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[ncovert]

Odd question, but where can I delete the modules I've uploaded to the archive? I can't find such a tool anywhere.

[Saga Musix]

https://modarchive.org/index.php?faq-removal-policy

[ncovert]

What kind of policy is that? That's like if YouTube were to say you're not allowed to remove your own videos or Flickr didn't allow you to remove photos. I really do think you should revise your policies to allow people to...oh, I don't know...actually have some control over the works they've created? Every other content-sharing website worth its salt, including module-sharing websites like Amiga Music Preservation and Nectarine's Scenemusic, has some sort of way for authors to manage their works or is at least happy to remove them with just a simple request letter. You're just asking for a cease and desist lawsuit from some disgruntled artist who has too much time and money on their hands.

[fuzion_mixer]

That's like if YouTube were to say you're not allowed to remove your own videos or Flickr didn't allow you to remove photos.

This is ModArchive...as in an archive for modules. Don't even compare TMA to Youtube or Flickr because I'm sure their priorities are different.

I really do think you should revise your policies to allow people to...oh, I don't know...actually have some control over the works they've created?

Saga actually provided the reasons as to why TMA has policies like this (its from some other people asking the same thing as you)...I really hope you start to dig deeper into the forums to find such things.

Every other content-sharing website worth its salt, including module-sharing websites like Amiga Music Preservation and Nectarine's Scenemusic, has some sort of way for authors to manage their works or is at least happy to remove them with just a simple request letter.

It's not like TMA doesn't allow you to remove your modules, but you have to understand that just because of a petty reason like "I don't like this module I made in 1998...I want it removed" doesn't constitute enough validity for it to be removed. People really need to learn how to make final decisions before they proceed to share it here because what is done can't be undone (realistically speaking)...so if you can't cope with this, I suggest you find another place to share your works which allows such things.

You're just asking for a cease and desist lawsuit from some disgruntled artist who has too much time and money on their hands.

And I wouldn't think some big-shot module artist would even bother to want to file a lawsuit against TMA (or any module-sharing website for that matter) partly because...oh, I don't know...they don't find any trouble uploading their content?

Just throwing in my two cents into this subject (if ever my argument is immaterial. Sorry if it ever is...)

[ncovert]

It's not like TMA doesn't allow you to remove your modules

It is like that, though.

just because of a petty reason like "I don't like this module I made in 1998...I want it removed" doesn't constitute enough validity for it to be removed

It's a good enough reason on literally any other content-sharing site on the internet. What's TMA's justification for going against the grain?

People really need to learn how to make final decisions before they proceed to share it here because what is done can't be undone

Not everyone thinks things through. I sure as hell don't. And even if someone does make a well-considered decision, it's not like they won't change their mind down the road.

I suggest you find another place to share your works which allows such things.

I definitely will do so if I ever come up with something worth sharing.

oh, I don't know...they don't find any trouble uploading their content?

Everyone starts out small at some point. An artist who makes it big was once an amateur, and many artists wouldn't want to sully their reputation by associating their name with a crappy song that they made years ago.

[Axxy]

Why would anyone have uploaded their music to the archive, if 15 or 20 years later, you wanted it removed? Perhaps, you could threaten everyone that downloaded the module with a lawsuit too!  It's been out there for 15 years...

I definitely will do so if I ever come up with something worth sharing.

Why would you upload it?  The demoscene and the trackerscene have always been based on sharing, for free, I've never heard of anyone trying to make some money out of it. The artist still owns the copyright afaik....

Everyone starts out small at some point. An artist who makes it big was once an amateur, and many artists wouldn't want to sully their reputation by associating their name with a crappy song that they made years ago.

I suggest you take a look around various former tracker musicians websites, who have made music their professional careers.  Some actually link AMP, TMA, Modland on their sites for those people who still like nostalgia and their old releases. A lot of musicians state they have a background in the demoscene, as that's where they started...

Tbh, if an artist becomes that famous, why would they care about something they did a couple of decades ago.  Modules is very niche, compared to modern standards that is. I would only see an issue if someone tried passing their work off as their own or trying to make money out of their efforts.

[Saga Musix]

For what it's worth, ModArchive's module deletion policy is pretty much in line with at least two other big demoscene archives, namely ModLand and scene.org.

Too much damage has been (tried to be) done to those archives in the past to simply allow artists to delete their works whenever they feel like it.

[ncovert]

I can understand you not wanting to delete famous or well-known modules (could you just imagine how sad it would be to not have the works of Purple Motion, Elwood, etc.?) but in this case we're discussing two modules that are not historical or noteworthy. I fail to see what kind of harm would be done by deleting the works I regret uploading. Sure you can apply the slippery-slope argument and say "then everyone would be deleting modules and soon the archive would be deserted" but in all honesty I doubt that would happen, as a good chunk of the modules on the archive have no assigned author, or were made by somebody who isn't involved in the tracking community anymore (take Elwood, for example; he released 15 modules in the mid-90s and vanished afterwards), or they're modules that are actually good and the creators are proud to display them on the archive. People like me who end up rightfully regretting their creations are the minority.

[fuzion_mixer]

The Mod Archive aims to be a complete archive of good quality sequenced computer music, both historic and contemporary, with the purpose of documenting and preserving what would otherwise risk being lost and forgotten.

Note: complete archive of good quality sequenced computer music.

...but in this case we're discussing two modules that are not historical or noteworthy. I fail to see what kind of harm would be done by deleting the works I regret uploading.

It's quality differs from person to person...you can't just say its insignificance historical-wise because it's, after all, your opinion. While it won't affect you, those who gain inspiration from that "lesser" module will feel deeply saddened by that, knowing that that module that they consider as "good quality" suddenly disappeared. And if the kind of policy you want really got implemented, I'm sure listeners would upload artists' now-unwanted content back into the archive, and that would create a vicious cycle of uploading and taking down of modules, schism within the TMA community and rampant module uploads (of which many are unnecessary and could have been avoided by the current policy as is).

[ncovert]

you can't just say its insignificance historical-wise

If my modules were significant in some manner, I'm sure they would have many more downloads, favorites, and ratings than they do now.

those who gain inspiration from that "lesser" module will feel deeply saddened by that

They'll probably only return to the mod's download link to leave a rating, and even the likelihood of that happening is pretty slim. A simple message that says "This module has been removed by the author" would suffice if they try to access the link.

I'm sure listeners would upload artists' now-unwanted content back into the archive, and that would create a vicious cycle of uploading and taking down of modules

TMA's staff check all modules to ensure that they're high-quality, and to prevent duplicate modules from surfacing. Would it be that much harder to also have them check and make sure that someone isn't reuploading a module that the original creator took down?