Here it comes - Copy Protected Music CD's On the Way

[NicColt]

SiliconValley.com reports that Universal is planning to release a music CD that can't be ripped or copied. The soundtrack Fast & Furious: More Music will be the first copy protected CD in the US. A quote from the article: ...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.
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Apparently no software will be able to rip it....... Just bring it.

 

[veryape]

We all knew that it was comeing, it was inevitable really, being that the record companies are so god damned greedy. Well, you won't catch me buying a copy protected cd. This is just the excuse I needed to justify downloading music and videos off of my favorite warez sites and Napster clones. It's a blessing in disguise really, they were starting to make me believe what I was doing was wrong, no i'm sure it's not.

 

[Ryukumu]

I read about this somewhere and I heard that someone already found a way to crack it. I don't know the details though. It's probably on slashdot somewhere...

 

[NakaNaka]

you think people will buy CD's that dont play in macs, game consoles, dvd players and some cd players. Sure, some people will buy but wont have the same sales if the general public knows this.

 

[erikiksaz]

Ahh, sooner or later it'll get cracked...no doubt about it.

 

[MoFunk]

If I can't do what I want with it, I wont buy it. Besides, album sales do nothing for 95% of the bands out there. It only really helps the record lables. Bands get money by touring and merchandise at those shows. Let the record execs shoot themselfs in the foot by making people buy less albums. Being an EX-music industry type, I say SCREW EM!

 

[HappyPuppy]

My guess is that the copy protection has already been cracked.

 

[PliotronX]

They really need to give up the dreams of "uncrackable protection." It only takes one person who is able to workaround the protection to start distributing the music on one or more P2P applications.

The only 100% copy protection would be to scratch the CDs into a few plastic pieces. This would render it unplayable for what the RIAA calls "reasonable use," but that doesn't matter to them. What matters to them is they would have defeated the "pirates."

 

[BreakApart]

That unbreakable copy/rip scheme has already been broken...

The error correction methods in DVD drives automatically adjusts and defeats the copy protection.

Better luck next time....

 

[JeSpre]

They dig their own grave deeper...Anyway, I assume since it'll be unplayable in all kinds of different devices, they'll have to advertise the protection, right?

On to the bigger issue, if the labels really cared about limiting/preventing the free trading of music online then where's our legal alternative? I'm not talking about something that carries from a couple labels and that only lets you play within the program (ie. *.nap for the new napster). Seriously, money is out there to be made. If this was really about any issue other than greed, there would already be a client out there offering catalogs of music from every label available in your choice of formats/bitrates. It wouldn't be that hard to do, it wouldn't be hard to divvy up the profits either...barring greed.

Oh yeah, Universal shows a lot of faith in this protection by using on something nobody's gonna buy anyway.

 

[Ben]

This is getting rediculous.

 

[Adrian Tung]

These guys are impossible. Even if you could not rip a CD bit-for-bit, you can always do an analog transfer. After all, IMO a 1 generation loss is not as bad as not being able to copy at all. No matter how tough their protection system is, nothing can still protect it from analog recording.


atwl

 

[MrBond]

I was watching The Screen Savers before they took their holiday break and they were talking about this. One of the hosts said he had already copied the CD, even showing a burned copy of the disc he had made.

Apparently on some computers, you get the CD layout with their player when you look at it in explorer, and on others, you see all the *.cda tracks.

 

[Workin']

<< These guys are impossible. Even if you could not rip a CD bit-for-bit, you can always do an analog transfer. After all, IMO a 1 generation loss is not as bad as not being able to copy at all. No matter how tough their protection system is, nothing can still protect it from analog recording. >>

That's right. And I would bet that 99.9% of people would not be able to tell apart an analog rip from a CD vs. a bit-perfect copy. Especially someone who thinks 128kbps mp3 sounds good.

I can understand the record and movie companies wanting to protect their stuff. But the law as presently written GUARANTEES you the right to make copies for your own use - so doesn't it seem as if this plan defies present copyright law? The concept of "fair-use" has been well-defined and accepted for decades - now the greedy bastards are stealing that from the public. That doesn't make stealing from them right, but it sure reduces my sympathy for them. And then when they go bankrupt because no one will buy their unplayable discs, they will blame the pirates. Sounds like cutting off your nose to spite your face.

Just thought of this - maybe in the end it will make pirating easier! Buy a copy-protected CD, take it home, make an analog rip, then return the disc because "it won't play in my CD player". What's Best Buy gonna do? Tell you, too bad, buy a new CD player? or give you your money back? Now not even a single person would have to pay, the record company won't even sell 1 disc, LOL.

 

[Davegod75]

already been crackd folks...well not cracked really but worked around.

Just get yourself a DVD drive

 

[Auric]

Besides, any media that can be played can be copied. Perhaps only 98% accurately but hey pop music ain't known for great detail and range

 

[JellyBaby]

The record companies just don't get it. Making things more difficult and costly for customers is not the way to rake it in. They should make it even easier and cheaper to buy the music we want.

If I could logon someplace, sample a tune then download it for a $1 I would do this often.

 

[Sunner]

This is the kind of stuff that makes me think of setting up a "I'll download any music you want and burn it for free" shop, with the sole purpose of costing the RIAA money.

 

[ArbitrarilyInsane]

In England, Michael Jackson's Invincible was supposed to be the first Album with the Cactus Datashield Encryption. His Marketing were clever enough not to allow that. Aussie star Natalie Imbruglia was the unfortunate victim of having to release the first Cd with that "technology". Her CD would not play on a PC, mac and several other Cd players. The people got p*ssed off and so the record company decided to replace them with ordinary CDs. All of the protected CD's have been pulled from the market.

 

[NicColt]

Working, I think your right about having the right to make legal copies of your media. I just saw this over at athlonoc.com

"Seems that the big recording labels, in their overzealous pursuit of profits might have just run into a legal roadblock.

A 1992 law allows music listeners to make some personal digital copies of their music. In return, recording companies collect royalties on the blank media used for this purpose. For every digital audio tape (DAT), blank audio CD, or minidisc sold, a few cents go to record labels."

In 2001 here in canada they started collecting a tax on cd-r and cd-rw disks, I think it 25 cents per. That why cd-r's nearly doubled in price in 2001 and recording companies are presently collecting royalties from these blank media. The extra 25cents was to cover this 1992 law which gives you the right to make personal digital copies of "media" however it doesn't mean that it gives your the right to sell or replicated it through P2P. So copy-protected media will face legal opposition to it.

 

[Raspewtin]

<< This is the kind of stuff that makes me think of setting up a "I'll download any music you want and burn it for free" shop, with the sole purpose of costing the RIAA money. >>



hehe i know that feeling

 

[DARRIN]

I wonder how much this will increase the price of the CD? You know the makers of the protection software are going to get a dollar or two per disk.

 

[Daniel]

That is so pathetic, I rip lots of my own cds to put in the mp3 player, no chance in hell I would buy a cd like that whether I can rip it in my dvd player or not purely on principle.

 

[Workin']

<< That is so pathetic, I rip lots of my own cds to put in the mp3 player, no chance in hell I would buy a cd like that whether I can rip it in my dvd player or not purely on principle. >>

That's exactly the point. In the U.S. you have the legal right to do that unencumbered by any interference from the copyright holder. The principle of "fair use" also allows you to LEGALLY make a copy and give it to a friend - that was the whole basis of Napster's legal argument. However Napster's problem was it was anonymous and not even I have 7 million friends.

 

[JellyBaby]

Record companies who use copy protection should be required by law to state that protection is present on the disc.