Windows Media Player 11 and Urge

j0e_average writes "The Washington Post is running a review of Microsoft's next version of Media Player, and its integration with MTV's new music service Urge. According to reviewer, Rob Pegoraro, 'Not only does this new, Windows XP-only software promote Urge to the exclusion of other retailers, you can't shop at this store-- or even just play your Urge downloads -- in any earlier version of Windows Media Player.' The Microsoft/Urge subscription model contains a new twist as well: 'Urge also lets you rent songs: $9.95 a month (or $99 a year) lets you download all the tracks you want to a computer, while $14.95 ($149 a year) lets you transfer those downloads to most newer Windows Media-compatible players. These rented songs can't be burned to CD and go silent if you stop paying the fees.'"

Comments

i bet

[bensafrickingenius]

"These rented songs can't be burned to CD and go silent if you stop paying the fees"

Oh reeeeely? We'll see.

Re:i bet

[Kamineko]

Shhh! Don't tell anybody, but there's these holes, right, at the back of the computer, yeah?

Audio comes -out- of one, right? Goes to your speakers.

Well, our informants in the underground scene have reported that you can use an top-of-the-line, cracker-produced, DRM-busting hyper-cable, and subtley 're-direct' the flow of audio, into an 'audio recording device'. Or, more ingeniously, back into the computer, and into an 'audio recording application'.

Mum's the word.

Re:i bet

[Joel from Sydney]

It's true -- I just signed up and purchased some John Cage tracks, and they've all gone silent!

Re:i bet

[Basehart]

"Go to Radio Shack and run a patch cord from your soundcard to the soundcard of your friends computer."

Screw friends, just hook the audio out to the audio in on your own computer!

Re:i bet

[andreyw]

I second this. I, in fact, did this very same thing to get rid of some DRM. Yes, I recorded with an insane sampling rate, and I encoded at a pretty high rate.. and honestly? It sounds good enough. Was it worth it? Hard to say. I hate that tune now and I can't stand listening to it anymore. Can you do it? Yes.

Re:i bet

[Jugalator]

I purchased some new pop music and it went silent too.
Then I touched my ears, and they were both bleeding... :-(

Re:i bet

[Colz Grigor]

Hey now! Careful with suggestions like that, before they start claiming that Audacity is illegal because it can be used to circumvent security!

::Colz Grigor

Re:i bet

[BecomingLumberg]

run a patch cord from your soundcard to the soundcard of your friends computer.

Actually, MS will be requiring you to use HDCP for this too, via a HDMI connection. If you do not have a secure digital connection, fear not: you will be able to hear the kazoo rendition just fine.

Tish Tosh

[Anonymous Coward]

Is there someway we can apply this technology to all of John Tish's music and then not pay the fee?

Ooh! Ooh! DRM! Yay!

[Limburgher]

Where do I sign up?

Not.

Huh?

[Anonymous Coward]

People still pay attention to MTV?

Should be called "Purge"

[myth_of_sisyphus]

As in, I stopped paying my bill, and now all my music is "purged" from my computer.

Yo!MTV Craps

[ystar]

I have the URGE to avoid this.

Re:Oops! Someone Didn't Proofread (bad Enter key)

[w9ofa]

someonoe

Not only do I declare you a grammar Nazi, I also declare you a spelling Frenchman.

psh..

[zx-15]

Microsoft imposing its own proprietary standards using dominant position in OS market... Such a cliche

Re:Ooh! Ooh! DRM! Yay!

[foundme]

Not.

Yes very funny, you don't know how many bottles of champagne were popped and subsequently wasted because of your delayed 'Not' comment.

wonderful

[krotkruton]

This sounds exactly like something I, a 22 year old CS major, would love. I mean, being a CS major, I love Microsoft, and who in the right mind doesn't want to have all sorts of restrictions put on their music? Combine that with MusicTV, who is just so popular with everyone over the age of 13, and you've got a recipe for for some great sales. I can't wait to get episodes of Yo' Mamma for a monthly fee. I'm not sure why everyone else is talking about music or competing with iTunes since MTV hasn't played any music in years, but at least we can look forward to Date My Mom on our computers.

NO

[Anonymous Coward]

You're just a freeloading parasite.

We have you surrounded

[acidrain69]

This is the RIAA.

You are in violation of the Digital Millenium Copyright Act. Come out with your hands up, bend over, this won't hurt a bit.

What's in a name

[Anonymous Coward]

Sony Wii
Microsoft Urge

Products to write your name in the snow.

Coincidentally

[OldManAndTheC]

Oddly enough, "purge" is what I did to my stomach contents when I read about this story about Windows Media Player 11...

Re:When I hear the name 'Urge', I think of...

[lxs]

Interesting. When I hear "Urge", I think of someone badly needing to use the toilet.

Re:Not so much...

[MSZ]

None of the aformentioned technologies were designed with the end-user in mind. ...said Capt Obvious.

This is business. The point of the business is to extract the money from the customers. MS demonstrates understanding of this principle very clearly.

Everything - and I mean EVERYTHING - has some sort of incompatible, misconfigured, hard-to-use "Rights Management" software/encryption/whatever.

It works for the owners(*). Your opinion is not important here, as you're the sucker here, not anyone important(**).

Here is what I want. [lunatic ravings cut for brevity]

And I want a pony.
The point being, I'll sooner have dozen ponies and ninja pirate robot monkeys to guard them than you'll have media corps even considering scheme similar to yours...

(* owners = owners of Imaginary Property rights, not you, obviously).
(** from the POV of the promoters of this crap)