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Cringely Tries Snapster 2.0
Fungii writes "Following up from this story last week, here is an update on Cringely's site about the snapster idea. He writes about some of the more interesting reader responses to the idea. Raises some interesting questions."
He lost it a long time ago.
And what about the people whose job it is to make those radio copies? Do you feel okay screwing them in the ass?
It's not like bleeps grow on trees, you know. Either the artist has to produce a second version of the song, which requires time that they could be using to produce another song (and thereby generate more revenue if it doesn't suck), or some underpaid smuck at the record company has to do it. As you no-doubt know, it's not just a matter of listening through the song and hitting a button whenever you hear something naughty: a censor has to decide whether to replace "fuck" with a whip sound or silence; bring the artist back into the studio to record them saying "frig"; or in a worst-case scenario audition and hire a voice-double if the artist is too expensive or not available. Doing this without completely ruining the song requires creativity ability.
Don't forget the exhorbant costs to the record company from producing a second CD. First they have to pay someone to design packaging that clearly and attractively expresses the nature of the album. Then they have the logistical cost of distributing it, with a significant danger of getting confused and accidentally sending the PA copies to Walmart. Finally there is the lost revenue from kids returning their grandmother's mistaken purchase and simple brand confusion from having two nearly identical items.
Thinking that you deserve access to the edited copy of a recording is like walking into a store and stealing the latest Merriam-Webster dictionary on CD because you own the 1913 copy.