[free-sklyarov] DMCA'd CD Recordings

Ruben Safir ruben at mrbrklyn.com
Tue Dec 18 10:04:04 PST 2001



OK

We just found our Next Target...




On 2001.12.18 13:01:15 -0500 Ruben Safir wrote:

BTW

That url is

  http://www.siliconvalley.com/cgi-bin/printpage/printpage.pl

On 2001.12.18 12:59:16 -0500 Ruben Safir wrote:
> 
> 
> 
> 
>                                   Universal to release copy-protected CD 
> in U.S.
> 
>   The world's largest record company will be the first of the major
>   labels to release a copy-protected CD in the United States, signaling
>   a new chapter in the industry's efforts to stem music piracy.
> 
>   When Universal Music Group on Tuesday releases the soundtrack, ``Fast
>   & Furious -- More Music,'' consumers won't be able to copy the music
>   onto another CD or use their PCs to ``rip'' tracks in digital MP3
>   format. The copy-protection technology will also render the disc
>   unplayable on Macintosh computers, DVD players and game consoles,
>   such as Sony's PlayStation 2. It might not even play in some CD 
> players.
> 
>   The industry says it needs to use the lock-box approach to music to
>   prevent consumers, armed with CD-authoring software and hardware and a
>   quick Internet connection, from downloading and burning the recording
>   industry out of existence.
> 
>   CD sales jumped 129 percent this year. Purchases of pre-recorded music
>   dropped 2.2 percent in the same period.
> 
>   Indeed, blank CDs now outsell recorded discs in Europe and Canada,
>   according to one label executive.
> 
>   The labels see signs of a similar death spiral in the United
>   States. Sales of CD singles are off 41 percent, compared with the same
>   time last year, and album sales are effectively flat -- up less than
>   1 percent from a year ago, according to SoundScan, a market research
>   firm that tracks retail music sales.
> 
>   Some blame the sour economy. Others point to lackluster sales of hotly
>   anticipated new releases from artists like Mariah Carey and Macy Gray,
>   and the glut of look-alike, sound-alike boy bands.
> 
>   The record industry sees the burgeoning popularity of sons-of-Napster
>   sites, such as Morpheus and KaZaA and skyrocketing sales of blank CDs,
>   and sees its own demise.
> 
>   ``Copy protection is certainly not new to the entertainment industry,''
>   said Rosen. ``Most movies and video games sold today have some form
>   of protection -- musicians are an exception to the case and do not
>   enjoy the same protection. It is not surprising, therefore, that the
>   recording industry is taking steps to get in tune with the rest of
>   the entertainment field.''
> 
>   The trick is finding a technology that curbs piracy without incurring
>   the wrath of consumers. After a faltering first attempt, BMG said it
>   is working to develop a more sophisticated version of copy-protection
>   that would allow consumers the right to listen to music on a PC or
>   make a limited number of personal copies.
> 
>   One approach involves dual-session CDs, with one set of tracks that
>   plays in home stereos, and a second, encrypted version of the music
>   files wrapped in rights-management technology that limits the number
>   of copies a consumer can make.
> 
>   Such rules let consumers enjoy music on an array of consumer 
> electronics
>   devices -- from PCs to portable players. But it would discourage 15
>   high school friends from getting together and pooling their money to
>   buy a single music CD and a spindle of blank discs and making dubs
>   for everyone in the group -- with a few extras to sell at school.
> 
>   ``This is what's truly hurting sales,'' Haussler said. ``This is not
>   my compilation of my favorite music. This is having these perfect
>   copies forever.''
> 
>   The key to consumer acceptance -- as BMG and Sony learned the hard
>   way -- is disclosure.
> 
>   Warning sticker
> 
>   The ``Fast & Furious -- More Music'' CD will come with a sticker
>   that notifies the consumer that it is copy-protected and warns about
>   possible playback problems. An insert in the jewel case provides a
>   toll-free number for consumers and a Web site, where they can get
>   more information.
> 
>   Universal told retailers that it would honor refunds on all returned
>   discs -- even for CDs that have been opened.
> 
>   ``We have heard the strong voice of the retail community concerning
>   the substantial financial impact that illegal copying of compact
>   discs is causing to business'' wrote Jim Weatherson, Universal's
>   executive vice president of music and video distribution, in a letter
>   to retailers. ``We share in your concerns and, in response, are pleased
> 
> 
>   ``Unfortunately, phenomenon like Napster and the ease of `ripping
>   and burning' are causing artists and record companies real harm,''
>   said Hilary Rosen, head of the Recording Industry Association of
>   America. ``The unprecedented amount of music being copied is hurting
>   the industry.''
> 
>   Universal Music is the most aggressive in its anti-piracy efforts,
>   saying that all of its CDs will be copy-protected by mid-2002. The
>   other big labels are also experimenting with various technologies. But
>   they're waiting to gauge reaction from consumers and retailers before
>   introducing such recordings in the United States.
> 
>   ``I'm very, very curious to see what happens,'' said Christa Haussler,
>   BMG Entertainment's vice president of new technology. ``Because it
>   is not clear if it will become truly a usability issue, or if this is
>   more of a PR question.''
> 
>   BMG's own experiments with Midbar Technology's copy-thwarting Cactus
>   Data Shield produced raging backlash in Europe, with consumers 
> returning
>   discs as defective. The German label was forced to issue replacement
>   CDs for the new Natalie Imbruglia release, ``White Lilies Island,''
>   because the CD didn't play on some CD and DVD players. It has not
>   introduced any copy-protected discs in the United States.
> 
>   One United Kingdom-based group of consumer activists, the Campaign
>   for Digital Rights, staged a month-long protest against Sony Music
>   Entertainment after it issued Michael Jackson's new single, ``You Rock
>   My World,'' with copy-protection that limited its play to stereos. Sony
>   said it limited its copy-protection experiment to a handful of advance
>   copies given to radio DJs. But that didn't mute the criticism.
> 
>   A small Nashville label, Music City Records, led the experimentation in
>   copy-protected CDs, with country music artist Charley Pride's album ``A
>   Tribute To Jim Reeves.'' Its introduction last March prompted a 
> lawsuit,
>   alleging the label failed to properly disclose it was copy-protected.
> 
>   Quiet efforts
> 
>   Not all efforts at thwarting music piracy have attracted such
>   attention. One of the big five labels claims to have quietly released
>   15 million copy-protected discs in Europe without attracting notice.
> 
>   It's not surprising that the labels would experiment in Europe, where
>   music piracy is rampant and disclosure laws are less well defined. In
>   Germany alone, one survey by market researcher GfK found that blank
>   to be the first company to launch a campaign to confront this explosive
>   and damaging trend.''
> 
>   Retailers, such as TransWorld Entertainment in Albany, N.Y., welcome
>   the initiative, and have spent time briefing their sales staff about
>   the new technology and possible snafus. It is preparing to ``cheerfully
>   refund'' the consumer's purchase price at its 1,000 stores nationwide,
>   including the ``Strawberries'' and ``Coconuts'' chains.
> 
>   ``They've been testing this in Europe and they're experiencing less
>   than a 1 percent return rate from consumers. It really has turned
>   out to be nothing,'' said Jerry Kamiler, TransWorld Entertainment's
>   division merchandise manger. ``If we get the same results here, as I
>   imagine we would, I don't think it's going to manifest itself into a
>   consumer problem.''
> 
> 
>-- 
> __________________________
> 
> Brooklyn Linux Solutions
> __________________________
> http://www.mrbrklyn.com - Consulting
> http://www.brooklynonline.com - For the love of Brooklyn
> http://www.nylxs.com - Leadership Development in Free Software
> http://www.nyfairuse.org - The foundation of Democracy
> http://www2.mrbrklyn.com/resources - Unpublished Archive or stories and 
> articles from around the net
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> http://www2.mrbrklyn.com/downtown.html - See the New Downtown 
> Brooklyn....
> 
> 1-718-382-5752
> 
> 
> 
> ____________________________
> New Yorkers for Fair Use -
> because it's either fair use or useless....
-- 
__________________________

Brooklyn Linux Solutions
__________________________
http://www.mrbrklyn.com - Consulting
http://www.brooklynonline.com - For the love of Brooklyn
http://www.nylxs.com - Leadership Development in Free Software
http://www.nyfairuse.org - The foundation of Democracy
http://www2.mrbrklyn.com/resources - Unpublished Archive or stories and 
articles from around the net
http://www2.mrbrklyn.com/mp3/hooked.mp3 - Spring is coming....
http://www2.mrbrklyn.com/downtown.html - See the New Downtown Brooklyn....

1-718-382-5752



____________________________
New Yorkers for Fair Use -
because it's either fair use or useless....
-- 
__________________________

Brooklyn Linux Solutions
__________________________
http://www.mrbrklyn.com - Consulting
http://www.brooklynonline.com - For the love of Brooklyn
http://www.nylxs.com - Leadership Development in Free Software
http://www.nyfairuse.org - The foundation of Democracy
http://www2.mrbrklyn.com/resources - Unpublished Archive or stories and 
articles from around the net
http://www2.mrbrklyn.com/mp3/hooked.mp3 - Spring is coming....
http://www2.mrbrklyn.com/downtown.html - See the New Downtown Brooklyn....

1-718-382-5752







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