Bach Launches Updated MP3 Format

An anonymous reader writes to tell us that Bach Technology has rolled out an updated MP3 file format in a bid to combat music piracy. Dubbed "MusicDNA," the new format offers embedded "updatable premium content" like lyrics, videos, news updates, and album artwork. "Using the new technology, music labels and bands will be able to send updates to the music files – with tour dates, interviews or updates to social networking pages – while illegally-downloaded files remain static. ... No major labels have signed up to use MusicDNA so far, but British record company Beggars Group and US label Tommy Boy are both on board. However, the files are likely to be more expensive than MP3 files – according to the BBC – and will have to compete with Apple's iTunes LP, which already provides additional content such as bonus tracks, lyrics and video interviews."

Comments

Sounds like features I need from an audio file

[sopssa]

with tour dates, interviews or updates to social networking pages – while illegally-downloaded files remain static.

So if I want to buy music legitly, in addition to paying for the track I will now also get spammed with ads?

Re:Sounds like features I need from an audio file

[Anonymous Coward]

In other words, if I download a file illegally, I'm guaranteed to be left alone and my files won't be changed around without my consent or prior knowledge?

Hm.

Re:Sounds like features I need from an audio file

[alop]

Sounds like a misguided effort. What I really want, is high-quality audio in smaller file sizes. It seems like they're creating a solution without a problem, or for the wrong problem.

I understand the point of incentivizing legitimate downloads, but the incentive here is something I (or just about anyone) can get with a quick google search.

If they really want to incentivize legit downloads, give me exclusive content or, life-like audio... Heck, I'd take the music equivalent of "Director's Commentary" over their proposal.

Re:Sounds like features I need from an audio file

[InlawBiker]

Doesn't matter what we, the end users, want. The customer is big record labels. They want a format to "combat piracy while adding value and opportunities for marketing synergy in strategic channels."

The folks who designed the format know perfectly well it will never go anywhere. So what! They're getting paid.

Re:Sounds like features I need from an audio file

[PopeRatzo]

My old player was 80gigs, but when I needed to buy a new one last month I was hard pressed to find one larger then 32gigs, with many being around the 16gig size.

The shrinking size has nothing to do with the size of media files and everything to do with flash memory having larger profit margins than hard drives.

Re:Sounds like features I need from an audio file

[PopeRatzo]

I hope it's an open standard

Not likely.

Re:Sounds like features I need from an audio file

[thehostiles]

so?

the "extra information" they're offering is of absolutely NO value.
we can get tour dates, album artwork, interviews and other goodies anywhere else free of charge.

this changes nothing. You're actually going to end up getting a normal music file that takes up a bit more space on your hard drive.

Extra content

[e2d2]

Given that one of the main reasons for buying music over simply downloading it is art work, lyrics, and extra content, this might not be a bad idea. IF you can truly restrict access. Otherwise you're just giving more reason to pirate the format.

What? Why?

[DigitalGodBoy]

This was dead before they wrote the first line of the spec. The MP3 genie is out of the bottle and there's no amount of wishful thinking that can be done by the record companies to stuff it back in.

No thanks, Bach

[mcgrew]

Just when the patent on MP3 is set to expire they "update" it with DRM? WTF? This will ensure that the old, soon-to-be free file format will stay around.

I hope Ogg doesn't think since MP3 has this cruft they have to too. Of course, MP3 may be playing catch up with Microsoft; WMA files have had DRM for a long time. The DRM was in fact (and still is) a security risk.

I'll stick with OGG and even better, SHN and FLAC.

Comical

[rbrander]

...a "successor to MP3", which removes the most popular feature of MP3, the ability to control your own purchased copy of the property. Yeah, that'll bring back the customers you chased away with the last 3 attempts at controlled digital content.

It can be "updated"...who wants to bet that one kind of "update" is like the Amazon "update" of their sale of Orwell's '1984'...total deletion.

Do not pass "Go", do not collect millions of customers...go directly to the ash-heap of computer history.

Oh.. okay, no problem.

[Adult film producer]

I'll just keep ripping cds to .flac and distributing them so others can convert them to whatever audio format they prefer. Seems like a reasonable compromise.

Just another avenue to spread viruses

[Attila Dimedici]

Using the new technology, music labels and bands will be able to send updates to the music files – with tour dates, interviews or updates to social networking pages

They forgot to mention that this would also provide an exploit for malware writers to use to get into people's machines.

Re:Wrong Audience?

[fuzzyfuzzyfungus]

I don't know if anybody cares about interviews; but research tends to demonstrate that pirates are, as a body, more enthusiastic about(and bigger consumers of) music than non-pirates.

Now, if anybody actually thinks that this magic new format will be able to distinguish between the evil and the good when it comes to updating with exciting new stuff, I have some very exciting prospects in the field of bridge-related real estate to share with them.

Re:Wrong Audience?

[Korin43]

Actually, pirates are the music industry's more valuable customers. It turns out that people who download the most music actually go to the most concerts and buy the most music also. It's still a terrible idea though, since it's basically mp3's with built in ads. I'm not sure where they will find people willing to pay extra for that.

Re:Combatting Piracy

[LWATCDR]

You left out drop the price.
Really folks when a song is less than 99 cents it isn't worth my time to pirate it. If I like it I will buy it.

Re:Useless

[SomeoneGotMyNick]

Maybe a cappella, no lyrics or remix versions of the songs, but those would most likely just be pirated just as as the main music files too.

Maybe versions of the song before the vocal track was processed with AutoTune. When people get to hear the real "talent", the record companies won't have to worry about music piracy ever again (or sales for that matter).

Re:You are not the customer

[PopeRatzo]

You are not the customer.

Welcome to the Corporate World Order.

We are no longer consumers. We are consumables. Corporations don't exist to sell us things to fill our needs. We exist to feed their machine.