response 1 of 26:

Apr 3 02:40 UTC 2007

Perhaps someone with a bit more time than I have right now
would like to discuss the announcement today that EMI is 
going to try selling digital files without DRM.
 
This may be motivated by simple desperation.  EMI's 
financial situation is the worst of the Big 4 music companies,
according to music biz blogs.

response 3 of 26:

Apr 3 03:25 UTC 2007

 Digital Rights Management.  Basically copy-prevention technology.
 As with previous copy-prevention technologies, time has shown that
 the people most affected by the DRM turn out to be the paying
 customers.  The filesharers and other infringers either defeat the
 DRM and provide unlocked copies, or share copies derived from media
 that were never protected to begin with (e.g. CDs.)

 But industry-mandated DRM has had a surprising effect not anticipated
 by the record labels who insisted on it -- it has shifted the balance
 of power in the industry *toward* Apple Computer and away from the
 content producers.  [Briefly, the phenomenal twin successes of the
 iPod and the iTunes Music Store have become self-reinforcing and the
 FairPlay DRM technology Apple uses to "protect" iTunes content is a
 big part of this, thanks to the fact that digital music tracks 
 purchased in Apple's proprietary DRM format will not (without a lot
 of hassle) play on other manufacturer's equipment (such as Microsoft's
 new Zune, Sandisk's Sansa players, etc.)]  Since Apple controls so
 much of the player market, record labels who want to sell music tracks
 online are strongly motivated to deal with Apple (on Apple's terms)
 and since record labels are selling music through Apple in formats
 only Apple's players can play, it reinforces Apple's control over the
 digital music player market.

response 5 of 26:

Apr 3 13:25 UTC 2007

Hmmm. I just found out about a site called ruckus.com that has free 
downloads for anyone with an *.edu email address. 

It looks like they have a decent selection. I guess I will finally get 
on this music downloading bandwagon after all. 

response 7 of 26:

Apr 5 01:40 UTC 2007

Mike is correct that the balance of power in the music biz shifted towards
Apple because of DRM, but neglects to mention that Microsoft is also
interested in controlling digital information, and thus far has shown
absolutely no interest in downplaying technologies, like DRM, that allow it
and its partners to control information, instead of that control being in the
hands of the information's owners.

response 9 of 26:

Apr 5 18:48 UTC 2007

Bloggy reports, citing music trade magazine Billboard, say that Apple
paid EMI $5 million for an exclusive window in which Apple's iTunes
will be the only store selling EMI tracks without DRM.

response 11 of 26:

Apr 16 16:39 UTC 2007

Sony appears to be endearing itself to consumers again.
Slashdot carries reports that three recent Sony DVDs, including 
the new Bond film "Casino Royale" and "The Holiday", won't 
play in numerous DVD players.  A quick scan of the user reviews
on Amazon for "Casino Royale" shows numerous confirming reports.
 
According to the stories, Sony is telling the consumers who 
complain that it is a problem with their DVD players.
Sony has added something new to the copy protection.  One sketchy
report is that Sony is trying to defeat multi-region CD players.

response 13 of 26:

Apr 16 17:06 UTC 2007

Caveat Empty

response 15 of 26:

May 4 22:06 UTC 2007

 re #14:  I, too, saw the Slashdot headlines today about "Congress" demanding
 universities explain what they're doing to stop file-sharing.  My question
 was:  is it really "Congress" who's doing the asking (or even a committee
 concerned with the matter) or is it a few congressmen?

response 17 of 26:

May 11 05:02 UTC 2007

Here's two stories which nobody else (so far) has put together.
 
A guy named Hank Risen had a curious piece in The Huffington Post
about a week ago about the threat posed to American creative 
industries by stream ripping software:
 
"Art and Invention Stream Ripped Away"
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/hank-risan/art-and-invention-stream-_b_47496.
html

Though crafted as an essay, this is really a press release -- Google shows
several other sources for it -- and Mr. Risen is demanding that 
Congress mandate the use of his company MRT's digital rights system, 
X1 Secure Recording Control, as part of the pending Congressional
bill lowering Webcaster royalties.  (Which is a whole other topic...)

Now, skip forward about eight days:

http://www.forbes.com/business/feeds/afx/2007/05/10/afx3708595.html

Risen's company MRT, along with a company called Bluebeat, have 
served cease and desist orders to:
   Microsoft
   Apple
   Real
   Adobe
threatening to sue these companies for violating the DMCA by not
using MRT's X1 Secure Recording Control system -- the same system
introduced in the Huffington Post essay -- to prevent copying.

MRT appears to be claiming that because these companies have refused
to use X1 Secure Recording Control, each of their products should be 
treated as one designed to infringe copyright, and therefore the 
companies should be liable for fines of $2000 or so on every sale.

This is rather a novel application of the DMCA and I do expect it to 
be laughed out of court.

response 19 of 26:

May 20 03:18 UTC 2007

The Virgin Megastore outlets in Chicago and Salt Lake City will 
close this summer.  Virgin will have closed seven stores in the 
last year, leaving 11 in the US.   They remain a major music 
retailer in Britain, with about 100 stores there.
 
I used to quip that a Virgin Megastore was like Tower Records, only
without the customer loyalty.  The Chicago Virgin was a fabulous 
store when we visited it around 2001 -- its classical department, in 
a separate room, was one of the best I ever saw, and the world music
section was quite well stocked.  (You all see where this is going, 
don't you...)   A year later, the classical room had been turned 
into the DVD room, and the classical stock had 
been cut by maybe 2/3rds and mostly jammed into a back corner.
We made no further visits.

response 21 of 26:

Jun 8 19:25 UTC 2007

Mock away, but non-traditional retail outlets are selling CDs better
than just about anyone else in brick-and-mortar land.
 
---

Somebody over on velvetrope.com dug out this Wired article from
1997.  Opening quote:  "It's been a tough stretch for the US $40
billion music industry.  The Internet is about to make it a 
hell of a lot worse."

CD burners were just being perceived as a problem for the industry,
as prices were down to about $400 for a burner.
 
http://www.wired.com/culture/lifestyle/news/1997/10/7943

---

Ars Technica reports on Congressional hearings held this week, again,
on the subject of file sharing on universities.  The thrust of the 
hearings seems to be that Congress is going to mandate that universities
install a technological fix to address the issue, whether the fixes
are any good or not.
 
"Congress, RIAA and Universities prepare for P2P 'arms race'"
 
http://arstechnica.com/news.ars/post/20070607-congress-riaa-and-universitie
s-prepare-for-p2p-arms-race.html

The wild claims for the Clouseau system from Safemedia look 
like pure snake oil.
 
University of Utah claims to have achieved a 90% reduction in 
file sharing with a combination of Audible Magic's filtering system
and a 2GB cap on a student's outgoing traffic, though they report
that they are blocking some users of the internet phone system
Skype.

response 23 of 26:

Jun 14 21:05 UTC 2007

One also wonders whether this could increase their liability for the
inevitable copyright-infringing material which slips through their dragnet.