Technical Glitches Plague BuyMusic.com

An anonymous reader submits: "Despite its much larger target market, BuyMusic.com does not seem to be the runaway success that Apple's iTunes Music Store was. USA Today is reporting that customers have experienced technical glitches that prevent them from playing their purchases. Another customer reports that the BuyMusic tech support does little more than say 'Sorry, but that's YOUR problem.' Finally, a musician whose music is for sale at BuyMusic questions the legality of BuyMusic's catalog." Scriptygoddess's account of her unhappy experience is mirrored here.

Comments

Re:What are they trying to prevent?

[Anonymous Coward]

Funny, but TRUE.

I just came back from a vacation, and I thought I was smart enough to bring a DVD player along (well, my XBOX, since I could watch movies and play games on that one machine), since I knew the hotel's TV would have at least a composite video jack in.

Plug it in, sit down, and... ...MACROVISION.

Yet another instance where I am attempting to play a legit product, and am stopped by "copy protection." I decided to fark the movie (and possibly return it out of spite) and just play KOTOR instead. :D

The funny thing was, if I had ripped the DVD and burned it to a DVD-R, I could've enjoyed the movie I PAID FOR, as I obviously couldn't with the original.

My record is on Buymusic.com :(

[teamhasnoi]

I just happened to see a post earlier on /. mentioning this. I happened to look up my old band, The Lovejoys (from Mpls,MN - all others on the net are newer fakes :P )

My record is on there It is also on CD NOW but that was during the contract and all cool with us. I don't have the contract (another member of the band has it) and I don't remember what it says. I haven't spoken to the other guys yet, but I'm pretty sure that contract ran out awhile ago.

Every song you buy off of buymusic.com is not paying the artists, that's for sure. And I don't know how Orchard could even have copies to sell, we sent it to them to distribute; they aren't manufacturers.

We payed for that record out of pocket, and still have a zillion. :( If you like the samples here, let me know and I'll get you a CD. We still have boxes of the album, since the band went down right after releasing it. Ah, the sad stories of Minneapolis...

My back and forth with BuyMusic technical support

[BensonLeung]

I wrote BuyMusic with my concerns with their service... specifically with the issue of upgrading my computer, and system failures. I figured they'd be willing to help in either case. Here was the back and forth.

My Email:

I am extremely hesitant to spend any money on your web site because of your policy on "primary" and "secondary" licenses. You state on your help page that the licenses that I associate with a computer CANNOT be transferred. Now we cannot kid ourselves that computers do not go outdated or break. I find myself getting a completely new machine every 2 or 3 years. What if I download some music onto my current machine, and, through no fault of mine, its hard drive is wiped... catastrophic data loss. The same goes for if I choose to replace my old computer. Can you assure me that I will still be able to use the music that I bought (and more importantly the license) on another computer? I back up all my data regularly, but what about my "primary" license? If you can assure me that I will not lose music in something as routine as buying a new computer, I will feel comfortable enough to spend money on your service.

Their Response:

Thank you for writing to us. We apologize for any confusion. Due to license restrictions, we are unable to allow for extra downloads in the event of a system upgrade or computer crash. We are also unable to assist if songs have been mistakenly deleted or files become corrupted. In addition, the encryption technology that we use is not intended to be compatible with system backup software. We sincerely apologize for any inconvenience.

Please note, however, that in all of the aforementioned cases you are free to download your music again if your license still has downloads available. To see if you still have downloads available, log into your BuyMusic.com 'My Account' and click on 'View My Downloads'.

Apple, on the other hand, has a form on their support page that specifically deals with cases where a computer goes down for the count, or where the user sells or formats the computer forgetting to deauthorize it.

http://www.info.apple.com/usen/musicstore/musicsto re.html?topic=computer_authorization

I'm really really surprised that BuyMusic put absolutely NO thought into what would happen if a user loses his computer, or decides its time to retire it. This is not some obscure issue that will never come up for most people. Upgrading one's computer is the one constant of using a PC, really! Its making very little sense to use this at all compared to going to a store and picking up the CD.

Re:It is your problem not ours...

[majorflaw]

Then again, there's the Apple Music Store model:
1. Design something whch works well;
2. Make a fair deal (with usually unfair people) and honor your agreement;
4. Treat those who use your service as valued customers and not like necessary evils;
5. Profit ?

Frankly if I were making decisions for Apple, I would seriously cosider *not* making a Windoze version of the Music Store. How long could it possibly take for M$ and the RIAA to agree to somethng obvious.

Re:What are they trying to prevent?

[Fishstick]

If you sneak into a movie theater and watch a movie without paying, have you committed theft? Piracy? No? (mebbe the theater can call the cops on you for trespassing?)

Clearly you have done something wrong. You have gotten something without paying the asked price. Do they charge too much? Are they ripping off the Actors by controlling distribution of their work? Maybe.

Does that give you the moral/legal right to not pay?

I don't think so. Downloading music instead of buying the CD seems about the same. You aren't stealing. You aren't even a pirate. You are consuming a commercial good/service without paying the asked price. (disclaimer: I have downloaded music without paying)

Occurs to me that this is more like peeking through the fence at the circus. You aren't going in and enjoying the show without paying, you aren't taking anything away from the circus owner since you probably wouldn't have paid anyway. You aren't even trespassing because you are on public property. But you are doing something wrong. You are getting something for free that the circus owner has spent money to put together to make a living from. He has a right to chase you away from the holes in the fence.