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Fighting Music Piracy with Glue

Posted by chrisd on from the morons-morons-morons dept.

Scott Granneman writes: "The New York Times (Free Blah-di-blah) is reporting that Epic Records, in an effort to prevent reviewers from creating mp3s or even playing the preview CD in anything they don't control, is not disseminating the new Pearl Jam and Tori Amos CDs inside Sony Walkman players that are glued shut. Oh yeah ... the headphones are glued to the players too, to prevent any authorized output. A low-tech answer to a high-tech issue."

21 of 590 comments (clear)

  1. From the article by alnapp · · Score: 5, Funny

    "I brought this discman home with me, and I found a way you could go in the back of the CD and, like, pop it open. So I got the actual disc out."

    So, they can't even use glue properly, its not wonder everything else has failed.

    --
    Get the EULA T-shirt
    1. Re:From the article by Virtex · · Score: 5, Funny

      Yes, it is a violation of the DMCA. It means that humans can now be declared as circumvention devices. In other words, being human is now illegal, and you can be thrown in jail for 20 years for it.

      If anyone asks, I'm not human. But I think my coworkers already knew that.

      --
      For every post, there is an equal and opposite re-post.
  2. Other ideas to ensure they're not distributed by Brento · · Score: 5, Funny

    Use those greeting cards that play a tune when you open them.

    Pay Tori to personally visit each reviewer with a guitar and play her songs.

    Distribute the songs in Ogg Vorbis format. (rimshot)

    --
    What's your damage, Heather?
    1. Re:Other ideas to ensure they're not distributed by jeremyp · · Score: 5, Funny

      Better idea: she uses a different instrument for each reviewer. That way, when a ripped off mp3 appears of her playing her new album accompanied by a trombone you can figure out which reviewer leaked the song.

      (Don't ask me how Tori Amos plays a trombone and sings at the same time - I'm an ideas man).

      --
      All I want is a secure system where it's easy to do anything I want. Is that too much to ask ~~ Randall Munroe
  3. Wow! by morie · · Score: 4, Funny

    I'm gonna start reviewing CD's. Can't make a living with my reviews, but sure can use the extra income from the unglued diskmans I sell.

    --
    Sig (appended to the end of comments I post, 54 chars)
  4. Re:Ed. by OrangeSpyderMan · · Score: 5, Funny

    No, no, you don't understand. All Slashdot [posts/drivels]* are [reviewed/skimmed over]* by a group of [editors/blind chimps]* before appearing on the site - so they're all [high quality/riddled with mistakes]*, and guaranteed to be [of interest/reposts]* by the time they reach your [desktop/wastepaper basket]*

    *Delete as applicable

    --
    Try NetBSD... safe,straightforward,useful.
  5. And of course the headphones... by leomekenkamp · · Score: 5, Funny

    ...would just have to be glued to your ears to prevent someone else from listening to it.

    --
    Wenn ist das Nunstueck git und Slotermeyer? Ja! Beiherhund das Oder die Flipperwaldt gersput.
  6. This idea should be taken to it's logical end ... by YeeHaW_Jelte · · Score: 5, Funny

    ... by glueing the earphones to the ears of the reviewers. Disposable reviewers will be needed, though.

    --

    ---
    "The chances of a demonic possession spreading are remote -- relax."
  7. Re:Wire cutting by mpe · · Score: 5, Funny

    I guess they must be assuming journalists are not engineers, as otherwise they could just cut the headphone wires and them connect them to their favourite input.

    Thus making wire cutters illegal under the DMCA :)

  8. Hammer = Copyright Circumvention Device = Banned by femto · · Score: 5, Funny

    So is hitting the walkman with a hammer an offence under the DMCA...?

  9. Re:Wire cutting by isorox · · Score: 5, Funny

    Thus making wire cutters illegal under the DMCA :)

    I always use my teeth to strim wires - are they illegal too?

  10. Re:Ed. by lyonsden · · Score: 4, Funny

    I thought it was apropos that the origional posting came from the morons-morons-morons department.

  11. Re:Bad Idea by Stephen+VanDahm · · Score: 5, Funny

    "Put it on something that can't be digitally extracted."

    8-tracks, baby!

  12. The future of music reviewing... by Cl1mh4224rd · · Score: 4, Funny

    "In an effort to prevent reviewers from creating MP3s or even playing the preview CD in anything they don't control, music labels are now disseminating a prewritten review of the CD, along with a bill for $17.99."

    --
    People will pass up steak once a week, for crap every day.
  13. Gravity by LinuxGeek · · Score: 5, Funny

    In this case, I'm sure that a decent lawyer could successfully argue that gravity could be used to circumvent the 'glue lock'. My reading of the DMCA text leads me to think that any device or method used for circumvention is illegal. Dropping the unit would be a method. Hmm, guilty of dropping the unit? Then jail time for you. I would not want to accept such a liability for a simple review.

    --

    Kindness is the language which the deaf can hear and the blind can see. - Mark Twain
  14. Been done before by spakka · · Score: 5, Funny

    I noticed that certain pages in my friend's twat magazines were glued together, presumably to prevent unauthorised copying.

  15. The latest in IP circumvention by spongman · · Score: 4, Funny
    wire-stippers.

    what is the world coming to?

  16. Re:Not the first time this has been done. by turgid · · Score: 4, Funny

    Kid A was sent out encrypted? Ah, that explains it then.

    --
    Stick Men
  17. When I said they could stick their CDs, by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    ... they obviously misunderstood.

  18. Why just cut the wires? by alispguru · · Score: 5, Funny

    1. Open player with your favorite screwdriver/utility knife.

    2. Remove CD. Rip, mix, burn.

    3. Replace CD in player.

    4. Back over player and headphones with your car.

    5. Return electronic crumbs to Epic Records in plastic bag, claiming you "dropped it".

    Problem solved...

    --

    To a Lisp hacker, XML is S-expressions in drag.
  19. Has nothing to do with copy protection by nhavar · · Score: 4, Funny

    It's pearl jam and tori amos, the record companies are just admitting that with a walkman that's as good as it's ever going to sound. Plus they're sending a nice little signal that if you listen to such music don't bother the people around you with it (use headphones). :)

    --
    "Do not be swept up in the momentum of mediocrity." - anon