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RIAA Sues Audiogalaxy
Frizzled writes "The RIAA has struck again, this time filing suit against Audiogalaxy's "Satellite" file sharing program. (Nevermind that Satellite is loaded with spy-ware ... good riddance)." News.com has a story. The RIAA's press release links to their complaint.
When will the RIAA just stop...
I think that they would rather have the cash.
Its more that they don't understand either the technology (which is probably unstoppable), or their own customers.
In particular, the major music labels don't seem to understand that:
1) Some people will pay money anyway for CD's if they like them enough.
2) Alot more people would buy the music if they sold them directly over the internet.
I personally believe that their sales would rocket up even at the same profit margins if they just dropped the cost of producing and distributing the CD's from the price of an internet download. This might only be a few dollars cheaper than what you pay to a major music store for the CD.
So what I think is happening here is the equivalent of what happened to encyclopedia salesmen with encarta. They were so locked in to a large existing sales network with high production costs that they could not bring themselves to cannibalise their own networks to maintain sales. This nearly destroyed the companies (such as britannica) before they finally did a U turn. People were happy to buy an inferior (M$ Encarta - not that it was bad, just less information) product because it was so much cheaper, and almost as good.
The analogy here of technology hitting an established high premium sales network is pretty tight. And I believe that the outcome will be the same. Eventually the networks will recognise this, and sell music tracks online for alot less than they currently do. They will prosper under this arrangement, although much of their distribution network will have to die in the process.
For the record, I can see the same thing ultimately happening with video, and a similar process of technological change is occuring with cameras and film. Our home computers will take on all of these tasks. We will still shop, but for production tools (printers, cameras) and 'raw' materials (blank CD's, DVD's high quality paper). Companies that get on this bandwagon will do well (ask Kodak), and those that pretend it isn't happening will go towards the wall (ask britannica!).My 2c worthMichael
Audiogalaxy was once one of the best file sharing programs out there. I'm sad to see how far its fallen, and I'll be sad to see another p2p innovation die at the hands of greedy lawyers.
Claims background radio-band noise sounds too much like the new (insert popular shit band here) album. Claims damages worthy of galaxy submitting itself to RIAA Imperial Rule, wants cost of moon-sized battlestation covered.
At stealing your personal info:
inmates.com
You've been warned.
tcd004
WinMX is much better than anything now. Get the new version 3.1.
3557KB? That's bigger than my Shakira MP3!
Despite the spyware, this was the best thing to find RARE or hard to find music.
A real shame since all other FS programs are for Warez and p0rn.
Poo
My version of the Satellite might be old, but it doesn't contain spyware.
It's probably a few months old.
AudioGalaxy also has a Linux binary-only version - it doesn't even use XWindows.
sorry if I look too naiveee.
I recall seeing the agbrowser and agsatellite stuff on the debian packages list, and I assumed it would be safer than other options.
I never installed it anyway (at the time modem was not working properly), but this is a bit interesting for me
can you provide more info on spyware on the linux port?
Math is the weapon!!
Yes...AudioGalaxy is out there stealing songs?
And Sears should be held responsiable for all illegal breaking&entering done with a craftsman hammer. And there has already been the Wincherster case. And Buck should be held liable for all knife crimes, and rap for all crimes of insanity, etc...
What's next - RIAA against Berkeley for creating FTP cause they found an FTP mp3 site? RIAA against DARPA for creating the Internet?
Sure, it's riddled with spyware, but every case the RIAA wins against services that could be used to share their songs, the more legal precedence they have to pull more of that bullshit in the future.
It doesn't matter how much spyware or other nasty stuff AudioGalaxy comes with, they are still on "our side" when it comes to the p2p issue as a whole. You'd better hope they win, though they probably won't.
[PowerPoint] is a tool for capitalist presentation
Back to AudioGalaxy's FTP Search. It doesn't even need Satellite. However, it might be RIAA's next target, right after other FTP search sites.
A first-year computer programmer could do better than they have
At least the RIAA as the same opinion of OSS as the rest of the civilised world
someone mod the RIAA to redundant..
they just don't get it, cut off one head, another grows, you can't stop it, you must adapt...but this has been said over and over again, and they won't get it, so its time to wonder what WILL happen to the RIAA
Slashdot Hypocrisy at work?
This is almost funny. As soon as one file-sharing system goes down, another comes along. Will the RIAA simply continue to sue every file-sharing service? It's ludicrous, but this doesn't strike me as bad. Maybe it will give others time to figure out a new digital distribution system to supplant the old business model so fervently and pointlessly protected by the RIAA. Let them go down fighting for a hopelessly outdated system while others make progress establishing the new.
--Rick
--Rick "If it isn't broken, take it apart and find out why."
lol gotta love that quote.
I suppose this is as opposed to how a first year fine arts student could defeat cd copy protection with a felt tip pen.
What spyware is AG bundled with? I haven't noticed anything ...
RIAA's business model is starting to look at lot like rambus...
First Napster, then Kazaa, now AudioGalaxy.
They can have my Gnutella when they pry my mouse from my cold, dead hands.
So, which is the next big service? Hrm, I think I should go and start one in Iraq! j/k
They're going to go after gnutella users randomly next. BEWARE. .. they'll randomly target the top servers .. then go after leechers.
.. but it will send a sharp signal .. but these guerilla tactics people will make people afraid to keep exchanging mp3's.
.. THE END IS NIGH.
Think you are safe
Catching a few (70 or 80) people may not seem like a lot when there are tens of thousands
chance of being caught 1 in 250,000. But do you want that chance?
LEECH! LEECH ALL YA WANT!
I think it's a shame that they want to shut this down, since it can open up different genres to people generating more money for them(There is some pretty good atmospheric drum and bass on AG), which is all that those greedy bastards care about, obviously. Major music distribution shouldn't be led around by one entity like it is now; we know what kind of problems that can lead to. (DMCA, SSSCA or CBDTPA, etc.)
And on the spyware issue, I switched OSes, with AG on another drive and spyware on C drive, so my copy has no spyware attached to it (VX2.dll was erased).
Why yes I am paranoid! Thanks for asking!
I hope they dont shut AG down, it might have spyware but I still like it, I can get almost every mp3 I want, this is bullshit.
I know I've seen that post *verbatim* in previous discussion threads. I was beginning to question my sanity as I was reading it, thinking - "Wait a sec - this sounds like I've read it before." Going back and copying previous comments (without explicitly saying so, at least) doesn't really contribute to the discussion.
The reason most people download mp3s is because they only want a few songs from an entire album. (there are some exceptions where someone will get the whole album). The fact is, a lot of CDs produced only come with 5 or less "playable" songs. The rest just suck. (they're just there to fill in tracks). I remember when artists made CDs that you could play straight from the first to the last track. The RIAA should do more research on why people dont like CDs and make it worth spending $12-16.99 for it instead of blaming lost profits on the Internet
$cat
First time I read it I thought it said "RIAA sues the galaxy". Funny thing is, I didn't think it was strange.
What is most entertaining about the RIAA's continuing legal attacks is they are obviously attacking these companies with legal fees rather than substantitive claims and then turning around and flat out denying it. The problem legally with AG, Napster, and Kazaa is they have to maintain servers somewhere that not only distribute programs to share MP3s but also facilitate in their transfer. What none of these companies have managed to do is show a court that their software can be used for anything besides piracy* and in reality they can't be despite specious claims to the contrary. AG is going to fold under just like Kazaa did because there is no way their VC is going to hold out under the RIAA's assault, unless of course they have a retained attorney that works cheap.
It will be interesting to see what happens next after AG goes down, the biggest network left that I know of is Gnutella and with that the RIAA faces a pretty tough battle. The Gnutella network was not specifically designed for MP3 sharing and there is no single company responsible for its maintenance. If they did try to bring a suit against it it would be interesting how they could attack GPL'ed code.
* Yes trading MP3s or movies without paying for them is piracy. Unless you made it yourself or own the distribution rights to it, you giving it to other people isn't legal. The home recording act and time shifting statutes don't let you make recordings for distribution, only personal use. That is fair use. Kazaa, Napster, and AG aren't promoting fair use they ARE promoting piracy. It may seem unfair that you can't go download any song you want for free but those are the breaks. If you want cheap CDs buy them cheap either used or from swap meets. Mixing a CD for a friend can be fair use, a 70 gig MP3 collection downloaded entirely from some sharing service is not. Copying a CD you own to put in your car so your original doesn't get fucked up is fair use, downloading and watching AoTC instead of paying for it in some way is not.
I'm a loner Dottie, a Rebel.
It's too bad... I like the program. I joined their "Gold" program for like $2.75 a month you get access to faster servers and better quality downloads. I've been happy with it. I always find what I want. A song pops into my head -- and 5 minutes later: I'm listening to it. I wish that all of these dying companies would open-source their code. Since they will be getting a new asshole from the RIAA and the US legal system anyway they might as well "leak" the source to the Net. That way a 1000 new networks could spring up in their place. The further we spread the RIAA the weaker they get! Muahahahahahahahaha!
I'm glad my newest favorite band is european, if i dont miss my guess that means not one thin cent of it goes to the xxAA
If you can't see the value in jet powered ants you should turn in your nerd card. - Dunbal (464142)
to use a non-centralized network, such as Gnutella. All of these centralized networks (a la Napster, AG, etc.), while very good (AG tended to have a very large variety of music), are sitting ducks for the RIAA/MPAA to come after them. Centralized networks are too easy to kill, and it's raising the RIAA's spirits after each "victory". These people need to face something that is impossible to defeat, so they are forced to seriously reconsider what they're doing.
Also, if you're a Windows user and feel like trying Gnutella allow me to recommend Gnucleus, a GPL'd Gnutella client with Ultrapeers, file hashing no spyware, and multisource downloading. Check out http://www.gnucleus.net. Linux or other users, there are a plethora of clients available, such as Limewire (written in Java).
This sig provides no comical value.
Item 64: "Defendants shield themselves and their users from copyright infringement claims by maintaining Acceptable Use Limitations that forbid the posting of copyright material"
In addition to bitching about this on slashdot, everyone should educate their friends about this issue and, most importantly, GET PEOPLE TO VOTE for candidates who will oppose this RIAA and MPAA BS. If need be, even use this as a litmust test for candidates. I think BS copyright legislation has a chance of mattering to me more than most of what politicians bicker about on the hill.
Audiogalaxy, KazaaLite, aren't great compared to P2P Limewire. LimeWire and other true P2P (completely decentralized) software can't be regulated or banned. Not only that, but its getting better in terms of speed and reliability; also, its getting more users, and LimeWire's usually the place I go to find rare songs, like "Now You Suck," by the Yeastie Girls.
I still use KazaaLite in tandem with LimeWire, but LimeWire is becoming more and more my primary option. Not to mention, its RMS-friendly, since it uses the GNU GPL.
That of course doesn't justify the RIAA/MPAA's actions. Centralized services for distribution should not be held responsible for the content being distributed, not any more than ISP's should have to micro-monitor their users. File-sharing services can be used for many many purposes, most of which have nothing to do with sharing copyrighted works. Since the pattern seems to be like Wack-a-mole -- where RIAA/MPAA sue one file-sharing service, then another pops up -- perhaps eventually we'll get a SANE ruling from a judge who isn't paid for and owned by big money.
social sciences can never use experience to verify their statemen
The complaint further states that, "With functions such as the ability to download entire songs and albums, cover artwork, and software, as well as a peer-to-peer file-sharing function, Audiogalaxy's system is even more egregious than that of Napster."
Ummmmm, are they even sure they have the right software!!
As far as I know audiogalaxy can only download mp3s.
I could be wrong I spose
oh well, I spose I better continue the DRDoS attacks against RIAA.
Wait a minute. I thought Al Gore created the Internet?
Now knowing what is going to happen with Audiogalaxy ... (the tea leaves haven't been wrong yet) ...
Is there ANY software that cannot be sued into oblivion? I know that GNUtella is open source ... but couldn't that be sued as well?
The main reason that Napster got it so bad, was that the directory listings were centrallized. Audiogalaxy, KaZaA, and others changed this, so that there is no centrallized database, but the people who write the software are being sued ...
About the only way to be "judgement proof" in this day and age would to release software (with or without source) anonymously.
Would this be possible ... ???
Karma? Karma? I don't need no stinkin' karma.
or is the RIAA/MPAA winning these battles? They've knocked out everyone so far. Through hook, crook, or whatever, Napster, Kazza, etc. have fallen. How soon until they try to pursue Gnutella?
How badly would you be crying if freegplsourcecode.com launched providing GPL source code with the GPL and copyright notices removed.
Companies could grab the source and put it into their closed source proprietary software and you all go running, crying to mommy (EFF).
Bullshit:
People who use Tivo to skip commercials are stealing.
Not bullshit:
audiogalaxy.com encourages stealing music.
Oh, and another thing. The "when will the RIAA learn that we will just keep downloading mp3s no matter how much they sue" argument is a big pile of donkey dung.
See how they're trying to exagerate the number of singers being affected by Audiogalaxy?
The best way to kill file-sharing -- along with the baby in the bathwater (i.e. VOIP, gaming, and other legit uses of broadband) -- would be if the MegaISPs (who don't have to play nice by sharing their lines) started capping and/or metering bandwidth at obscene overage rates to make serving anything extremely cost prohibitive.
For added "protection" they could also start blocking any traffic that doesn't look like "good consumer" behavior. e.g: "Dear Joe Suspect: Even though you paid our insane rates for the 1.4Gigs of bandwidth you used last week, we noticed that it was all encrypted. This simply won't do. Consider yourself on notice buster!"
Good thing wireless can't be monopolized...
--
Power to the Peaceful
Been pirating from the RIAA since I was but ten and three, And I don't think I've missed single MP3, Just this old hard drive's space to lose, Now, I don't blame them cause they've gone and sued, But the stupidest thing they ever did, Was claim all their actions protected revenue.
Well, they must o' thought that is quite a joke, And it got a lot of laughs from a' lots of folk, It seems I've downloaded my whole life through. Some napster clone would die and I'd get red And some p2p'd openup and they'rd songs to multithread I tell ya, my life had nothing to do with their "revenue"
Well, I grew up quick and I grew up l33t, My hacking got hard and my wits got street, I'd roam backdoor to backdoor to hide my name. But I made a vow to the moon and stars That I'd search the databases and systems far And kill that connection before it got too lame
Well, just finished with a shell I had since mid-July And I just kissed my DSL connection bye-bye I just battled a round of security with big blue At an old cybercafe in case they pulled the lud's, There at a table, spewing FUD Sat the dirty, mangy dog that "protected" the RIAA's Revenue
Well, I knew that snake was a lawyer so bad From the way he jumped up and down so mad Cause Kazzaa Lite was installed on every rented PC, no lie.... He was big and bent and gray and old, And I looked at him and my blood ran cold And I said: "How dare you say you protect the rights and reveue of all the bands, they only see a cent or two! All he let out was a "sigh"
That pissed me off and Well, I hit him hard right between the eyes And he went down, but to my surprise, He come up with a lawsuit in hand, and the court date was in early next year But I called right back and marked him the theif, And he forced the conversation into the non-witnessed street Acronym'in and a' cursing, I finally made him leer
I tell ya, I've stolen identities of tougher men But I really can't remember when, He tricked like a mule and presented Pocket PC and filed Another suit as he said I'd pay for this fuss, He went for his digital pen and initialed first, He stood there lookin' at me and I saw him smile.
And he said: "Son, this world is rough And if an Association is gonna make it, their legal gotta be tough And they know you'll never help the Music Monopoly along. One by one we'll take away your songs, and give you enough time to say goodbye We work with the Telco's so you'll pay high And have no choice, our over-priced CD's you'll buy And from those sales the RIAA's goes on strong"
He said: "Now you just fought one hell of a fight And I know you hate me, and you got the right To report me now, and I wouldn't blame you if you do. But ya ought to thank me, before your case is tried, For the l33t circles, and coding skillz in ya eye Cause I'm the son-of-a-bitch that forces you underground when I yell "Sue.'"
I got all choked up and I threw down my palm And I recognized his crooked law, and it was there that I saw That everytime he sue'd it's True. My skillz improve, and my knack gets better Every time I find a P2P that's l33ter, and in the end, even though I think I win, The RIAA gets stats, and make then facts to continue their evil daze... And if I ever have a son, I think I'm gonna teach him better ways... Like buying DVD's from George and software from Bill..
Nah, the RIAA can kiss my ass cause I'll continue to pirate over prized CD's and warez and start to use linux just in spite, and support local artists with all my might,
and maybe after a generation or two...
Their greed'll thin, and freedom will win, And we'll finally, finally, exhaust all their grounds to Sue.
-Yo Grark
*--Would read a lot better without slashdot telling me "Your comment had too few characters per line (currently 34.2)"--*
Canadian Bred with American Buttering
I have been using Audiogalaxy for quite sometime now and have actually been pretty happy with it. But I think its structure may make it a harder target for the RIAA than something like Kazaa or Napster. Audiogalaxy already has built in copy protecting. Audiogalaxy has and is preventing a user from downloading certain more main stream songs. You can't get alot of music off Audiogalaxy. This fact is poorly criticized in section 3 of the RIAA statement where it compares its copy-protection to a fishnet filtering water. Also many artists are hosted by Audiogalaxy and it provides the user with a link to buy the album. This is in direct conflict with the RIAA claim that Audiogalaxy has "the ability to download entire sound recording albums, cover artwork..." As well for a fileshare program Audiogalaxy has been one of the most supportive of underground bands and community exchange. Just look at the monthly columns to see why the RIAA is sueing. The bands that are reviewed and advertised on Audiogalaxy are usually ones that aren't controlled by major labels. Although I won't defend the spyware, to me audiogalaxy was the first filesharing that was starting to actually look more like an alternative to the major labels.
fenn
After the .bomb fiasco would you be interested in pushing for a web based service?
I'm not saying the music industry would implode, highly unlikely, but I understand why they may still be clutching at their "tried and true" ways.
Even if it is outdated.
No sig for you!!
Eventually people are going to get pissed off at this and revolt. When all the free-download music services are gone, who's going to pay $$$ for some DRMed-up tripe than a $0 MP3 that they can do what they want with?
It's odd they'd go after AudioGalaxy, considering other filesharing apps don't work to promote artists in the way it does. AG will (or try to) block you from downloading songs where someone has complained, suggest other artists and genres that may appeal and have a message board for discussing each musician. Seems better than just getting mp3's off napster.
I don't see how the RIAA can claim, with a straight face, that the copyrighted-song blocking was 'not as good as a first year CS student'. They've done the best you can realistically do with keyword blocking, without blocking others in the crossfire. For example:
The Cars, Drive = blocked.
According to the RIAA, if the band "Drive" releases a song called "Cars", it should be denied. Given the combinations of keywords, you'd be blocking pretty much everything that isn't obscure and unique, like "the Crucifucks", "Tumor Circus", "Cockmonger" or "Republican Buttocks".
They also have some light content-based filtering. I haven't researched this, but I think it goes by the ID3 tag. It seems to be used mostly to combat misspellings. Obviously, the RIAA's example was the worst-case scenario.
They've really done a fair amount of filtering, and enough in the other areas to show they aren't just a napster clone (which wouldn't be a bad thing by my standards). It seems they just want any type of music far away from computers, because it's easier to control than to just come up with cooler ideas and incentive for people to buy. I suppose it's also easier than releasing something better than the pussified swill I hear booming by from people's car radios.
--
PS: both AG for linux, and the other linux version called xsatellite are spyware free. The official AG linux binary is still supported.
The major players within the music industry largely control that industry. They have spent decades honing the art of the industry. You can be sure control is a part of the business plan.
As long as that control is maintained, new business plans can be attempted with little risk. Loose control and everything is at risk. The old business plans go out the window. And the new ones could cost the entire business unit and everyone's job.
Sure the Big Five (and any record company, for that matter) want the cash. But it is their current deathgrip on control of the system that is the biggest assurance that cash is going to come in. It doesn't matter how much cash a new business model might promise. A business model is a risk and if that business model involves giving up control, it is too much a risk no matter what the potential payoff.
Unless, of course, an external force causes the industry to loose their current level of control despite their wishes.
I wonder if the RIAA could hit Audiogalaxy with a subpoena for the data the spyware was collecting?
I don't know what information the supposed spyware collects, but it could be a scary thing for many people.
i download the weekly Essential Mix and John Digweed's Kiss 100 show (british radio programs.) RIAA has no claim at all to either of those, so i hope AG survives this. they're already filtering most commercial CDs and tracks, but i guess RIAA wants to eliminate the music they don't control so the rest of us will have nothing else except the recycled garbage that 95% of their clients produce. no thanks.
In their press release, they call themselves "Recording Industry of America" ... they don't even know what their own stupid name stands for anymore! Except for money, greed, and all that.
"Champagne for my real friends - and real pain for my sham friends!" http://ericblade.postalboard.com/
my gosh... after searches would start coming up empty on napster, i switched to AG, until someone told me about kazaa. kazaa dies, i switch back to AG. a week later, AG starts to get sued! i'm switching to gnucleus. i appreciate those who supplied me with more places to be the swash-buckling pirate i am. argh....
If we give our two cents, but it's a penny for our thoughts, do we get change back?
Audiogalaxy does not contain spyware, nor does it require the use of spyware. The "official" audiogalaxy client however, does contain spyware, but only from version .609 and on. I use .608W for instance. It is 100% functional, and contains no spyware. Here is a download link. Furthermore, audiogalaxy is a pretty much open protocol. There are a number of 3rd party clients, for various operating system, which are spyware/adware free. Some are AGStream, OpenAG, and Sputnix. Quit complaining if you are too lazy to use google and/or download another client, so you can get free mp3s without the company making any money.
Moderation Totals: Flamebait=2, Troll=1, Redundant=1, Insightful=6, Overrated=1, Underrated=1, Total=12. (not mine)
Don't worry.
The US has pretty much proven it would willing go so far as to "unplug" the Internet, if only RIAA/MPAA were fabricate a good story. If death and damnnation were the provable outcome, it would only serve to put the Bill on Fast Track.
Failing that. ISPs are, more and more, controlled by non-competetive concerns. It would be fairly easy to shut this down. Simply specify a $1200/month class of service for anyone accepting SYN packets. "Normal" service still costs $20.
Many of the big ISPs already have "no server" rules. Ever wonder why?
Don't Fsck with the Mouse!
"People were happy to buy an inferior (M$ Encarta - not that it was bad, just less information) product because it was so much cheaper, and almost as good."
As a degreed Librarian (Master of Library Science) I have to enform you that Encarta is Funk and Wagnel with moving pictures and it is almost the lowest rated Encyclopedia out there. It does not even come close to the content or quality of Britannica. When the Britannica was first released on CD it had the distinction of containing more information than all other CD Encyplopedias combined.
I do not know if that is still true as Americanana may have come out with one. I haven't dealt with them in a long time but they were at the same level as Britannica.
Off topic? Yes. But I feel knowledge is important and it is important to know something about the tools we use as reference. We need to give credit where credit is due.
Otherwise, I think you hit the nail on the head.
There is a Free AudioGalaxy client: get it here.
Like science? Comics? Wicked...
Funny By Nature
Snipped from the latest bit of news on the weezer site.
It's anecdotal, I know. But I'd say that the RIAA spends more money on lawyers than the industry loses as a result of file sharing... They should probably cut Audiogalaxy in on the profits rather than sue them.
---
Yeah, well, that's just, like, your opinion, man.
The linux version of audiogalaxy is spyware free, not that it could do much spying when it`s running under a seperate uid to the rest of my processes (as i always do with binary-only software)
http://spamdecoy.net - free throwaway anonymous email - avoid spam!
In a surprise move today, it appears that the RIAA has sued Golf Galaxy. Film at eleven.
This.
Did anyone happen to catch 20/20 last night (Friday)? They had a piece about how radio stations take payola through indy promoters, blah blah blah. The interesting part was seeing Hillary Rosens fat head up there crying about how it costs the record labels so much and that there should be new laws to make it illegal, I'm just bawling my eyes out for them. I wonder how much of a discount consumers would see if such legistlation was put into place.
To be fair most the focus of the segment was mostly about how it prevents smaller labels/artists from getting radio play regardless of how good their music may be, which is a bad thing.
Personally I think its great that the RIAA is taking a stance against this. Lets see, first the RIAA pisses of geeks, then consumers, now they piss off the radio stations, if we get lucky they'll shoot themselves in the foot and piss off the artists and labels too.
-- Button up, your ignorance is showing
Way to get modded down.
As soon as the moderators see my post, I'll be joining you in -1 ville!
A lot of people are saying "great, let them sue each new network and then a new one will spring up in its place." There is a slight problem with that. Everytime a new network goes up the *AA has 1 more "reason" why their congressmen should make a law that will wipe out freedom. While it might seem we are winning the cat and mouse game we are getting close to finding ourselves in a corner with each new step.
Only dead fish swim with the stream...
IIRC, back in 95...
AG was:
- written/maintained by someone at U of Texas.
- sort of an FTP search engine BUT much better than ftpsearch.ntnu.no
- would list how often an FTP was online (pretty trick back then).
and my personal favorite:
- you had to access it through some hidden directory on a commercial website.
Those were the days. I didn't even care about bandwidth because I could download a few MP2/MP3s simultanously (gotta love campus EtherNet).
Perhaps I am remembering some of this incorrectly as I did drink excessively during undergrad. Would someone confirm this because I'd hate to think it was much cooler than it really was.
So AG is the latest victim, it's actually quite amusing, since Audiogalaxy first of all just started out as an FTP searching database (ah... memories) and is probably the least guilty of ALL the filesharing software, especially since when a record company would ask them not to share certain songs, THEY WOULD BLOODY WELL COMPLY and block the songs.
Who's running the show? The Purple Id Frog?
I imagine the RIAA board room conversations are something like this:
Lawyer: "Well, we've defeated Kazaa. All that's really left is a couple of unstable and small programs that are really ineffectual."
RIAA: "WAR! SEX! COOKIES!!!!!"
Lawyer: "What's left to defeat?"
RIAA: "WAR! SEX! COOKIES!!!!!"
Laywer: "Well... there's still audiogalaxy but..."
RIAA: "WAR! SEX! COOKIES!!!!!"
Lawyer: "They've done everything we've asked them to! What're we gonna charge them with?"
RIAA: "WAR! SEX! COOKIES!!!!!"
Lawyer: "I'll get the work order."
Karma: Non-Heinous
s|work|court|g
*sigh*
Karma: Non-Heinous
Like Napster, Audiogalaxy seeks to profit from its [music sharing :)] system by building an extensive user base to attract advertisers and investment dollars.
RIAA Exec #1: Bob, how's our new "file-sharing" service coming along, you know, the one that grants users the right to listen to a song on one computer for 30 minutes a day, all for $9.99 a month, and if you violate the terms of service, the FBI is notified directly?
RIAA Exec #2: *clik clik* Hmm, it's coming along okay Sue, three people have signed up in the past month alone. Not bad but we just can't seem to get volume of users we were predicting.
RIAA Exec #1: Actually one of those was me, and the other two were Hillary. We need to figure out what type of file sharing service people really want. If only there was some kind of "model" or "prototype" we could study. If only we could figure out some way to use the internet to profit from a music sharing system by building an extensive user base to attract advertisers and investment dollars. If only there was some way to do that.
RIAA Exec #2: I have no idea. To be honest I'm not even sure what the internet is, isn't it like a modem? I heard that once. Oh well, it's 1pm already, the work day is over, time to go golfing!
RIAA Exec #1: Good thing, my brain hurts.
I could be wrong, but I seem to remember they used to have the source code for the Satellite posted. This was a couple years ago, before it was a phenomenon, and I can't find a copy of it or anything, but I just seem to remember there being source code posted. Can anyone set me straight? I'm probably wrong but I wanted to throw it out there.
Remember when Napster got into all the legal troubles that things like 'Open Nap' and Napagator became popular to access non offical open source servers? Why can't the same thing happen with Audiogalaxy? I know at least part of their code is open source, so that would help.
It would also be nice because AG blocked a lot of popular songs from being downloaded, and I'm sure the open servers wouldn't do that.
Can we use this to our advantadge, say -> get emminem to do a cover of one of the decss songs on his next album? Id love to see the brain freeze at the RIAA ->
support "fist amendment rights of artists" (code word for: we wanna be able to say whatever obsenities kids will pay for -- remember kids, music isn't cool if it dosen't offend your parents)
OR
support draconian legislation that will benefit us in the long term.
Since its been proven the riaa cant think think more then about 30 seconds into the future, they're gonna go for option #1, and Id love to see the RIAA and the MPAA destroy eachother in a battle of the titans:D
Religion is a gateway psychosis. -- Dave Foley
something i just did and i encourage everybody else to do is ask Audiogalaxy to make their master server open source. direct your request to help@audiogalaxy.com and ask them to help keep Audiogalaxy alive forever. No matter what happens legally, ideas live on.
I can share music and files in many many ways, and i can get it with different kinds of software, webbrowsers, FTP clients, etc etc. As I said in another comment... file sharing software doesn't violate copyrights, people violate copyrights. They have no right stopping this software or any other except viruses.
Will work for bandwidth
I have something to throw back at the slashdot community. Now I don't really completely understand how P2P file sharing programs like Gnutella work exactly. So if my comments sound ignorant to those who do understand exactly how the system works then forgive me and enlighten me. However, I always hear so many complaints about how slow programs like Gnutella are and how dangerous centralized servers like Napster are from a legal point of view. So I have to ask myself the question of why is Gnutella so slow? Now well I don't completely understand how P2P networks work I do have an idea of how search engines like Yahoo work. (I know yahoo works differently then say Google so what I am about to say does not apply to sites like Google and Altavista) But sites like yahoo for instance have a database of topics that are linked in a database to the urls that apply to those topics. So basically you have a database of info and the associated urls to that info. Now I realize when I'm doing a search on a P2P network it has to somehow know what songs and movies and other info I am sharing. So somehow it has to either have a database of all my stuff on a centralized server or else it has to use some kind of spider-like technology that goes out and periodically scans all the clients on the system on a certain port and indexes their stuff automatically. In any case, while I definitely see how a centralized system could make this process simpler it still does not completely explain to me why the system is so slow for downloading. The only way I can explain the slow speeds is that it seems that the P2P network is in a way doing something similar to routing my info. This to me doesn't make sense if this is how it works. If the only way my client can find info on the network is to find another client on the network that knows about the coputer that I am trying to reach. what would be better in my opinion is if all that the P2P network kept track of is my IP address and let my ISP connection take care of figuring out how to reach that computer. If a route is down or some router on the internet cannot figure out how to get to that computer then big deal. So I can't reach one of the many millions of people sharing files. At least it makes downloading quicker. At least for the people whose machines I am able to reach from my ISP will be as fast as possible. At present with Gnutella-like networks it seems like the every client does both indexing and also needs to go thru a server on the Gnutella network that knows how to reach the person who is sharing fiels at the other end of the network. While this is good in a way because it makes the network more self-contained, it is bad in another way because it is doing too much stuff. I think it is better to make the network more dumb. Let the already existing internet do your work for you. There is no reason I can think of why the P2P network can't just be setup in a way to sort of act like a database of Ip's to topics like Yahoo works. That way it just points me to where to find the information I am looking for rather then trying to help me get there as well. So instead of saying hey you have to go thru this client to get to this address, it just maps the topic to the IP. So say I am sharing a Metallica song, it just would come up and say : IP address : 222.555.666.111/metallicasong.mp3. It would not try to help me locate where that server was located on the Gnutella network. Instead it would just link me to where to get the info. If this is not how the current system works then this is why it is slow. If the Gnutella network is trying to route me to the correct location or trying to somehow help my computer get to where it needs to get to then the network is too smart. Dumb it down damnit! That way things will work almost as fast if not faster then a centralized network. And on top of it, the network will be almost impossible to shut down.
Follow Kazaa. Set up a shell company on some Pacific island, and when (not if, when) the Big Lawsuit hits, sell the name and assets, and fold the US operation. Rinse and repeat until there are no US based technology companies left.
Sad, sad situation, but when the [MPA|RIA|BS]A can buy (nearly) any law they like and change the rules of the game whenever they feel like it, the only way to win is not to play in their schoolyard.
If you were blocking sigs, you wouldn't have to read this.
It's all well and good to download and burn top 20 artists who make squillions every time they burp, but what do you say to a struggling artist like a friend of mine who has released just one solitary CD? I see her get together with her band and rehearse, I see how little she gets paid for singing in small-time pubs, and then I see people trading her music Online.
How can she survive if no-one is buying her music? I try to tell her she is getting valuable exposure by being traded on Kazaa et al, but she is not really keen to get exposure if it only leads to more people illegally downloading her music. It doesn't seem to encourage many people to her gigs.
She is unlikely to ever gross dollar one, but at one time people like her could still make some money on the side through their music to help earn some money while she is at university.
Is file sharing supposed to make music only for the elite, who can afford to have people steal their creativity?
I can't believe the RIAA is going about this the right way, given that since they began their campaign file trading has been steadily increasing, but something has to be done.
I constantly hear the the RIAA doesn't have the right "business model". Can anyone tell me what the right business model might be for my friend?
If the pattern goes 9am, 10am, 11am, why isn't noon 12am?
That was so cool I had to make a recording of it. If this pisses you off, I'll take it off the site, but what I'd really like to do is make it public domain. Nothing educates the public like a catchy song (one of the many reasons Woody Guthrie was the man). I'd also like to give you proper credit, of course. It could probably stand another take or two, and some more practice, but it's great for a few hours' work. I had to edit the words a bit to make them more singable. Here's my revised version:
Been pirating from the RIAA since I was ten and three, and I don't think I've missed a single MP3, Just this old hard drive's space to lose,
Now, it isn't just the fact that they sued, it's the stupidest thing they ever did, was to claim that their actions protected revenues.
Well, they must o' thought that is quite a joke, And it got a lot of laughs from a' lots of folk, It seems I've downloaded my whole life through.
Hell, I never even thought of it as wrong, cause I'd buy more CDs after hearing more songs, I tell ya, it had nothing to do with their "revenue"
Well, I grew up quick and I grew up l33t, My hacking got hard and my wits got street, I'd roam backdoor to backdoor to hide my name.
But I made a vow to the moon and stars That I'd search the databases and systems far And kill that connection before it got too lame
Well, just finished with a shell I had since July, I kissed my DSL connection goodbye and I battled a round of security with big blue
At an old cybercafe in case they pulled the lud's, There at a table, spewing FUD Sat the dirty, mangy dog that "protected" the RIAA's Revenue
Well, I knew that snake was a lawyer so bad From the way he jumped up and down so mad cause Kazzaa Lite was installed on every PC, it's true
He was big and bent and gray and old, And I looked at him and my blood ran cold And I said: "If you're defending your bands, how come all the money goes to you?"
I was so pissed off I hit him between the eyes And he went down, but to my surprise, He come up with a lawsuit in his hand
But I called right back and marked him the theif, And he forced the conversation into the non-witnessed street Acronym'in and a' cursing, I made my stand
I tell ya, I've stolen identities of tougher men But I really can't remember when, He tricked like a mule, brought out a Pocket PC and filed
Another suit, he said I'd pay for this fuss, He went for his digital pen and initialed first, He stood there lookin' at me and I saw him smile.
And he said: "Son, this world is rough And if an Association is gonna make it, their legal gotta be tough and you know, to keep the Music Monopoly along.
We'll crush independents until they die, we'll overexpose until you buy and from those sales major labels go on strong"
He said: "Now you just fought one hell of a fight And I know you hate me, and you got the right To report me now, and I wouldn't blame you if you do.
But ya ought to thank me, before your case is tried, For the l33t circles, and coding skillz in ya eye Cause I'm the son-of-a-bitch that forces you underground when I yell "Sue.'"
I got all choked up and I threw down my palm And I recognized his crooked law, and I saw that everytime he sue'd it's true.
My skillz improve, and my knack gets better every time I find a P2P that's l33ter, but in the end, even though I think I win, we all still lose
Cause the RIAA has got control over music, congress and America's soul and if you want to download, sample or even use
any music you've bought and paid for, without fail, you'll be fined and put in jail, all in the name of their goddam revenues
I think about him every time I see, a young coder writing stuff that's free, And if I ever have a son, I think I'm gonna teach him...
to fight the corporations from a legal and political standpoint, so he won't need to hack, and support free music with all his back, and maybe after a generation or two
Their greed'll thin, and freedom will win, sampling songs won't be a sin, and we'll have taken and farmed all their grounds to sue.
c-hack.com |
Apart from the obvious fact it appears to be the only good music software with a Linux port - there's the weird fact that AudioGalaxy already blocks most propietary artists. So, it's great for swapping legal music or "abandonmuzik" or whatever the "z"-term would be, but not their music. How on Earth could they get away with suing them when they're already making a reasonably determined effort to stop piracy?
How to insert a URL on Slashdot.
Make sure the Formatting system is on 'Plain Old Text', or on 'HTML Formatted'. Then type;
<a href="http://url">Link Name</a>
Except with http://url changed to your url. And remember, you must have the http:// part.
tlhf
xxx
I'm sure this is on a FAQ somewhere.
"If they had demonstrated the ability to filter, we wouldn't be here," said Matt Oppenheim, an RIAA senior vice president. "A first-year computer programmer could do better than they have."
As an ex-employee for Audiogalaxy (I actually did quite a bit of work on the filtering system) I have to say that this is ridiculous. We expended a huge amount of effort trying to filter things. What the RIAA fails to understand is that it is impossible to catch every misspelling of a given song name. Especially given the fact that they sent us CDs (data, not audio) loaded with material to block every few months. We even went above and beyond the call of duty by pre-emptively blocking billboard material before they asked us. Now, maybe my coding skills weren't great, but I'm no first year programmer either. If the RIAA wants to sue because the filtering is ineffective that's one thing, but the fact that they made a statement like this just demonstrates that they are either totally clueless or complete liars. But we knew that right?
(posting anonymously cuz I don't want to get sued)
The RIAA is suing again, because they have won every case so far. So, while the legal system is on their side, why go after all the "pirate" networks and software companies?
However, the RIAA's (and the MPAA's) legal blitzkrieg will come to a halt when either someone with sufficient money or power fights back, or every P2P network is invisible. I hope it it the former, as a good legal slapdown would help all the cases that follow.
I hope that when the RIAA runs out of P2P companies to sue, they go after Time-Warner Cable or AOL. That would be fun to watch.
They came for Napster, and I did not speak up, because I did not use Napster.
They came for Audiogalaxy, and I did not speak up, because it had spyware.
They came for Limewire, and I did not speak up, because I did not like the Java client.
Then they came for me, and there was no one left to speak up.
There is no sig, there is only Zuul.
Hi.
:)
Just wanted to mention (the quite recently released) program called "FAGS" (Free AudioGalaxy Sattelite).
This is a GPLed sattelite for unix/linux, and it truly rocks. No need to worry about spyware here.
http://www.tty0.org/page/fags/
(Best of all is that you can put this on your linux server, and then use it from any computer and snatch the downloaded files from the linux server. No need to worry about spyware on any of your computers.)
//Fatal
Talk about fucked up, their site only supports IE 5+, what, my Opera ain't good enough for them? I remember Scour too, I'm surprised the sell-out service is not dead yet.
What time is it/will be over there? Check with my iPhone app!
Ive used a cracked version of AudioGalaxy with all spyware removed on my windows computer and it worksgreat!!! THE RIAA IS A BITCH AND SO IS THE MPAA! ALL MUSIC AND VIDEO SHOULD BE FREE!!! Anyways, Ive also used their linux audiogalaxy client and theres even a linux frontend that works great. The linux client of AudioGalaxy DOES NOT have spyware and is completely clean for those who wanted to know. I hope AudioGalaxy beats the RIAA in this court battle...
This will greatly effect techno and other electronic music lovers as AG has far better selection of rare and obscure underground mp3's than anything else.
compare results for drum-n-bass pioneer 'Alex Reece' on any other p2p with AG and you will see what I mean.
I can think of half a dozen ways to break chroot if you are root - how do you 'get out of jail free' if you aren't?
"How can you claim that you are anti-crack, while still writing a window manager?" — Metacity README
Other than that, there is no permanent indexing - when you send out a search, it first goes to the nodes that you're connected to, who pass it on to their peers, who pass it on further ... and in the same way the search results are passed from peer to peer and eventually get back to you.
Therefore searching will often be slow until people learn to use the Ultrapeer system properly - currently there are a lot of Joe Sixpack 56Kbps-modem users setting themselves up as Ultrapeers (sometimes without realising it - Gnucleus by default has "Ability to become an Ultrapeer" checked), then finding lots of people trying to upload/download info all at once down their tiny bit of bandwidth. This slows things down for everyone.
When you download a file, it is a direct TCP connection, independent of the two nodes' positions in the Gnutella network. If a file is slow to download, it's nothing to do with Gnutella, it may just be that the other person has a slow connection, or is throttling bandwidth, or that there's a bottleneck somewhere in between the two of you.
If someone who actually knows a reasonable amount about the Gnutella protocol could clarify/correct any of the above, I'd appreciate it.
Tell her to take the time to set up a paypal account and host mp3s on audiogalaxy and kazaa that have a small advertisement that says if they like her they can send money to a paypal account.
If you run linux theres a guarenteed spyware free client (its open source) called Free Audio Galaxy Satellite available at http://pumjttwccjhamzza.sess.tty0.org/page/fags/
Why the heck isn't the RIAA sueing the major search engines as well? It's the same damn thing, really; I can find any number of MP3, warez, crackz and serialz sites through Google, but I don't see them or any other search engine getting it's ass sued off all day long, so what's the deal? Like a SE, any P2P application can provide you with legal as well as illegle content. Hell, AG even blocks some of it. F#@!$@# hypocitical, greedy bastards...
You need a FREE iPod Nano
I wonder what would happen if all of a sudden P2P companies starting suing the RIAA? Sure, it would cost money, but they wouldn't have to hire dream team lawyers, because it wouldn't really matter if they won or lost, it would just keep the RIAA off their backs.
How do people find bands/musicians to like? It's about accessing their ears and engaging their minds, libidos, and/or lifestyles. Releasing a cd is neither necessary nor sufficient for the engagement. Your friend needs fans. Your friend needs to distribute her best songs so that people will hear them and will show up at a nearby show. Your friend needs to book the shows, do advance work with press and radio and people/fans who will publicize the show and bring out a draw, load up a van and do the shows, put together and execute a show that kills and is unique (whether there's five or a thousand in the room), hang around after the show and make contact with any one who discovered your friend's music that night and let them know she appreciates the support.
And the thing is, that still might not work!
But the questions, as she develops her business model, are: what are her goals, how much will she give and how much is she willing to forsake. Staying in the game is the best approach to gaining opportunities.
One other comment, people trade her mp3s but don't go to the shows and buy the cd. So why no connection? Are they the wrong audience (and so they weren't going to buy the cd any way) or are they paying attention but still haven't heard "it" yet? There will always be people who want to take, and the real fans give. Go develop real fans. Indifference is the real career-killer. Someone listened -- a start was made.
As opposed to Kazaa, AG allows an artist to have a link to buy the cd next to the songs.
I've bought several CD's that way, your friend should look into it.
I have to say that I'm sad about it. Even with the spyware (easily removed with certain utilities, though odious in principle), Audiogalaxy was my favorite file sharing service. The widest and deepest variety of songs could be found on Audiogalaxy -- both new bands and old bands that I had always wanted to hear. I could never find non-mainstream bands like Tear It Up, Scarlet's Well, Jellyroll Rockheads, and the Eastside Suicides (if you've never heard of these bands, that's my point) on services like Kazaa and Morpheus, but Audiogalaxy had nearly everything. And maybe this sounds like a cliche at this point, but, speaking as a music fan, when I find an MP3 that I like, my next step is almost always to purchase the record.
If Audiogalaxy is shut down, the net result will probably be that I and many other music fans will buy less, not more. Not that the major record labels will mind, because I stopped buying their dreck a long time ago.
I've been fearing this day for a long time now. I never used Napster or Kaazaa or any of those other tools. I've always used Audiogalaxy. The Linux version of Satelite has no spyware and the AG service was great for finding really rare stuff. My wife and I have about 16gigs of mp3s. We own about 80% of that music. The rest is all rare and hard to find stuff. When my wife got into anime music, which can only be found at certain stores around here and then only as expensive imports, she found a ton of it on AG. It opened up a whole new world of music and, guess what, prompted us to purchase several of those expensive imports that we wouldn't have even thought about getting before we heard anything from it. When I got nostalgic for my punk rock days I looked up all the old bands that I used to listen to, great bands that never hit the bigtime by any stretch of the imagination, like Crimpshrine and J-Church. They were all there. You cannot get this stuff legfitimately anymore.
Now, because of a bunch of faulty assumtions and greed on the RIAA's part, that's going to go away. I had thought AG might have been able to stay below the RIAA's radar, but apparently not. Today is a really pissy day for me.
I just visited the website. Something I don't understand. I did not find any content belonging to the RIAA & Co. There appears to be no peer to peer theft of RIAA controlled content. All I could find was Indi labels with samples and links to buy the content. Just what exactly is it the RIAA is suing over? Are they just making noise because someone decided to produce content and not include them? Are these bands that they rejected. Do these bands have contracts with RIAA to only sell to them? I'll have to see if I can find the details of the lawsuit. I would think most courts would toss this one out.
The truth shall set you free!
This is sad news indeed.
In my opinion AugioGalaxy is better than Napster ever was.
I guess it's time to stock up on felt tip markers.
I'm still trying to figure out why the judge didn't get mad and toss the napster suit after all BMG one of the plaintiffs owns Napster the defendent - which is almost exactly like suing yourself.
here
Spyware free version of AG:
http://spywarefreeag.ods.org/agsatellite/
Audiogalaxy.com... was taken to court today by songwriters, music publishers, and the recording industry
Oh my god! The songwriters are going after them too!
I used to think the files sharing services were the goodguys who were only being attacked by evil recording and publishing industries.
The lawsuit was filed in federal court in New York on Friday by the Recording Industry of America (RIAA), on behalf of its member labels, and the National Music Publishers Association, Inc. (NMPA)
Oh wait, nevermind. The reporter was was using a bit of "creative licence" to emphasize his point that filesharers are EVIL PIRATES. It really is only big industry behind this lawsuit.
-
- - You can't take something off the Internet! That's like trying to take pee out of a swimming pool.
It'll be great if the RIAA pisses off the artists enough that they no-longer want anything to do with them, the only problem is that the artists are bound by a quite restrictive contract which probably forbids them from ever leaving that label. So unfortunately the artists are stuck in the middle, they are being shit upon by the RIAA/labels, and there's nothing the artists can do about it.
As for labels breaking away from the RIAA, impossible, the labels are the RIAA, they're the ones orchestrating this whole mess, so they're too busy rolling in the cash like the pigs they are to care about what ANYBODY thinks.
Where did you get the idea that he wouldn't like it? His post clearly states that he LIKES BUYING MUSIC OVER THE INTERNET
HE LIKES IT
Did he say something about this guy not liking the RIAA that i can't see?
... that the RIAA is out of touch with technology: They can't seem to come up with a hypertext version of their press release. It only exists as PDF, a format intended for dead trees.
Anyone have good links? Because I'd be VERY interested to see what happens.
/.'d before, but it's worth a mention again.
While I understand that books are not the same, the whole think smacks of Harlan Ellison and Baen Books.
Harlan Ellison is totally against people sharing ebooks. He started "KICK", which has basically zero support.
Baen Books have embraced the internet. Snippets, the bar (forums/newsgroups), websubscriptions, the free library and indeed D20 RPG's in several authors worlds which will be released with the next books in the series, on CD.
It is interesting to read the comments - Prime Palaver - in the Baen free library, by Eric Flint.
It's here - http://www.baen.com/library/
I know it's been
Certainly it helps the smaller artists more than the larger ones, but the RIAA REALLY needs to take a close look at what it is. If it's truly there to support it's artists, it needs to stop chasing after things for which there is NO real evidence that the industry is coming to harm, and start doing REAL work.
But that, of course, would maybe cost the top artists some small percentage of their income. And we couldn't have that, COULD WE. I'm pleased I don't live in America.
For reference, I don't download music I don't own. I do have some ebooks I don't otherwise own. Books I have tried, unsuccessfully, to BUY for in many cases YEARS. I have a good business (with others) buying and selling scifi books on ebay, but some books you plain can't get. I'm willing to commit a crime - until I *do* manage to get them. (These are books from the 60's and 70's)
Audio Galaxy has already a big anti-piracy system going, but there are quite a good deal of methods of getting around it.
Unlike Napster, however, they already have paying customers for legal MP3s of bands that sell their mp3s on there etc.
Basically they gave crappy service to those who didn't pay so... There might be paying people, but I'm not sure.
They feature allot of bands who do post MP3s on the site as well as a few that have the option of buying the CD.
I just wish Limewire would work better for MP3s
I just deselected the spyware and it installed happily without it, I hardly see why including it for those that don't mind it means they deserve to be skewered by the RIAA. It's been a great service, I'll be very sorry to see it go.
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
Friends don't let friends enable ecmascript.
I thought what is now called, AudioGalaxy used to be "BorgSearch."
Or was there a merger, of sorts?
--Logan
I have not listened to the radio for over 2 years now! Why listen to crap when you can control what your ears here through CD's (practically every car comes with a CD player now a days - except for those roller skates, you know chevy metro, etc).....When is the fucking RIAA going to learn that not ALL of the music that is out there is THEIRS! For Christs sake, what about the 75% of the stuff that AG hosts that ISN'T owned by the RIAA cartel.....Fuckers....
There is already an OpenSource client:n ag/ )
OpenAG ( http://homepage.mac.com/macdomeeu/dev/current/ope
From the mainpage:
" The project currently consists of a command line application capable of nearly all features of the proprietary Audiogalaxy client, a nice OS X aqua interface, and a full protocol v520L documentation in HTML format. A library adaptation of the OpenAG engine is in testing and a server version of OpenAG is pending. A windows port of the OpenAG engine is also planned. "
Some OpenAG server - that would be cool. I'm currently using this client since a few days w/o any problems. Together with agqt ( agqt.sourceforge.net ) it's easy to get complete albums via freedb. Since the protocol specs are now "open", there are similar projects on freshmeat such as a java/swing client ( http://freshmeat.net/projects/agranger/ ) and another commandline one ( http://iiqcukxmszddeuqm.sess.tty0.org/page/fags/ )
I used it back in like 99 (?) when it was still just soley a FTP search engine. Of course once Napster came out then I no longer went back.
Tell you what, you provide the servers and I'll write the software, and even make it better than AudioGalaxy!
IOW: I don't really think that it's their closed source attitude that hinders alternative services...
... Is that at least one of them (Universal) has been placing "decoy" mp3's of new releases on that system. It's the only one they target in this way. By "decoy", I mean that the songs are named the right way and they are the approximate size you would expect the file to be, but when you play the songs it's just the chorus or some other portion of the song infinitely looping. I noticed this on specifically Interscope / A&M releases (No Doubt, Sheryl Crow, Vanessa Carlton.) Interesting. Makes me wonder if they did this in hopes of tracking how many people took the bait so they could go back and sue AG with all this "proof" they have. When they say they base this suit on the successful downloading of 416 songs, I wonder how many of those were the actual versions they were attempting to get.
I tend to think that AG is bottom of the barrel as far as accuracy goes. More often than not you'll get something completely different than you were looking for. There are *much* worse offenders out there, FTP being among them. Bottom line is it's like saying you'll stop air from being available because way too many people are breathing it for free. Even if AG is knocked out, what next? Shut down the entire internet?
ad
Because I can! [Brainrub.com]
If Audiogalaxy had the resources, I think they would have a way to fight this.
While there certainly has been piracy that has taken
place on the AG network, for the past year they
have been blocking ALOT of stuff. Type in any
artist that the RIAA listed on their case
document as being infringed and you will be
greeted with pages of red X's that block downloading.
While there have been from time to time ways to
circumvent that, they have usually been found and
stopped.
And Audiogalaxy has never been about just getting
the file. As long as I can remember (I started using it in early 2000, when there were something
like 1500 ppl using the satellite) there has always been a significant amount of articles featuring small and indie bands on non-riaa labels. In addition, the user groups have been
a great place to share music tastes, even if you
dont trade any files. Napster pretty clearly
was always just about getting the file. AG has
put significant effort into providing alot of
extra value (gotta love all the rants on the bulletin board after a particularly vitriolic will sheff column).
Audiogalaxy is still the best (IMO) place to find
rare and bootleg copies of songs (which, I believe,
the RIAA does not own the rights to, correct?).
In fact I don't even try to download new or popular
music from AG anymore because it does take too
long to find (if possible at all) the "real" songs.
What the judge probably won't understand, is that
it is nearly impossible to truly filter digital content on the kind of scale that is happening now. If a user renames a file, a system has no way
of knowing what it was originally, unless by comparing the file to every file it has that it knows is a copyrighted song. And if a user re-encodes a file, normalizes it, or anything of that nature, then the system is out as well. A
text based filter is the only real option.
If Audiogalaxy had 100,000 employees, all extremely knowledgeable about music, they MIGHT
be able to block songs on the scale the RIAA wants. The fact the filter works as well as it does is a testament to the "first-year programmers" working there.
I just finished skimming the court case. While
raising some potentially valid points about AG's
operation a year ago, it is almost untruthful on several points.
So if AG has the resources to fight this (I wonder
if they can, I haven't heard of any high-profile
law firms taking up their case), there seem to be
at least three arguments against some of the points raised by the court case:
A) AG provides significant value besides piracy. (reviews, user groups, message boards)
B) AG shares much much more than RIAA-copyrighted works. (bootlegs, live recordings, non-riaa-label-artist's songs)
C) The do provide realistically effective blocking.
But the saddest part of this whole sordid affair is that no one company can stand up to a gorilla like the RIAA. And even when you do stand up to them, the judge won't understand the issues before them.
Like AG or not, I believe they were the first p2p file sharing app to actually try to do more than just share files. And the files that I usually got from them were from bands that couldn't afford to produce CDs. And maybe thats exactly why the RIAA is suing them.
-- Microsoft is the best becau[INVALID PAGE FAULT IN MODULE Signature.exe AT ADDRESS 0x4353]
I think the RIAA should sue Al Gore for creating the internet (sic)! The interent enables all of us to pirate all of the RIAA's great IP assets! What would be really funny is when Al Gore lost and then went on bitching and suing people for 2 months swearing that he won and they just counted incorrectly.
Prevent linux based DDOS's!
http://linux.denialofservice.org/