Musicians tell how to beat system

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Mofo

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Web sites instruct fans on how to beat copy-protected CDs

NEW YORK (Billboard) -- Major labels Sony BMG and EMI are releasing more and more new CDs that block fans from dragging their tunes to iPods.

Now, in the most bizarre turn yet in the record industry's piracy struggles, stars Dave Matthews Band, Foo Fighters and Switchfoot -- and even Sony BMG, when the label gets complaints -- are telling fans how they can beat the system.

Sony BMG Music Entertainment now regularly releases its new U.S. titles on CDs protected with digital rights management (DRM) that dictates which file formats consumers can use to digitally copy the music. MP3 is not one of those formats. The DRM also limits how many copies of the files consumers can make.

EMI Music is testing a similar initiative for wide-scale use by 2006.

But these decisions are not sitting well with some of the artists whose CDs have been secured. A number of leading acts are using their Web sites to instruct fans on how to work around the technology. (Others, including Jermaine Dupri, have expressed support for anti-copying efforts.)

For now, the copy-protected discs work only with software and devices compatible with Microsoft Windows Media technology. Apple -- the dominant player in digital music -- has resisted appeals from the labels to license its FairPlay DRM for use on the copy-protected discs.

The DRM initiatives are generating complaints from fans, many of whom own iPods. The message boards of artist fan sites and online retailers are filled with complaints from angry consumers who did not realize they were buying a copy-protected title until they tried to create music files on their home computers.

One solution artists offer to iPod users is to rip the CD into a Windows Media file, burn the tracks onto a blank CD (without copy protection) and then rip that CD back into iTunes.

Columbia Records act Switchfoot, whose latest album, "Nothing Is Sound," is copy-protected -- and debuted at No. 3 on The Billboard 200 last week -- recently took copy-protection defiance one step further. Band guitarist Tim Foreman posted on a Sony Music-hosted fan site a link to the software program CDEX, which disables the technology. The post has since been removed.

"We were horrified when we first heard about the new copy-protection policy," Foreman wrote in the September 14 post. "It is heartbreaking to see our blood, sweat and tears over the past two years blurred by the confusion and frustration surrounding new technology."

To add some minor injury to insult, EMI Christian Music Group had to recall copies of "Nothing Is Sound" that were shipped to Christian retailers. Under an agreement with Sony BMG, the EMI imprint handles manufacturing and distribution of Switchfoot to the Christian market. The EMI discs have incorrect DRM settings that do not allow consumers to rip or burn secure tracks.

Switchfoot is not the only band upset by copy protection.

"I'm completely frustrated," says Jason Brown, president of Philadelphonic, a management company that represents Tristan Prettyman. The artist's Virgin Records debut, "Twentythree," is among the albums in the EMI copy-protection trial. "Copy control as it stands right now is in its 1.0 phase. It was rushed through and into a system that wasn't prepared for it."

Sony BMG says it is not trying to prevent consumers from getting music onto iPods. Fans who complain to Sony BMG about iPod incompatibility are directed to a Web site (http://cp.sonybmg.com/xcp) that provides information on how to work around the technology.

The company, which has sold more than 13 million copy-protected discs to date, is urging people who buy copy-protected titles to write to Apple and demand that the company license its FairPlay DRM for use with secure CDs.

The bad thing is that you are almost promoting what you are trying to protect against. You are upsetting the fan that went out and purchased the record.
-- Jason Brown, whose agency represents an artist whose album in among those in copy-protection suit.EMI is not quite so helpful. A source says the company will not instruct consumers on how to work around copy-protected discs.

Sony BMG, EMI and Apple officials all declined comment. However, both majors have said that increased CD burning has forced their hands on copy protection.

But artists and consumers are bristling at the notion of being caught in the middle of this test of wills. Some managers express doubt about the Sony BMG and EMI strategy in dealing with Apple.

"Anything that smacks of corporatism, people don't like," says Jamie Kitman, president of the Hornblow Group USA, manager for Capitol Records act OK Go, which was considered for, but ultimately left out of the EMI trial. "There's no doubt this has the whiff of punitive activity."

What is more, artist managers are upset that the security is so easily beaten -- in the case of Sony BMG, with the company's assistance -- that it makes a mockery of content protection.

Warner Music Group and Universal Music Group are taking a wait-and-see approach to copy protection. Neither has announced plans for secured U.S. commercial releases.

"The bad thing is that you are almost promoting what you are trying to protect against," Brown says. "You are upsetting the fan that went out and purchased the record."



So what do you thinks this type of crap made me decide not to buy Coldplay's new album which is also protected, and about a year ago The Rolling Stones Live Licks album...
 
Mofo said:
So what do you thinks this type of crap made me decide not to buy Coldplay's new album which is also protected, and about a year ago The Rolling Stones Live Licks album...

I refuse to buy Copy Control Crap albums for a while now. Often, US or Australian editions don't have this Copy Control Crap, so I look out for those editions. If not, then I just don't buy it.
Because the system sucks. :down:
 
what you can do is buy the album... then download it as well in MP3. as far as im aware this isn't illegal
 
If I see that something is copy-protected, it makes me not want to buy it. There is a ton of music out there I want to buy, so I can easily pass up somebody's CD that is copy-protected and just get something by someone else. The only exception would be if it was one of my top favorites...they have me right where they want me, as I'll buy any of their CDs.
 
this makes me glad i don't listen to too many major label bands. none of the stuff i've bought recently has been copy control crap because either it's old stuff from mainstream bands (REM, red hot chili peppers) or on a small label (ramallah, the beltones, the oppressed) or self-released stuff (sharky doyles, confront).
 
i bought the switchfoot cd the day it came out. i am a huge fan, have seen them in concert five times, talked to jon foreman about his meeting with bono, etc. anyways, i got back to my dormroom where my computer and ipod are all i have to play music, and realized the cd wouldn't freaking work. not in itunes, not in wmp, not in mmjb, not in winamp, nothing except the crap program that came on the cd.

needless to say, i was ready to throw something through my computer screen. then i went to switchfoot's website and saw tim's post. i have more respect for those guys now than i ever have. they defiantly took a stance, realizing that i have a right to enjoy my own property in any [legal] way that i choose. and they did so on their record comapany's website...that is rock and roll!

i just hope more artists start standing up against this crap, telling their record labels what they can do with their drm bs.
 
I don't know who the fuck Switchfoot is, but that's a pretty cool thing they did for their fans.
 
typhoon said:
I don't know who the fuck Switchfoot is, but that's a pretty cool thing they did for their fans.

Well put. :happy:

The only copy controlled CD I have is Hail To The Thief...but it works fine with iTunes and my iPod. :shrug:
 
I have quite a few copy protected CDs, but have no problems with them at all - I just rip the onto the computer from the DVD drive instead of the CD-ROM drive and it's worked fine everytime :shrug:
 
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