The Man Who Broke The Music Business

[Fly-2000]

Interesting read about the man who helped music pirating from one of Universal's CD plants, including leaking U2's 'How To Dismantle An Atomic Bomb':

The Man Who Broke the Music Business - The New Yorker

 

[Muad'zin]

An interesting read indeed. I find it also interesting that overall these pirates weren't in it to make money. And that you should quit while you are still ahead. And that in their case, like in the case of most other criminals, that wasn't soon enough.

 

[Axver]

That was a really fascinating read.

It also brought back memories of the day - or on my side of the world, night - that HTDAAB leaked. What a time that was. Another Interferencer was sending me the album song-by-song down my shitty Internet connection of the time. I first became aware that a raging tropical storm had arrived when it briefly cut the power while A Man and a Woman was downloading. Up until that point I'd been too engrossed in getting the album, listening to the music, and being far too excited about it on Interference to have noticed the thunder and lightning outside.

 

[dan_smee]

That was a really fascinating read.

It also brought back memories of the day - or on my side of the world, night - that HTDAAB leaked. What a time that was. Another Interferencer was sending me the album song-by-song down my shitty Internet connection of the time. I first became aware that a raging tropical storm had arrived when it briefly cut the power while A Man and a Woman was downloading. Up until that point I'd been too engrossed in getting the album, listening to the music, and being far too excited about it on Interference to have noticed the thunder and lightning outside.

I missed it at night, I woke up and saw hundreds of references to it on interference (though I wasn't an active member) and just couldn't find it. I finally was sent a link to download, but I had to go and play cricket so I couldn't listen all day. Finally got home and burnt a cd and listened on repeat for hours.


Sent from my iPhone using U2 Interference

 

[VintagePunk]

Thanks for posting, a fascinating read.

I find it also interesting that overall these pirates weren't in it to make money.

Exactly. It was just for bragging rights.

 

[Axver]

I missed it at night, I woke up and saw hundreds of references to it on interference (though I wasn't an active member) and just couldn't find it. I finally was sent a link to download, but I had to go and play cricket so I couldn't listen all day. Finally got home and burnt a cd and listened on repeat for hours.

I had actually gone to bed for the evening, but I couldn't sleep and heard from my computer the soft beep of a message on AIM or MSN. Normally I would've just ignored it, figuring it was some random friend saying hello and I'd reply in the morning. For whatever reason I decided to get up and check. It turned out to be somebody from Interference asking if I was still up, because apparently HTDAAB was leaking.

Think I finally got to bed at about 4am.

I wouldn't do that now. Those were very different times.

 

[Headache in a Suitcase]

I think it took like 2 hours to download the album track by track.

Ahh, those were the days

 

[BigMacPhisto]

I was on high speed at my college and was kind of groggy from a nap. I got up, found the album had leaked and was playing it immediately. Pretty sure I gave up after "City of Blinding Lights" in order to go get dinner at the cafeteria (which leads me to believe that the album leaked on like a Saturday or Sunday since I was afraid they'd be closing meal service early like usual).

Axver's over-excited response to HTDAAB is still legendary around here.

 

[Danny Boy]

The Bomb leak was probably one of the last times I ever visited a Usenet Newsgroup. None of my recent ISPs have even allowed access to them.

Funny that the last two albums have also been "leaked" by Universal Music in one way or another.

 

[Axver]

Axver's over-excited response to HTDAAB is still legendary around here.

I'm never going to live that down, am I?

 

[DaveC]

I'm never going to live that down, am I?

I think I'm gonna have to hunt down the link for this