punkcast YouTube channel.Punkcast – YouTube
/ref>

History

Background

Punkcast's founder Joly MacFie was born in England and during the punk scene in the late 70s and early 80s sold badges and pins through his company

Better Badges Better Badges was a London button-badge manufacturer, started in 1976 by Joly MacFie. During the years 1977–1984 it became the leading publisher and merchandiser of 'punk badges' - exporting millions worldwide from their offices at 286 Po ...

, before in 1983 selling the business to his staff and moving to New York.

Early years

Punkcast was started in September 1997 to cover the visit to NYC of punk band

One Way System One Way System are an English punk rock band formed in the Fleetwood area of Lancashire, England, in 1979. Career One Way System's initial line-up consisted of Craig Halliday (guitar), Gavin Whyte (vocals), Bob Grant(drums) and Gaz Buckley ( ...

, in order to demonstrate the internet's broadcast potential to the band's manager John Bentham who had run Jettisoundz, a major creator/distributor of punk video in the UK. In the early days the site covered old-school punk via several cameramen, but in 2001 MacFie started himself shooting the local indie scene. In September 2005 Punkcast launched a

video podcast A podcast is a program made available in digital format for download over the Internet. For example, an episodic series of digital audio or video files that a user can download to a personal device to listen to at a time of their choosing. ...

and later a YouTube channel.

Later years

The content is mainly complete songs from live performances in the city's clubs and other locations. but the site occasionally covers other local community events. In 2003, Punkcast charged a few dollars per video to each band they filmed. They also sold DVDs on their website and accepted donations. Punkcast often follows a

DIY "Do it yourself" ("DIY") is the method of building, modifying, or repairing things by oneself without the direct aid of professionals or certified experts. Academic research has described DIY as behaviors where "individuals use raw and semi ...

policy of filming the footage first, without permission, and also posting it without permission, but will generally take down material if asked. Founder Joly MacFie argues that this serves an important archival purpose.

YouTube account suspension

In July 2009 the Punkcast YouTube channel was briefly suspended after a

DMCA The Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) is a 1998 United States copyright law that implements two 1996 treaties of the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO). It criminalizes production and dissemination of technology, devices, or s ...

claim by

Richard Hell Richard Lester Meyers (born October 2, 1949), better known by his stage name Richard Hell, is an American singer, songwriter, bass guitarist and writer. Hell was in several important early punk rock bands, including Neon Boys, Television and T ...

over a segment of him talking about a new record. Hell recanted when he was made aware of the ramifications of his actions, and withdrew the claim, and the segment was deleted. MacFie said "''I appreciate the irony of the DIY site punkcast being taken down by arguably the originator of punk style using entirely establishment means.''" Hell explained to MacFie, "''I just wish you would ask me before you post clips of me... if there's anything I can do to support your reinstatement at

YouTube YouTube is a global online video platform, online video sharing and social media, social media platform headquartered in San Bruno, California. It was launched on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim. It is owned by ...

, I'd be happy to do it''".

Bands filmed

In 2001 Punkcast published live videos of both the

Moldy Peaches The Moldy Peaches were an American indie group founded by Adam Green and Kimya Dawson. Leading proponents of the anti-folk scene, the band has been on hiatus since 2004. The appearance of their song "Anyone Else but You" in the film ''Juno'' si ...

and

Yeah Yeah Yeahs The Yeah Yeah Yeahs are an American indie rock band formed in New York City in 2000. The group is composed of vocalist and pianist Karen O (born Karen Lee Orzolek), guitarist and keyboardist Nick Zinner, and drummer Brian Chase. They are complem ...

. In 2002 Punkcast published 4 songs from

Joe Strummer John Graham Mellor (21 August 1952 – 22 December 2002), known professionally as Joe Strummer, was a British singer, musician and songwriter. He was the co-founder, lyricist, rhythm guitarist and co-lead vocalist of punk rock band the Clash, ...

's final USA shows in Brooklyn, months before his death, .

Screenings

In 2003 Punkcast supplied some of the live programming for the first year of ''

New York Noise ''New York Noise'' is a one-hour indie-rock music video television program which aired from 2003–2009 on NYC Media in New York and parts of New Jersey and Connecticut. It was created, produced, and edited by Shirley Braha and funded by Ne ...

'' - a local music show on the nascent municipal TV station

NYC Media NYC Media is the official public radio, television, and online media network and broadcasting service of New York City, which has been called the Media in New York City, media capital of the world. The network oversees four public television chan ...

. In June 2007 an installation of Punkcast videos was part of the first FILMER LA MUSIQUE exhibit at Point Éphémère in Paris.

Awards

In May 2006:

Wired ''Wired'' (stylized as ''WIRED'') is a monthly American magazine, published in print and online editions, that focuses on how emerging technologies affect culture, the economy, and politics. Owned by Condé Nast, it is headquartered in San Fra ...

Magazine described punkcast.com in its "Watch This Way" list as "visceral scenes of pop art in the making". In October 2007:

Village Voice ''The Village Voice'' is an American news and culture paper, known for being the country's first alternative newsweekly. Founded in 1955 by Dan Wolf, Ed Fancher, John Wilcock, and Norman Mailer, the ''Voice'' began as a platform for the creat ...

awarded MacFie 'Best documentarian of New York's indie-rock scene' in their Best of NYC 2007 issue. In October 2010: Village Voice awarded MacFie 'Best Uploader of Geek Culture and Music', one of many specialized awards in their Best of NYC 2010 issue.

References

{{reflist

External links

punkcast.comPunkcast
at the

Internet Archive The Internet Archive is an American digital library with the stated mission of "universal access to all knowledge". It provides free public access to collections of digitized materials, including websites, software applications/games, music, ...

YouTube channel
Video podcasts Internet television channels