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Michael Jackson Releases Uncopyable CD
Derek Jeter writes "NTK.net is reporting in their weekly newsletter that another copy restricted CD has surfaced, this time Michael Jackson's newest single, "Rock Your World". "When loaded into the CD drive, the disc spun continuously as though the drive was trying to access the TOC of a blank or corrupted CDR." Ughh, Doesn't this violoate the Red Book Standard?" I wonder how long before MP3s of this song exist despite the copy protection. So far its just free promotional copies of the single. I tell ya I'm gonna be pissed the first time I buy a CD and discover I can't listen to it in my computer.
The song is already on AudioGalaxy and available for download. They just can't win. Copy protection doesn't work!
Make even shorter URLs - 8LN.org
I think we need to ask ourselves if the record companies truly don't realize this. My guess is that they understand that copy protecting the CD in this manner won't stop the MP3 from being made Anyone can make an ok mp3 with their normal stereo and a microphone wired to their computer. So what we really need to ask is why the record companies are releasing CD's in this manner.
I believe it is to stop legitimate music owners from making MixCD's and from copying the CD directly. It's obvious that finding and downloading MP3 adds extra steps to the piracy (or backup) process - making redistributing a CD on a real medium (such as CDR) that much more difficult. In fact, if I bought a whole "protected" CD, I would never burn copies for my friends - because it would take fair amount or time and dedication to download *each* track from the CD in *good
So the record companies have likely succeeded in their task of making music piracy (or backups) slightly more complicated for the legitimate CD owner.
Of course, those people who don't buy the CD in the first place, i.e. the habitual music pirate, will not have a more difficult task than they already have with unprotected music, because the music will make it to MP3 format, and fault tolerant CDROM's already exist...
And also, complain to Microsoft that the CD player that comes with Windows can't play that CD.
Try to use the power of Microsoft to tell the record industry you're pissed off.
Yes, but the CD of your favorite band could be the next.
Nasty copy protection on C64 games often made it impossible to back up the flakey 5 1/4 disks they came on. That is, unless you went to your local pirate BBS and got yourself a copy of the latest patch. Those who did this enjoyed their games as long as they liked. Those who did not were stuck whining when their favorite game ate it after being shoved into and pulled out of the 1541 drive too many times.
The same applies today with music. I was listening to one of my VNV Nation CD backups the other day, and it started skipping. This happened to be a limited edition- it would have been very hard to replace had that been the real CD I'd bought all scratched up and skipping like that. But I was able to go home and make another, then toss out the busted one. Good stuff!
I protect my investment. My CD investment is quite substantial- over 250 CDs last time I checked... and all the ones that get real use from me get burned to copies. I wouldn't shed a tear if my CD case fell off a boat or got lost or whatever while I travel these days, since it's all burned backups. I wonder how people will get by in the future?
What we call folk wisdom is often no more than a kind of expedient stupidity.-Edward Abbey
Here's the problem:
If the only purchasble form of a new MJ song is in an 'unbreakable encrypted' version, than any mp3 versions of the song *must* be in violation of the DMCA. Then, they don't even have to prove you cracked it, guilty by induction.
All your base are belong to us!
As for your plan to rip off the shrinkwrap and bring the disc back to the store, most stores that I know of will only allow you to exchange a disc for another copy of the same disc. I guess you can stand there and argue about it with them.
You can stand there and argue with them, and that will fail. Then you can demand to see their manager, and that will fail. Then you can demand to see THAT person's manager, and by this point you are very loudly and defiantly demanding that they refund your money for selling you a piece of crap CD, of which none are even CD's because they don't even play in CD drives, and then I guarantee you will get your money back.
No business can afford to lose the amount of face they lose when an extremely irate customer is standing there shouting things that make perfect sense to all the other customers listening. Only the highest managers at a store are authorized to override store policy when they realize how bad their store looks for doing something stupid that all their other customers will look at as "unfair" to the customer.
Capitalism has its faults, but the desire of a company to make a profit can always put power in the hands of the consumer when you use it properly.