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Would You Rent a Song For a Dime?
An anonymous reader writes "What's worse than a padlocking every song so that they will only play on certain devices? How about selling (renting) you songs that work on no devices? Astonishingly, this is what the music industry thinks we need. Warner Music is spending $20 million to back Lala, a startup devising a service to convince people to 'buy' 'web songs' for 10 cents each; these are then kept for safekeeping only by Lala with no download privileges. Industry insider Michael Robertson leaks the facts on this scheme, along with a seekrit URL so you can try it out."
The website clearly says "Get MP3s for your iPod". Is the submission incorrect, or is there a catch to said MP3s? Because the submission clearly states that anything from Lala won't play on any devices. That was the whole point of posting this here for people to be outraged, I imagine.
The twitter monologues. Click on my homepage and be amazed.
Click here
Unlimited free music with links to purchase it if you want. 100% legal. 100% major labels. Tons of obscure stuff too.
NewslilySocial News. No lolcats allowed.
It's not that people won't pay for music, most people would happily pay for high quality DRM free music, but they don't want to offer that. They'd rather come up with stupid schemes like this. This crap isn't worth a dime when I can get the same songs for free in a much more friendly format.
I thought I had heard of Lala before.
Sure enough, Lala started as a physical CD trading website. I remember reading about this and wondered what I was missing about their business model.
Judging from this, I don't think they knew either.
Momentarily, the need for the construction of new light will no longer exist.
it looks like they are offering the songs in MP3 format for 89Â... I'm not sure, but I think the summary isn't giving the full picture.
http://next.lala.com/api/AutoComplete/songAutoComplete?prefix=bt
Pass URL encoded downloadToken to:
http://next.lala.com/api/Player/getTrackUrls?flash=true&webSrc=lala&widgetId=LalaHeadlessPlayer&T=
url gives you the mp3 url, it's not a full mp3, sounds backwards, but it's a start to downloading from them.
From my experience using Audacity (for non-commercial music that I didn't want to hunt to download, so you can back off RIAA inquisitors), if you save it in a lossless format there is little difference, but if you try to encode it as MP3 or OGG at any but the highest bitrates, the quality noticeably suffers.
Taxation is legalized theft, no more, no less.
I'd gladly give the artist 10 cents, but the recording execs won't get one penny out of me and mine.
Heck, most of my CDs I've bought from the artists themselves, knowing they tend to get HALF the money I give them, as opposed to buying through a label that gives them less than 2 cents for a CD.
-- Tigger warning: This post may contain tiggers! --
No, you can't download anything from this service nor last.fm or pandora, however as with all analoge streams you can rip them using hardware or you can rip them using Audacity or a similar program.
Taxation is legalized theft, no more, no less.
From the site:
You can buy DRM-free MP3s for your iPod or other portable device for just 79 more
You are being MICROattacked, from various angles, in a SOFT manner.
I really should preview. >_<
#!/usr/bin/env python
# encoding: utf-8
import urllib
import re
def get(url):
return urllib.urlopen(url).read()
def getMusic(query):
encoded = query.replace(" ", "%20")
feedURL = "http://next.lala.com/api/AutoComplete/songAutoComplete?prefix=%s&webSrc=lala" % encoded
page = get(feedURL)
pattern = re.compile(r"\"playToken\": *\"([^\"]+)\"")
tokens = pattern.findall(page)
print "%i tokens found." % len(tokens)
for token in tokens:
url = "http://next.lala.com/api/Player/getTrackUrls?flash=true&webSrc=lala&widgetId=LalaHeadlessPlayer&T=" + token
fileURL, = re.findall(r"\"url\": *\"([^\"]+)\"", get(url))
print "Downloading %s" % token
output = open("%s.mp3" % token[:6], "w")
output.write(get(fileURL))
output.close()
def main():
getMusic("Chemical Brothers")
if __name__ == "__main__": main()
The 'Download Helper' extension for Firefox works just fine. The playback in VLC (on Kubuntu 8.04) was just peachy.
Down With Slashdot BETA!!! I've been around the corner and seen the oliphant; you can only abuse me from your perspecti
Short answer....no.
"Fiat S.p.A. (Fiat Group) is an Italian automobile manufacturer, engine manufacturer, financial and industrial group based in Turin, Northern Italy."
I think it really depends on how you listen to your music. A lot of people like to listen to a rolling window of the same 100 songs. It grows and changes over time, but you get hooked on a new band or a new album, and you want to hear that for a while. You pay 10 cents (or upload your own) and then you're set. This isn't for everyone, that's for sure.
Here's they way Lala works:
Person pays $0.10. They listen to the track once. If they want to listen to that track a second time, they pay $0.10 again. Third time? That's another $0.10. This isn't for everyone, that's for sure. You misspelled "anyone".
10 cents for a now double-encoded (generational loss) lossy recording? Consider, also, that this is probably illegal, or against the TOS -- may as well get a torrent of flacs instead.
Don't thank God, thank a doctor!
Looks like they're 64kbps mono mp3s. Not exactly something I'd want to keep and listen to over again, but fine for streaming.
Crap didn't test,
."-" . $ref->{data}->{songs}->{list}->[$req]->{title} . ".mp3";
replace the $filename line with
my $filename = $ref->{data}->{songs}->{list}->[$req]->{artist}
Once a song is added it is accessible from your "My Collection" area where it can be listened to an unlimited number of times.
So you can listen to it online as much as you want for $0.10, you just can't take it with you.$.10 rents you the song forever. It is NOT per use. It may not be for everyone, but at least we have a choice besides $.99. :lou
Irony is nerds not being able to spell.
The only irony here would be if the one nerd who understood the meaning of irony went to correct your use of the word but wasn't allowed to because of an ip ban caused by a flamewar he started over the correct definition of the word "irony". I think the word you were looking for is "reality".
Unless the guy who had posted the misspelling was named "SpellingMasterNerd" in which case it could be ironic.
I think YOU need to read the article, which says "Once a song is added it is accessible from your 'My Collection' area where it can be listened to an unlimited number of times." Regardless it's still a crappy concept.
I hope this makes it to the top.
Most of the information here is just plain wrong, I think Robertson is afraid of something. If you mostly listen online then instead of buying a song for 99 cents you can get it for 10 cents. If you really want to buy it you have to pay 79 cents more for a high quality DRM free MP3 copy.
So please, why is this so bad?
From the how it works page:
What does adding a web song to my collection mean?
When you add a web song to your collection, you're able to listen to it as many times as you'd like, from any computer. You can also create playlists with web songs.
How much does adding cost?
It costs 10 cents to add a web song to your collection. Plus, the first 50 web songs you add to your collection are free, so give it a try!
If you later decide that you also want to get the MP3, the 10 cents you paid for the web song will be applied towards that purchase.
What is the bitrate of a web song that I add to my collection?
We strive to maintain a streaming bitrate standard of 128 kbps for web songs added to your collection. As determined by the labels, some web songs you add to your collection may stream at a bitrate of 64 kbps. Songs that you upload will generally stream at the bitrate at which they were ripped.
How do I listen to the web songs I've added to my collection on a portable device?
To listen to web songs you've added to your collection on an iPod or other portable device, you can download the MP3 file for an additional charge. The 10 cents you've already invested toward this purchase will be deducted from the final MP3 price.
I know you probably posted this before the AC, but scroll up. An AC wrote you a perl script to do it
10 cents is to listen to it an unlimited number of times. If you already own the song, upload it and listen to it for free as well, it costs you nothing. The only time you pay for the song is when you don't already own it and when you want to listen to it more than once.
The first listen is free.
If you want to download a 256kbps VBR MP3, that's an option too. If you want to buy the CD, that's also available.
Before we dig into the viability of such a service, consider a similar service that already exists. Surely you've heard of jukeboxes. They have them in diners and bars near you, I'm sure. I think most offer a small number of songs for a number of pennies each (three for a quarter, or whatever). You plunk in your change, pick from the limited list, wait for your turn in the queue, listen eventually to your song, and move on. Repeat as desired.
Moving on from whether or not the service may be viable, if YOU read the article, you'll see that you were wrong in your understanding of how it works.
The article at the first link says "For just 10 cents you'll be able to select a song to add to your Music Locker to play whenever you like." (I copied and pasted between the quotes...) Not per listen, as you suggest, but per song. In case you don't want to scour the whole article, it's the second sentence in the first paragraph...
If you follow the seekrit link and look at the "how it works," (link at the bottom) you'll see that in fact you can actually listen to any song for free, once (first question), not dropping the dime to see if you like the song. It also confirms that for your thin dime, you add the song to your list to listen to again any time you want (second question). Additionally, if you want to download the song to another device (iPod, for example), that dime counts towards the purchase of that song.
That all seems better than a diner jukebox to me.
This will work for some, if not many.
End the FUD
On their "How It Works" page, they do mention that they offer DRM-free MP3s "for your iPod or other portable device" for $0.89. (Well, "79Â more"...)
Another non-functioning site was "uncertainty.microsoft.com."
The purpose of that site was not known.
You make a good point and made me realize why I never bought any music downloads. Basically, I'm completely turned off by the DRM approach offered by the major outlets. Why waste my money? I'm not that organized with my files-some are here and some are there so if it's DRM'd I can guarantee it won't run when I want it.
If they would just break down and sell it all without DRM I might consider it. IF it was cheaper. My feeling is that they've always been too expensive - MP3 files at $0.99 cost almost as much as a CD. CD's are DRM-free, lossless and easily ripped anytime you want to any device at any bitrate. Sell downloads for a dime. At $0.10 it becomes an impulse buy.
I'd download all day and twice on sunday at $0.10/track. They need to adapt to the reality that mp3's are practically free and leverage really cheap downloads with advertising. They might even sell some CD's.
I have mod points. The reign of terror begins now.
I don't think Michael Robertson has a shred of legitimacy.
First, I KEEP trying to get off his spam list for Michael's Minutes, and Linspire. Do they ever remove my name? NOOO
What can I do to get these unrepentant spammers off my back? Does anyone have any ideas?
(second, he sold out to MS, a whole other problem)
Here's a fixed one that uses utf-8:
/n/) { /p/) { /\d+/ or $req < 0 or $req > $num) { ."-" . $ref->{data}->{songs}->{list}->[$req]->{title} . ".mp3";
#!/usr/bin/perl
use strict;
use LWP::Simple;
use Data::Dumper;
use JSON;
$|=1;
die "$0 <search param>" unless $ARGV[0];
my $ref;
my $offset;
my $req;
while(1) {
$req = "";
my $root_url = "http://next.lala.com/api/SearchUtils/search/v19.110.0-24?Q=$ARGV[0]&sortKey=relevance&sortDir=desc&Nb=100&Sk=$offset&webSrc=lala";
my $content = get $root_url;
$content =~ s/new Date\((\d+)\)/$1/g;
$ref = from_json($content, {utf8 => 1});
my $num = 0;
foreach (@{$ref->{data}->{songs}->{list}}) {
next if $_->{playType} eq "Sample";
print "$num : $_->{artist} - $_->{title}\n";
$num++;
}
print "Download which? > ";
chomp($req = <STDIN>);
if ($req =~
$offset+=100;
next;
}
if ($req =~
$offset-=100;
$offset=0 if $offset<0;
next;
}
if ($req !~
print "Invalid!\n";
next;
}
last;
}
my $download_url = "http://next.lala.com/api/Player/getTrackUrls?flash=true&webSrc=lala&widgetId=LalaHeadlessPlayer&T=" . $ref->{data}->{songs}->{list}->[$req]->{playToken};
my $play_url = get $download_url;
my $play_ref = from_json($play_url);
my $download_link = $play_ref->{data}->[0]->{url};
print "Getting: $download_link\n";
my $filename = $ref->{data}->{songs}->{list}->[$req]->{artist}
print "Downloading to $filename\n";
system("curl -o '$filename' $download_link");
What you want is last.fm -- you can listen to any song up to 3 times a day for free. Any more than that and you have to subscribe. Not great for heavy listening, but perfect for when you get a sudden jones.
(Note: not all songs are available for free listening on last.fm yet. They're in the process of moving their whole library to the free-play model, but it'll take some time to get everything moved over. In my experience about 70% of the tracks I search for are good to go.)
Read my blog.
Hideho, IP seller from the Internet here. I sell five figures a year worth of software at $25 a pop (http://www.bingocardcreator.com). Doing that requires getting between 100,000 and 200,000 visitors to my site over the course of a year. I'm going to work out the mediocre band math for you:
Desired income per band member: $20,000 (starving artistry rocks!)
Band members: 4
Required income for band: $80k
Expenses (band promotional/community website, equipment, etc): $20k
Split with service: 50-50 (and that is HIDEOUSLY generous -- they probably get closer to 10%, whereas software sellers get 96% because they are not forced to use a go-between and can process credit cards efficiently at our price point)
Required sales for band: $200k
Number of sales required: 2 million
Ludicrously high estimated conversion rate: 10%
Required visitors per year: TWENTY MILLION
So no problem, mediocre band, all you have to do is reach an audience about ten times the size of St. Louis every year and you, too, can experience the joys and oppulence of a $20k a year music making lifestyle. That is assuming you are given ludicrously generous terms by the service (you won't be) and have an astoundingly high conversion rate (you won't).
Want to see the math for "oodles and oodles of cash" at the 10 cent pricepoint? Here it is: step #1, be the guy that collects 80% of the sales from tens of thousands of bands making no significant money each. There is no step #2. The guy who wins big on the long tail is the aggregator. (Same in my business, incidentally. Of the $2,000 I sold last month, Google got about $600. Not a bad deal for them, since that $600 of revenue required no marginal work on their part -- they have me working harder every month to make them *more* money!)
Help poke pirates in the eyepatch, arr.
This article is unclear to the extent of bias. I've been trying out the service (you get 50 online song credits when you register) and it actually seems really neat. A DRM-free store is always good and the additional features are nice. You can listen to a song as many times as you want. I can also listen to any song online that I've already got a copy of on my computer (if you true them enough to download and run their app). I don't see what all of the hate is about.
If you don't pay anything, you can play a song once in full, and as many times as you want as a 30 second clip.
If you do pay that 10 cents, you can play the song as many times as you want in full.
I'm not sure why you found that so confusing. The article was pretty clear about it.
- Content . . . may be synched to no more than five (5) la la-authorized portable devices at any one time.
- Downloads of copyrightable materials purchased through the Site are downloaded to your account's Personal Server Space and include a security framework using technology that protects digital information and imposes usage rules established by la la and its licensors ("Usage Rules")
- You can upload your music to their service; but there's a catch:
- la la reserves the right to . . . change its fees and charges at any time for any reason. You agree that as a condition of your use of the Site and Services, you authorize la la or its agents to charge your credit card for any fees or charges you incur in the use of the Site or Services.
No thanks... I'll pass!Only 5?
Wait: I thought the stuff you bought was DRM-free ??
Before uploading you must register your personal computer with la la ("Registered PC"). No more than three (3) Registered PCs may be associated with your account at any one time.
o_O
put it into disk mode - enable hidden files/folders - the ipod tracks are in iPod_Control - the songs are all labeled like AXDE.mp3 - google 'mp3 batch renamer' - tadaaaa....