Beene
Babyface
I was at Tower Records today at lunch. Why? Yo La Tengo has a new retrospective disc out that has a full disc worth of outtakes and rarities, that's why. But that's not what this is about. The Kings of Leon are opening for U2 the first leg of the Vertigo tour, and there's a strong possibility they might be the opening act when I see U2 in October. So I figured I might become aquainted with their stuff; after all, if U2 thinks they're good enough to open for them, they can't be all that bad.
So I get to Tower and find the new Kings of Leon disc in the listening section. I put on the headphones, started it up and read the critical blurb underneath the section showing their cd cover. Not bad. I picked up a copy in the rack next to the listening station, and there was this sticker on the front, saying that this disc had been manufactured to prevent illegal copying, please see the fine print on the back. I flipped over the cd, and there's this legalistic gobbledygook saying how you have to accept a license when putting it in a computer, and it will only convert the songs to WMA format for portable media devices, etc.
I put the disc back. I'm sorry, I completely understand the artists not wanting to lose money, but if I have to go through all those hoops, it's not worth it. I don't want WMA format songs; I have an iPod. If you have an iPod, you can't move the songs from the disc to your iPod. Not only that, but the discs won't work in some cd players. There are reports online that cheapy cd players will play the disc ok, but nicer, high-end players won't play it, as well as some car cd players. Also, there are flags that limit the number of times you can legally rip the disc. So, for example, if you get a new computer, it crashes, and you have to re-rip the disc, are you out of luck? This is after you've legally paid for the disc.
Do a Google for further information, since I can't post any links yet.
I don't like being dictated to on what format I can keep the songs. The licensing thing? I'm sure it's the wave of the future, but that doesn't mean I have to participate. What happens after you do sign the license, is there some Microsoft flag that is broadcast whenever the PC is online? This goes against my strong anti-authoritarian streak. I can't help it, that's just the way I am, another reason why I could never be in the military. (Oh, do 100 pushups? Because you said so? I don't think so.)
I know the legal ramifications of music sharing are a very gray area, depending on who you talk to. I like to support the artists that I like, whether by buying albums, seeing concerts, etc. But accepting a license? Still too big brother for me.
I bought the Yo La Tengo disc and the new Kathleen Edwards. As for the Kings of Leon? I'll probably try to download them off of bittorrent. On principle.
So I get to Tower and find the new Kings of Leon disc in the listening section. I put on the headphones, started it up and read the critical blurb underneath the section showing their cd cover. Not bad. I picked up a copy in the rack next to the listening station, and there was this sticker on the front, saying that this disc had been manufactured to prevent illegal copying, please see the fine print on the back. I flipped over the cd, and there's this legalistic gobbledygook saying how you have to accept a license when putting it in a computer, and it will only convert the songs to WMA format for portable media devices, etc.
I put the disc back. I'm sorry, I completely understand the artists not wanting to lose money, but if I have to go through all those hoops, it's not worth it. I don't want WMA format songs; I have an iPod. If you have an iPod, you can't move the songs from the disc to your iPod. Not only that, but the discs won't work in some cd players. There are reports online that cheapy cd players will play the disc ok, but nicer, high-end players won't play it, as well as some car cd players. Also, there are flags that limit the number of times you can legally rip the disc. So, for example, if you get a new computer, it crashes, and you have to re-rip the disc, are you out of luck? This is after you've legally paid for the disc.
Do a Google for further information, since I can't post any links yet.
I don't like being dictated to on what format I can keep the songs. The licensing thing? I'm sure it's the wave of the future, but that doesn't mean I have to participate. What happens after you do sign the license, is there some Microsoft flag that is broadcast whenever the PC is online? This goes against my strong anti-authoritarian streak. I can't help it, that's just the way I am, another reason why I could never be in the military. (Oh, do 100 pushups? Because you said so? I don't think so.)
I know the legal ramifications of music sharing are a very gray area, depending on who you talk to. I like to support the artists that I like, whether by buying albums, seeing concerts, etc. But accepting a license? Still too big brother for me.
I bought the Yo La Tengo disc and the new Kathleen Edwards. As for the Kings of Leon? I'll probably try to download them off of bittorrent. On principle.