Does your new CD want you to install playback software?

[peterc]

Seems like DRM copy protection is being abused by another corporate...

http://www.sysinternals.com/blog/2005/1 ... ights.html
http://bigpicture.typepad.com/comments/ ... ed_cd.html

This is NOT cool.....

Peter

[Martinez]

Well,

I think its a bit short sighted to assume that sony is doing this to get back at apple.

Its more likely an experiment in ways to further screw an already raped consumer.

I'm sorry if you doubt it, but if so you are very nieve.

its not like its without presedent or anything.



P.s

I know I can't spell for shit!

[Kris]

Actually, Sony has come out with their own media player.
I can't remember where I saw it but I did see it! How long before Sony records is releasing albums in that format only? Could be a case of the Phillips DCC format, could make things a whole lot harder for consumers. Could just be a pile of hot air too. :P

[Martinez]

I doubt that its just hot air Kris.

these days screwing the consumer is called good buisness.

for example, up on the sunshine coast theres a place called the sunshine plaza.
My wife and I were about to attend a movie, but we wanted to have something to eat first.
I decided to go for Mexican.

I asked for couple tacos only to be informed that meat on my tacos would be extra!

the world has sunk pretty damn low in my opinion.

[mark rachelle]

its interesting to see that the label distro'd by sony is getting screwed too,
well they are not really getting screwed, they are just realising that they are not as powerful as the larger company they have signed to

all we as consumers can do is vote with our wallets and that's what the author did. not only that with the wonders of internet we now all know the story

what i'd like to ask though is that if your job was on the line at sony and it was you that had to deliver market share and profit reports to shareholders, would you do things differently. i know i wouldn't given the circumstances if similar options were given to me,
bottom line i see it that they are trying to do well for their company and stop piracy. there is nothing wrong with that,
however the way its was done typically shows major label insensitivity.

seems apple have a great product that is industry and consumer freindly.
what will be scary though is if itunes becomes too big and starts gobbling up music company's, i bet those at sony's pay cheques will one day become apple pay cheques.

its a big industry and its at its most healthy when there is competition and not 1 or 2 companies controlling everybody else

[Kris]

That's a good point.

I have to say that even though I will probably always buy the CD, for numerous reasons, I am kind of thrilled at the possibilties presented by the iTunes store.

For me, it means I now have a direct route to the consumers. Even more than I did before with cdbaby.com and myspace.com. I can now record a song or songs and once the production process is complete I can immediately place it out there for people to listen to and buy. Not my music personally but the bands and artists that I work with. What a great way to get an unkown singer into the public eye. I don't have to have a huge marketing budget, or any marketing budget for that matter. I can just let the public make the choice. The iStore has so much on offer as opposed to the local record store that only really presents stuff that might sell quickly. Would you buy an album for $25 when you can get the same thing for $15? As far as artwork goes, well, what's to stop the artist posting the artwork as a free download so you can print it off yourself?

As far as aspirations to have a record label that treats artists fairly....the downloadable music revolution means I am one step closer to that. It means that the major labels have now well and truly lost their strangle hold on music. Sure, Apple may well become one of the major music players but for only a 10% cut I don't think there will be too many complaints, especially considering the alternatives. It means that if you work hard and make good music you can have a sustainable career. Not the huge mega star type career (well, who knows... maybe) but you can definitely keep food on the table. There are 6 Billion people on this rock.... at least some of them will like what you're doing and now they can get it without leaving their lounge room.

[Martinez]

sorry to dissapoint you Mark,

but if the cross city funnel is anything to go by (and it is) then looks like that vote is gonna be compulsery.

and if you don't like that I'm sure Johny and his will be only to happy to make a new law to stop from doing anything about it.

not that I wan't to be "un australian, I mean an american or anything!


I better go now I think I can hear asio at my front door!

[heathen]

The amount of time effort and money people put into writing music,recording music and producing music is enormous. Copy protecion is a must otherwise we all better start selling our gear,theres "f all" in it for me at the moment I'm spending a lot of time working for the artists I work with for free and then looking for distribution myself after I've made the records.It has'nt paid off yet but it will,as I've recently secured a reasonable liscenceing deal. My point to this is if people are going to just copy it and trade it for nothing that leaves me and the artists I work with no-where after a lot of hard work.
Because evry dh under the sun thinks they own a studio because they own a soundcard and a shitty mic no one wants to pay anything anymore to record or mixdown..People these days will spend $350 on a bag of coke but wont even spend 200 bucks to mixdown a track on some decent gear,i'd say this is 70% of the reason sony is getting out of the game in Sydney is because of this.Sony and EMI studio time is cheap now compared to years ago I think,correct me if I'm wrong.
I seriously nearly got into a punch up with a good mate over this issue, he was saying that napster and the like are a great for music lovers. All I could say was a thief is a thief and asked him what he would do if I was a bum and just walked in of the street one day and had a lay on his couch helped myself to his fridge then stank his dunny out and left,what he would do about it.Ring the cops he said.Point answered. I think half resolution copying should be allowed,just like vinyl to tape in the old days,so every copy which is made from a copy would eventually degrade so badly it would be unintelligable.Though it would'nt make a difference probably in the long run.
Also if anyone walked into my parents grog shop and grabbed a beer and walked out without paying they would call the cops.
But in the end three or four weeks after any copy protected material hits the virtual shelves,some computer guy or gal will crack it and a patch will be out the next day.
Also alot of people are just plain tight these days too,i know a lot are doing it tough but....,I saw a few weeks ago a guy in a 80,000 BMW arguing with the parking attendant in manly car park about the $3 he had to pay for parking for evening,he did'nt pay he made the five so cars behind him move so he could reverse out and go elsewhere.I laughed for an hour.
Also competition is vital in every aspect of a capitalist society,if there were only 1 company for everything that would be the start of comunism here.
My rant for the day and I won't comment again on this as i know the arguments which can arise from this issue. Just my veiw and it will not change no matter what anyone says.
Hmmmm now what was i doing before my rant,i've forgotten. hahaha

[Martinez]

I'm all for copy protection,

I just don't think that this is what this is about.

and I agree with you Heathen, down loading music is just plain THEFT!

[mark rachelle]

Hi martinez

i didn't get what you meant
is that a sydney tunnel??

any way

the industry has not adressed that fact that all music needs to be available to the consumer in an easy and affordable format

the big bad retail chains don't give a rats ass about independant music
or trying to hold a little bit more stock for people other than top 40 consumers

case in point

my label has just released a new "johnny chester Cd"
some will know him some will not, he supported the beatles in 64
had his own television shows and radio shows
won countless awards has an army of fans and 14 top 10 Australian records to his name.
granted that was a while ago BUT he is still a house hold name in country music circles

so you'd think that with a new album, rotation across all CM stations, profile AND tagged HMV and Sanity adds in the country glossies you'd be a shoe in to at least have it stocked!!!

no way, HMV and sanity would not stock it!!!

thats supporting Australian music isn't it!!!

[Kris]

JB Hi-fi is pretty good at carrying loads of stuff.... just went there today and was blown away.....good prices too.

[Martinez]

Yeah Mark,

it is a pretty sad state of affairs, one that I don't have an answer for I'm afraid.

I wasn't putting down the fact that something needs to be done, it just sounds like another excuse to screw the little guy again.

Hey Kris,

is that the JB hi-fi at warringha mall?

didn't even know it was there till the other day.