Digital Rights Management

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It's coming. Microsoft have just announced their Windows Media 9 Data Session Toolkit which will allow cd and dvd makers to control how what's on a cd or dvd, or indeed a piece of media bought on the internet is used. ITs not clear wether this technology will only work on Windows PCs, weather simply using another OS will allow you to get round it or if cds will be unplayable without the appropriate piece of microsoft software, something I do not relish.

Is the music industry just flailing in the face of declining sales? Shouldn't it really be looking for a new business model rather than clinging to a system that dates from sheet music sales in the victorian era. What this should be I don't know? Maybe pop groups should give their music away and live off concerts and merchandise. Maybe if there was a body of decent music out there people would just buy cds. Its up to the music industry to be revolutionary not just simply reactionary.

― Ed (dali), Tuesday, 21 January 2003 10:10 (twenty-three years ago)

Terrible. I was at a music policy conference two weeks ago dealing w/ digital rights/mp3s/sampling/new 'business models for the music industry' and other subjects, and 'Windows Media Player' sponsored all the breakfasts (I didn't go to any of them)

I have faith that some smart kid will always crack whatever new digital protection they try to enforce.

― geeta (geeta), Tuesday, 21 January 2003 10:26 (twenty-three years ago)

I am chiefly worried that cds and dvds will be un-playable on Mac OS and Linux without Windows Media installed.

― Ed (dali), Tuesday, 21 January 2003 10:43 (twenty-three years ago)

they will surely not be allowed to restrict Mac and Linux users without WMP...the Microsoft monopoly was already called into question regarding Windows and Internet Explorer themeselves wasnt it? what has been the outcome of that exactly? and surely the same argument can be applied with the WMP system

also, what happens if you play and encode the CD using MusicMatch or something else (i'd never use WMP for such things anyway, its awful)

― stevem (blueski), Tuesday, 21 January 2003 10:55 (twenty-three years ago)

since i realised i can make virtually perfect copies of copy protected CDs using the line input on my soundcard, i fear no copy protection whatsoever.

― electric sound of jim (electricsound), Tuesday, 21 January 2003 12:04 (twenty-three years ago)

Yeah - exactly. Fuck digital.

― N. (nickdastoor), Tuesday, 21 January 2003 12:06 (twenty-three years ago)

well, we could all just go back to listening exclusively to vinyl recs bought at yard sales

― geeta (geeta), Tuesday, 21 January 2003 12:09 (twenty-three years ago)

i'll rilly have to hand it to them when begin carving 'analog copy protection' into the grooves, for instance a record that starts violently scratching itself when it suspects that yr a 'criminal'

i also recommend that we ditch DVDs and go to space-age vinyl video format

― geeta (geeta), Tuesday, 21 January 2003 12:13 (twenty-three years ago)

Certainly there will have to be plants out there that will be willing to press the good ol' untampered-with Redbook CDs, even after (if?) something like this gets the full speed ahead. Perhaps this is what is needed to get more artists to jump ship from the major labels (who surely will be all over this scheme) and take control of their own releases? I hope so, anyhow.

― Sean Carruthers (SeanC), Tuesday, 21 January 2003 15:17 (twenty-three years ago)

The whole point of this type of strategy is that whoever controls enough of the market to set technology standards wins. Microsoft will not care if this type of self-help is legal or not as long as they can stall the debate long enough so that the technology shapes itself into the shape they want. Just like how by the time the Justice Department fashions a remedy for Microsoft's antitrust violations, none of us will have Windows logon privileges anymore. Libertarians and globalizationists, rejoice.

In even bigger news, the Supreme Court has upheld as constitutional the recently-extended term of copyright ownership of 95 years. Anything in the law with dead hand control gives me the ph34r.

― felicity (felicity), Tuesday, 21 January 2003 16:20 (twenty-three years ago)

In even bigger news, the Supreme Court has upheld as constitutional the recently-extended term of copyright ownership of 95 years. Anything in the law with dead hand control gives me the ph34r.

I find this very worrying because it sets the stage for copyright holders to extend copyright in perpetuity, which is what companies like Disney would love.

― Nicole (Nicole), Tuesday, 21 January 2003 16:23 (twenty-three years ago)

Yes Nicole.

The most depressing part of the the law that was just upheld was that it passed quietly with a minimum of debate because people were too excited about the NASDAQ, Lewinsky and bombings to pay attention.

― felicity (felicity), Tuesday, 21 January 2003 16:30 (twenty-three years ago)

which is what companies like Disney would love

Yup. They lobbied hard for it. Mickey Mouse was supposed to have entered the public domain in 2003.

― geeta (geeta), Tuesday, 21 January 2003 16:42 (twenty-three years ago)

well, we could all just go back to listening exclusively to vinyl recs bought at yard sales

What the hell do you think I've been listening to (and buying!) for the past six months?

― rosemary (rosemary), Tuesday, 21 January 2003 16:43 (twenty-three years ago)

Amazing!

The whole extension thing doesn't surprise me at all, natch.

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Tuesday, 21 January 2003 16:46 (twenty-three years ago)

Then you also won't be surprised that new Sony Minidisc player-recorder Walkpersons no longer have output jacks for analog recording, just some computer firewire netlink bullsh*t.

Perhaps you can still buy normal minidisc recorders with output jacks in the UK or from other manufacturers. I have been scouring ebay for an old MZ-3. Grr, I just wasn't made for these times, although ironically, I'm supposed to have a specialization in IP.

somebody stop me now -- I already went ballistic on this issue on ILM.

― felicity (felicity), Tuesday, 21 January 2003 21:57 (twenty-three years ago)

Then you also won't be surprised that new Sony Minidisc player-recorder Walkpersons no longer have output jacks for analog recording, just some computer firewire netlink bullsh*t.

Can't you just use the headphone socket as a line out?

― David (David), Tuesday, 21 January 2003 22:50 (twenty-three years ago)

I'll try it tonight -- if it works then I'll send you a minidisc!

― felicity (felicity), Tuesday, 21 January 2003 23:19 (twenty-three years ago)

Having skimmed over the article I don't think it's right to compare this with Microsoft's previous attempts to force people into using Internet Explorer. In this case they've come up with a proprietary format which record labels can choose to utilise or not. And can it really be argued that a CD manufacturer is legally obliged to make their CDs playable on all equipment? I wouldn't have thought so. I know I read something about Philips being displeased at last year's attempts at CD copy protection (effectively undermining their standard). The new style CDs (if they happen) might have to have the 'compact disc' logo taken off but I don't know how far Philips and Sony's copyrights/patents extend beyond that.

― David (David), Tuesday, 21 January 2003 23:32 (twenty-three years ago)

As you will see David, I am in agreement with you.

― felicity (felicity), Tuesday, 21 January 2003 23:39 (twenty-three years ago)

The quality on the headphone socket is probably very very subtly inferior to a proper line out (slightly more hiss/noise) but it should work. In fact I just tested it on my Sony MZ-R50 and it works fine.

― David (David), Tuesday, 21 January 2003 23:44 (twenty-three years ago)

cool! I owe you a disc :)

― felicity (felicity), Tuesday, 21 January 2003 23:48 (twenty-three years ago)

Thanks that'd be nice.

― David (David), Wednesday, 22 January 2003 00:03 (twenty-three years ago)

I'm more worried about this.

― donut bitch (donut), Wednesday, 22 January 2003 03:10 (twenty-three years ago)

I've never seen a MD walkman with anything more 'analogue line out' than a headphone socket. My computer doesn't have anything more than this either. It seems to work fine as a line out with the appropriate adaptor. I'm not sure what felicity is on about.

― N. (nickdastoor), Wednesday, 22 January 2003 12:07 (twenty-three years ago)

My Sony MZ-R50 has both a line out AND a headphone socket. This was common 'back in the day' (1998). I suppose getting rid of the dedicated line out cuts a bit of cost and fits the most common usage pattern for these machines.

― David (David), Wednesday, 22 January 2003 12:11 (twenty-three years ago)

Yes, the MZ-3 (c.1994) had a big honking line out that you could plug into a receiver for brilliant sound in your home stereo or use to make almost perfect MD copies which was important since I had understood that the technology is disabled from doing minidisc-to-minidisc recording. Of course I'm probably wrong about this too.

― felicity (felicity), Wednesday, 22 January 2003 13:06 (twenty-three years ago)

MD Recorders up to the MZ-R55 have a phyyscial line out, then after that they combine it with the headphone socket, mostly to save space I would think. The R90/91-type models don't do it very well, but the later MDLP era models are much better.

― Graham (graham), Wednesday, 22 January 2003 13:58 (twenty-three years ago)

Felic, you are blocked from making a digital copy of a disc that was itself digitally recorded. But analgue connects have sufficed for years and I'm quite still quite happy with them.

― N. (nickdastoor), Wednesday, 22 January 2003 14:01 (twenty-three years ago)

(If you're really bothered, and I'm never ever going to have an oppurtunity to say this anyone ever again, so I'm not bothered if you're not, switching an R90 to Line Out in the menu just turns the volume right up and disables the bass boost. On an R900 it actually seems to swicth to a different set of hardware with the right impedance etc for line out, and sounds way better)

― Graham (graham), Wednesday, 22 January 2003 14:14 (twenty-three years ago)

On an R900 it actually seems to swicth to a different set of hardware with the right impedance etc for line out, and sounds way better

Sharp always claimed the simple act of plugging a mini-jack into their MD headphone sockets (they never provided dedicated line-outs) - i.e. not their supplied remote control combi-plug - would switch the impedance appropriately. I don't know whether to believe this, but my Sharp 702 has always sounded acceptable as a hi-fi source. The headphone pre-amp hiss is not much higher than, say, vinyl surface noise.

― Michael Jones (MichaelJ), Wednesday, 22 January 2003 14:35 (twenty-three years ago)

All should be well on your sony md if you switch the out put to line out, this disables the volume control and gives you a line level signal.

Back to topic.

I have no problem with artists making money from their work, and with record companies making money from mediating the transaction between artist and consumer. However I do think that there is a general feeling of anger directed at the larger music companies who more or less control the industry and screw both ends of the chain. I think what the music companies really fear is that someone will come up with a model that will allow the consumer and the artist to make the deal unmediated. The actual recording medium is now irrelevant other than for emotional reasons. In the end its going to take some major artists to abandon their labels for a better idea. What that idea is I don't know.

― Ed (dali), Wednesday, 22 January 2003 21:26 (twenty-three years ago)

The model was and is DIY. This is about who controls the means of producing and distributing information, which in the recording industry happens to be very, very close to the end commodity. It's not a unique problem within capitalism.

― felicity (felicity), Wednesday, 22 January 2003 21:33 (twenty-three years ago)

But Robbie will save us, yes?

― N. (nickdastoor), Thursday, 23 January 2003 23:39 (twenty-three years ago)

my but you're in a funny old mood today, N.

― felicity (felicity), Thursday, 23 January 2003 23:46 (twenty-three years ago)

To be honest, I'm feeling pretty low.

― N. (nickdastoor), Thursday, 23 January 2003 23:49 (twenty-three years ago)

)))))N.(((((

― felicity (felicity), Thursday, 23 January 2003 23:54 (twenty-three years ago)

(those are *hugglez*)

― felicity (felicity), Thursday, 23 January 2003 23:55 (twenty-three years ago)

This problem is one of my main motivations for studying Electrical Engineering. I want to be able to build my own gear that's void of this bollocks, and perhaps gear that can circumvent such "copyright protection" measures.

― Andrew (enneff), Friday, 24 January 2003 11:31 (twenty-three years ago)

Most practical, Andrew! And oh yeah, how's Europe?

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Friday, 24 January 2003 14:59 (twenty-three years ago)

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