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This site were/are providing download facilities for an album in aid of Oxfam's campaign for Darfur.

Apparently, because the DRMed-album is in Windows-only format, people with browsers like Firefox are forbidden - presumably our use of Firefox proves we're going to try and use Winamp to bypass DRM...or something.

You're right though - there are precious few web-developers stupid enough to build for IE and IE alone these days.

What sites are these? People keep saying this but I haven't encountered any site that "only works in IE" for years.

this one? (It's a link to download the Oxfam album in aid of Darfur; apparently only IE users may contribute).

You're broadly right, though. This is pretty much the only site I've seen in at least a year that doesn't render in the mighty 'fox.

(Incidentally, I mailed the site admin to tell them my woes, and was told "I am sorry that the service is not of use to you because Firefox is unfortunately not a compatible browser." So there you have it: Firefox isn't compatible! That's me told! Dang those standards-supporting Mozilla folk!)

They've always had a site of their own:
http://www.od2.com/

Credibility?

Lets look at OD2 od2. Aside from the well documented "Damn, we ran out of bandwidth again" incidents every time they try to sign up another brand (msn, coke etc.), its survival has been due to selling shares in the company to the labels in order to gain rights. This has enabled the labels to dictate the DRM rules used, so EMI has different rules to BMG, and so some tracks allow burning and portable play, some don't. You have to carefully examine what you're buying. Then there's the cost, which is not much lower than a CD. So much for cheaper distribution.

Lets not forget it's all Windows Media, I've yet to see one of their branded stores allow MP3.

The BBC quotes him as saying (most musicians) "good at making music and not necessarily good at marketing". I'd suggest these days he's marketing and nothing else.

Seen This?

Up front admission: I work one of OD2's rivals. So if you like, take what I say with a pinch of salt.

OD's service, as well as ours, does not cut out the middle man. The labels still get paid. OD2 paid the labels for this content (albeit by offering shares in themselves, not with actual cash). The subscription fee you pay does, therefore, filter back to the label. I would be very surprised to see any minor label, let alone any independant band hhave content available.

OD2 are well known within the industry for offering Microsoft formats only (perhaps one of the reasons MSN have choose them to power the MSN downloads.

Their licensing model is a music "rental" scheme. The problem, for slashdot users, is this seems unacceptable to the "technical public". The normal public may well go for this, after all, 99% of people accept the video hire model, why not music hire. However, it is, in my opinion, still too limited. If I am going to pay for access I want more than 25 downloads per month. I'd happily pay £10 pcm for access to all of EMI's back catalogue. Maybe one day EMI will listen and go for it (and preferably use my code base *grin*).

However, the suggestion in the story that "these services cut out the middlemen and if they should ever succeed record retailers would be left out in the cold" is rubbish. The labels provide the music, of course they get paid.