You may not know this, but a film’s “star” rating on the IMDB database is an important factor for streaming video services like Netflix and Hulu, who use it to decide what films to license and for how long.

The process is simple and you don’t even need to have an IMDB account to do it. Simply go to the film’s IMDB page and click where it says “rate this film. Here’s a screen shot to help you.

Mine is definitely the one with the longest title:

The Man with the Blue Post-Modern Fragmented Neo-Traditionalist Guitar — Blue Guitar, for short.

I was with Peter the other night in Carrboro, NC, when he played, back-to-back, two of the 10 classic songs on that album — which has been in and out of print for a long time; I included the link to Amazon.com because they list used copies available. The lighting was just right, the sound was good and the crowd was small but appreciative.

Looking at the date on that last post, I really need to catch this blog up to date. I’ll be screening Troubadour Blues Thursday, Feb. 23, at the Folk Alliance International Conference in Memphis, and Saturday, Feb. 25, at the Winter Roots and Blues Roundup in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada — and then sticking around to talk to music and filmmaking students on Monday and Tuesday.

Here’s an ad that’s running next month in Video Librarian, a magazine for media buyers at library systems and university libraries.

As I prepare to head off to the giant Folk Alliance conference and love-fest in Memphis, Tennessee, a quick update on what’s been going on in the world of Troubadour Blues.

It’s customary as December rolls around for the music industry to shower awards on the singers, players, producers, albums and individual songs that are judged the “best of” the preceding year.

This being America, the only standard we know by which to judge art is the almighty dollar. So, in practical terms, award season means that we honor those who already made ridiculous amounts of money selling bazillions of albums, singles and concert tickets.

Here at Troubadour Blues, we’re starting a different tradition this year: The Troubie Awards.