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The Customer is Always Wrong
McSpew writes "Hackers author Steven Levy so far is the only person in the mainstream press to pick up on the the travesty of the SSSCA hearings. He points out that only the media giants could be so stupid as to think treating their customers like criminals will increase sales." Steven's a very smart guy - and very well said on this issue.
Thank you, Mr. Levy, for giving me, in Hackers, the words to express what I already knew to be true.
"Bite my [shiny metal] ass, Eisner."
OK, so my computer's version's not as eloquent. I think it gets the point across, though.
only the media giants could be so stupid as to think treating their customers like criminals will increase sales.
Hrm. I wonder if Microsoft will be able to license their Activation Code technology to the good people of Vivendi Universal.
"We're sorry, but someone is already listening to this pressing of the Britney Spheres CD."
--saint
It's written very clearly on the bottom in 12 point type "Please don't steal music".
And how on earth could calling a hacker a hacker do anything to alienate the real paying customers? Regular people with jobs and families who work and earn money and spend it on fine music CDs and movies don't even know any hackers. Unless they are really unlucky.
So the consumers who keep the world running smoothly have no reason to mind the prosecution of those who do things that normal folks would never dream of doing. And that is why the regular media over in the real world has ignored this story.
Only over the fantasy world of the hacker "community" is it even noticed.
Business-school professors could feast for years on the unintended consequences that come from treating Britney Spears tunes like nuclear secrets.
So we might have Britney Spears tunes locked up with only a select few authorized to listen to them? Maybe there is a upside (albeit a tiny one) to this after all.
My sci-fi novel, Ghost Thief, is now available from Amazon.com.
> the entire alt.binaries.pictures.* hierarchy!
See...we told you that anyone who's against us is a pedophile!
I have the solution to the "Piracy" which should make everyone happy. The problem is not in the technology, it lies in the simple fact that the content providers actually give consumers the first-generation copies in the first place, which facilitates second-hand copying. This practice needs to be stopped.
The solution is deviously simple: when a someone goes to the record store and buys, let's say, the hot new Alicia Keys CD, they should only get a copy of the liner notes, not the easy-to-copy CD.
Voila! No original, no copies, and the problem is solved. You can't pirate a CD that you don't have. Sure, album reviewers might have a harder time with this scheme, but your average Britney Spears-listening vegetard won't know the difference. They'll still be a part of the excitement as they clutch their empty CD case, their small, vapid minds unaware of the change. Since most pop music is brand and marketing, the music studios could concentrate their efforts more efficiently.
It will save money on studio and recording fees as well.
Someone get Sen. Fritz Hollings on the phone, if he helps set this plan into motion, there's a nice vacation condo waiting for him!
"But, my lord.......is that leeegal?"
"I shall make it legal."
That might be fine and dandy for you, but believe me, you don't want 1000s of CDs of MY neighbour's garage band out there. Trust me. You might as well just jab icepicks in your ears and save yourself the trouble.
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Bleah! Heh heh heh... BLEAH BLEAH!!! Ha ha ha ha...