Red music service USA only?

[u2search]

Will this be USA only?

"(RED)WIRE is not yet available in Canada"

What about the rest of the world?

(RED)WIRE: Coldplay, John Legend, U2, The Killers contribute to new online music magazine - The Ampersand

 

[Danny Boy]

It says on the site that the music is not DRM-protected, so availability won't be an issue.

Generally I think it's bad karma to fileshare a charity single, but if it's not available everywhere, what's a fan to do?

 

[pepokiss]

we (ROW) always get screwed

 

[Irishteen]

It's not US only; they have a price for the UK too so that's included, I signed up and I'm Irish.

Maybe people should try joining instead of just reading an article?

 

[dan_smee]

It says on the site that the music is not DRM-protected, so availability won't be an issue.

Generally I think it's bad karma to fileshare a charity single, but if it's not available everywhere, what's a fan to do?

it will be available everywhere. There is no file protection, and only costs 5 bucks a month.

If anyone were to obtain these songs through unofficial channels, the deepest of shames must be placed on them

 

[Carek1230]

I think $5/month is expensive. That's $60/year I'd frankly rather put into something else.

 

[dan_smee]

I think it is absolutely unconscionable to even consider pirating this content.

I am, seriously, the music wouldnt exist if they didnt need the money.

Anyone who doesnt pay for the service is seriously killing the people who need the support.

for 16cents a day, people would be so selfish, so arrogant, so pig-headed as to not pay a miserly 16 cents a day to save lives!!!

(that is of course for people who would obtain the content through other channels).

Consider this though, you receive 2 songs a week plus other content (comedy and text). on average thats at least 8, sometimes 10 songs, plus 8 or 10 bonus materials.

For 5 bucks, you get exclusive content. You couldn't even come close to buying it for that much on itunes.

 

[Chizip]

ill just download the good stuff off torrents

 

[dan_smee]

well I believe you are morally bankrupt.

16 cents a day for fucks sake.

 

[mama cass]

sadly, in the terms and conditions it says only residents in the US, Canada and the UK can purchase music from Red Wire

 

[Irishteen]

I think $5/month is expensive. That's $60/year I'd frankly rather put into something else.

$60 a year

104 songs

58 cent a song; that's cheaper than iTunes plus you get other stuff too and the money actually goes to something worth while.

That's hardly too expensive

 

[digitize]

I'll sign up. It'll be an early Christmas gift from my parents.

 

[Irishteen]

If I was going to make one compliant about this

£4 for UK, $5 for US

Again the US gets everything cheaper, despite it being the same thing; that's just a rip off to non-US residents

 

[u2search]

sadly, in the terms and conditions it says only residents in the US, Canada and the UK can purchase music from Red Wire

That's too bad. I had already given them my email address to be kept informed, but never heard anything back. Now I've signed up for the 1 dec launch. We'll see what happens. At least I got a confirmation email this time around.

$60 a year

104 songs

58 cent a song; that's cheaper than iTunes plus you get other stuff too and the money actually goes to something worth while.

That's hardly too expensive

In iTunes you get to choose which songs you buy, if I'm not mistaken... so that's no comparison. (I'm not saying it is expensive or too much, just that you can't compare them). Rather compare to a magazine with a free CD every month. (Still cheaper )

 

[ramblin rose]

Just like any magazine, you can choose to subscribe or not. Personally, I don't think it's very expensive for what they're offering.

 

[GibsonGirl]

Anyone who doesnt pay for the service is seriously killing the people who need the support.

That's stretching it just a wee bit, I think.

 

[dan_smee]

That's stretching it just a wee bit, I think.

maybe a wee bit. bit only a wee bit. If you don't pay for the music where you can, you are not entitled to hear the music. It is offered in good faith on the promise that you will donate money to other human beings who are dying of aids. If you steal the music, then someone doesnt get medication and dies.

Pretty simple to me. People are missing the point. They are being selfish and just saying "awesome, we get some music". In effect, they are valuing their own lives far more than the lives of those who need it. If for 16 cents a day you can help save someones life AND get all this music, and you decide not to pay where you could, Im sorry, but you are a person I have absolutely no time for, and quite frankly do not deserve the priveleged life you lead.

That wasn't aimed at you gibsongirl, but I feel strongly about anyone that can be so flippant about the lives of others

 

[GibsonGirl]

maybe a wee bit. bit only a wee bit. If you don't pay for the music where you can, you are not entitled to hear the music. It is offered in good faith on the promise that you will donate money to other human beings who are dying of aids. If you steal the music, then someone doesnt get medication and dies.

Pretty simple to me. People are missing the point. They are being selfish and just saying "awesome, we get some music". In effect, they are valuing their own lives far more than the lives of those who need it. If for 16 cents a day you can help save someones life AND get all this music, and you decide not to pay where you could, Im sorry, but you are a person I have absolutely no time for, and quite frankly do not deserve the priveleged life you lead.

That wasn't aimed at you gibsongirl, but I feel strongly about anyone that can be so flippant about the lives of others

Oh, I'm not being flippant about the lives of others. I simply doubt tremendously that (RED) and The Global Fund will save as many people as they claim they to, or that they will effectively solve the HIV/AIDS problem.

Also, to suggest that one would be killing HIV/AIDS sufferers in Africa for downloading a song instead of buying it is not just stretching it a wee bit. It's stretching it a lot. Extending the lives of these people via ARVs does not change the fact that they might starve to death or die of cholera because they are living under a vicious Napoleonic dictator who should have been shot or forced into exile a long time ago (aka Robert Mugabe). It does not change the fact that they might be brutally and horrifically mowed down by rebels waving AK-47s (as in the Democratic Republic of the Congo). Of all the things these people may die from, some Westerner and his bloody BitTorrent client does not feature very high on the list.

 

[Irishteen]

Well I think torrenting the songs over purchasing them legally is a little heartless, I think some people are overreacting a little...

 

[dan_smee]

Oh, I'm not being flippant about the lives of others. I simply doubt tremendously that (RED) and The Global Fund will save as many people as they claim they to, or that they will effectively solve the HIV/AIDS problem.

Also, to suggest that one would be killing HIV/AIDS sufferers in Africa for downloading a song instead of buying it is not just stretching it a wee bit. It's stretching it a lot. Extending the lives of these people via ARVs does not change the fact that they might starve to death or die of cholera because they are living under a vicious Napoleonic dictator who should have been shot or forced into exile a long time ago (aka Robert Mugabe). It does not change the fact that they might be brutally and horrifically mowed down by rebels waving AK-47s (as in the Democratic Republic of the Congo). Of all the things these people may die from, some Westerner and his bloody BitTorrent client does not feature very high on the list.

While all the points you raise are perfectly valid, and i agree with them, it doesn't change the fact that all the evidence shows that we can't solve everything at once. We can't just say, it won't solve everything, so lets not worry, because without these relatively small solutions, there is no answer to the macro problem.

How many thousands of people will download it illegally? If every one of them paid their 16 cents a day, then we would save thousands of lives. The point is that people have no right to download these things illegally. It is one issue people illegally downloading an artists materials, the artists who arguably have more money than they could ever spend, fine, it happens, probably always will. But to steal something, while in the process cheating a poor african person out of much needed AIDS medication is unconscionable.

It would be like saying, lets not worry about finding a cure for the common cold because people are still dying of cancer.

It's a process, and this is a key component of the process that will have as little effect as you are suggesting if people don't take it seriously. It has the potential to save thousands of lives. Whether or not people find this motivation to actually pay 16 cents a day, or steal the music is up to them. What I am saying is that I have no time for anyone who would steal it.

 

[sue4u2]

It would be like saying, lets not worry about finding a cure for the common cold because people are still dying of cancer.

Perfect summation.

 

[Jamila]

Well I think torrenting the songs over purchasing them legally is a little heartless, I think some people are overreacting a little...

What a great discussion of (RED)WIRE and I would like to thank dan_smee, Irishteen and all the others who are so logically and eloquently explaining the brilliance of (RED)WIRE.


The Global Fund is the most effective international mechanism around today that fights AIDS, TB and Malaria which is why (RED) money goes to support it. (www.theglobalfund.org)


While this endeavor by (RED) is only a part of the larger effort to end AIDS & extreme poverty in our world, if I can paraphrase Bono by saying that we can't fix every problem in the world

but those we can - we must.


(RED)WIRE is one of the ways that we can help to "fix" the issue of AIDS in the world.

 

[indra]

If you subscribe to this service because you think you will like it and be satisfied with the product that's fine. However, if you are doing it only because you want to support The Global Fund be aware that like all of the other products in the (RED) program, what The Global Fund actually gets is a portion of the profit.

I think often people feel a much greater percentage of the cost of these items/services goes to the charity than actually does. Yes, many many tiny donations (and after all the costs are deducted tiny is what the portion of the profits will actually be) adds up to a substantial amount, but if you subscribe primarily to donate, you'd get a hell of a lot more bang for your buck to donate the amount -- or even a third of half the amount -- directly.


(and yeah, I know I'm a killjoy. )

 

[dan_smee]

It states on the site that exactly half of the fee goes directly into buying the aids meds. The other half would cover admin costs.

I see no problem with this whatsoever

 

[last unicorn]

Bono and everyone involved have made it clear from the beginning that (RED) is a profit orientated project and not a charity, thus it's clear that "only" a portion goes to the Global Fund, and the rest is used to cover costs. But 50%is a lot. People who think it's not much and don't support the project can always go and support another charity by donating money. I have only very few (RED) products, because they are not really available here, and if I don't like something I don't buy it, no matter if I'd support charity with buying it or not. Instead, I make a direct monetary donation to some institution. However, IF I like something, like the Gap shirts, I buy it and it's good to know that, besides me liking the stuff, some of the money I spent on it also goes to charity.

 

[Axver]

If anyone were to obtain these songs through unofficial channels, the deepest of shames must be placed on them

Funny thing about that is I'm a shameless downloader. I'll feel no shame when I unofficially obtain the song and make my charitable donations to organisations that I believe are more effective and achieve much greater results than Product Red.

 

[LemonMelon]

Funny thing about that is I'm a shameless downloader. I'll feel no shame when I unofficially obtain the song and make my charitable donations to organisations that I believe are more effective and achieve much greater results than Product Red.

But, ultimately, you just don't care about black people.

 

[dan_smee]

Bono and everyone involved have made it clear from the beginning that (RED) is a profit orientated project and not a charity, thus it's clear that "only" a portion goes to the Global Fund, and the rest is used to cover costs. But 50%is a lot. People who think it's not much and don't support the project can always go and support another charity by donating money. I have only very few (RED) products, because they are not really available here, and if I don't like something I don't buy it, no matter if I'd support charity with buying it or not. Instead, I make a direct monetary donation to some institution. However, IF I like something, like the Gap shirts, I buy it and it's good to know that, besides me liking the stuff, some of the money I spent on it also goes to charity.

It is a fairly basic principle of commerce that 33% goes into costs 33% into wages and 33% profit. This is different in America as their industrial relations system is totally fucked, where waiters actually live on tips.

if 50% is dontated to charity, that leaves 50% to cover the 33% costs and 33% wages for the administrators who run the prgram. Pretty god deal if you ask me.

 

[Screwtape2]

Sure you'll be getting lots and lots of songs for $60 a year but to be honest, how many will you actually want? I didn't mean to come off like an ass but seriously, how many quality songs will you actually get after the first few months? So don't attack people who don't want to spend all that money on what may add up to only a few songs they'd actually want.

 

[dan_smee]

How did I know you would say that screw?

Am i psychic??

If you are complaining about the quality then you don't even begin to comprehend the point of it.

You get new songs from the killers, u2, coldplay, bob dylan, elvis costello and so many other great artists, and yet you dont think youll get your moneys worth??

Your money's worth is the saving lives bit. The music is the carrot.

I can't believe how selfish and cold people are