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RIAA Trying to Copy-Protect Radio
doctorfaustus writes "The EFF is reporting that "the RIAA has been pushing the FCC to impose a copy-protection mandate on the makers of next-generation digital radio receiver/recorders (think TiVo-for-radio)." According to Mike Godwin, "Never mind that digital audio broadcasting is not significantly greater in quality than regular, analog radio. Never mind that its music quality is vastly less than than that of audio CDs. In spite of these inconvenient facts, the RIAA is hoping that the transition to "digital audio broadcasting" will provide enough confusion and panic that they can persuade Congress or the FCC to impose some kind of copy-protection scheme or regulation on digital radio broadcast." "
iBiquity is the company that created and licenses the HD Radio technology and they say that it is CD quality. I would not expect the broadcasters to be that interested in spending millions of dollars to roll out something that sounds equivalent to what they have now.
Well, yes, but those fair use priveleges exist by statute. (And they are privileges, not "rights".) Hence, the RIAA wants the statutes changed.
If you don't know where you are going, you will wind up somewhere else.
Somewhat off topic, but you should always have a radio (battery or hand crank charge...) in your home for emergency information.
WRONG!...not about the viability of radio...bad programming still equates to no listeners, but about "Let the DRM everything valuable to them."
The law states that we can record radio/tv broadcasts. Quietly acquiescing to mandate DRM (even on a media that doesn't interest you personally) effective repeals fair use law and restricts your rights. This is a very bad precedent to allow.
Dave
No punk on the radio?!
what about Greenday, No Doubt, and Avril Lavigne?
If your examples pass as proof for punk, metal is still on the radio thanks to artists like Pat Boone.
"You know those annoying radio ads where two people yabber back and forth...I made a shedload of those". Hey, maybe I made some of those ads for you. I worked in radio for a while at a VERY big
station, and I even won a few Sony and RAP awards. I'll tell you the truth about Digital Radio. It's dead. It was stillborn in 2002. I know because I made the launch packages for some of the early big DAB stations, and every single one of them died within a few months. (ok maybe it was my production, but somehow I doubt it). The fact is there are no listeners. Penetration of DAB radios in the european market is less than 1 percent.
Whatever the RIAA wants to do abut DAB in America I would ignore it, they are talking about dead technology.
I disagree. My 'punk' roots came from music that triggered a feeling of understanding in the listener. I prefer a live sound over a meticulously mastered sound, and I have little attraction to the solid chord arrangements of pop music.
My real love is the post-hardcore Indie sound. Hard edged guitars, lyrics that I connect with, intense dynamics from the drums and a bass line that mimics free vocals, not melodies.
Radio punk has a huge audience and I'm fine with it. Subculture always attracts mainstream marketing departments and I'm fine with that, too.
I just don't find myself in tune with Chicago and Milwaukee's radio schedules. I've burned my own comps since CD-R drives were nearly $500. My time has always been valuable but my comfort level in the car is worth much more.
I don't hate major labels, radio stations and MTV; they appeal to the broadest audience and they should.
When the RIAA makes life harder for the broad audience, that audience will go elsewhere.
Sure, cracking DRM is initially difficult for non-tech masses, but the competition between various crackers to be #1 leads to better products that are easier to use for the masses.
In the short run, life gets harder with laws and regulations. In the long run, the free market gives us everything back that we want, regardless of controls or rules.
Information wants to be free, correct? Free as in market!
Fair use says I can copy it for research.
Actually, it doesn't. It says that fair use is not an infringement of copyright. The purpose of the fair use is not especially important; the list provided is illustrative of what some fair uses might be, but nothing says that they're invariably fair. You see, you aren't parsing the statute closely enough. Looking at it selectively doesn't help either.
In order to determine whether a use is fair or not you need to look at the four factor test in 107. It comes just after the bit you quoted.
-- This and all my posts are in the public domain. I am a lawyer. I am not your lawyer, and this is not legal advice.
There have been court decisions upholding sections of sections 107 - 118 in the context of home recordings of broadcasted programs.
Really? I'd be impressed to see a 117 case, for example, that dealt with "home recordings of broadcasted programs." Got a cite for that one?
Incidentally, the Sony case does not say what you think it does. Essentially, Sony says that it can be a fair use. It doesn't say that it is always fair. This is to be expected, as fair use is not a blanket proposition; what is a fair use for one person might not be for another, despite the use being the same.
-- This and all my posts are in the public domain. I am a lawyer. I am not your lawyer, and this is not legal advice.
If you go back a few more years, you will discover that at the dawn of CD's ($17), a Record (remember those) only cost around $7. The $17 CD was 'supposed' to come down as more plants went on line. They didn't. These extra dollars just went into record company pockets when more plants came online in the mid 80's. Let's see $7-$10 extra per CD, per billion per year, times almost 20 years... ...Yup. I understand why RIAA is protecting ecessive profits... ...errr music rights now.
You don't see the difference between the Dead Kennedys and Blink 182? Black Flag and Avril Lavigne? Propagandhi and Sum 41?
Are you deaf?
Well, not in the UK. Digital Audio Broadcast (aka digital radio) has much better quality than FM - and that's assuming you can get good FM reception, which is rare here.
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