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Gaiman on MP3 Audio Books, Mirrormask
A reader writes: "It appears that Neil Gaiman released two of his books (Anansi Boys and American Gods) as books on CD. The interesting twist is that they are being released as MP3 - which for the world of audio books is something pretty new. ". Indeed; MP3 audio books, I think, have given the book publishers the willies because of the DRM issue - anyone else seen this before? And also worth noting that Mirrormask was released in motion picture form and rocks. I think to describe it would be equal parts The Dark Crystal and Myst, combine with Carnivale and a dash of The City of Lost Children.
What's it like to grow up with a name like Gaiman?
It's got to be rough.
Anyone else wondering exactly how you market Mirrormask brand gravel?
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Having just reread American Gods, let me just say that I totally forgot what a superb author Gaiman is. I highly recommend this book -- I bought it, on a whim, on the recommendation of a shouting crazy guy in a bookstore. It was a good choice!
And I commend him for this mp3 thing. I think that a night or two ago I switched sides on the DRM issue. I was on the fence -- it seems like it's hard to do anything but let the digital world happen, but, you know, hopefully (RIAA greed aside) people should be able to get money for their work.
But last night, I found myself curled up with comfy blankets, half a bottle of rum, a DVD, and this beautiful, brilliant, and generally amazing girl I had recently met. This was a new DVD she had brought over, bought straight from a store. I put it in my computer, tried to play it, and saw a message about failed authentication. None of my players worked. They all said that the DVD could not be played because of DRM. One player asked me to go and send a long page of identifying information before watching the DVD.
We never got to watch the DVD. We found an appropriate replacement among my pirated movies and the night was salvaged. But I think that may have marked my "Fuck the MPAA" turning point. Suddenly I sympathize with the "fuck off and don't tell me what to do with my data" contingent.
So I wholeheartedly approve of Neil's mp3 release, even if I don't know how it will work as a business model given rampant piracy. But keep the MPAA, the RIAA, and Mr. Gaiman out of my pants.
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