There must be a way to protect the revenues of the artists and the production companies. Locking the CDs is half the solution, there should be a way for the consumer to register his/her copy of the CD to unlock it. It should be easy to do but there has to be an agreement between production and software companies.

Pepsi here are starting a sweepstake campaign and are giving away iPod Shuffles. Apple must take part in protecting its international revenue in the iPod department.

Waleed
www.waleedsgallery.biz

What's stopping you buying smaller band's releases on CD? As far as I know, no independent label employs copy protection (if there is, I haven't seen one). As a musician myself (by night. designer by day ;) ), I'd probably prefer people to buy a cd rather than a download. And I can outright guarantee there's nothing stopping you ripping it to iTunes.

I have big issues with the major labels too, copy protection being just one of them, but there is plenty of good music that hasn't been crippled down at your local independent record store (and I'm proud to spend my money at said record stores).

http://www.allofmp3.com is a great site for downloading music *aparently ;-) * but im not sure if its totally legal in countries other than Russia, but still a great site with loads of music. It often has new releases like gorillaz was on there a couple of days after the official release. the site also has a Mac Explorer (email me / ichat me for this download. I got it sent to me from one of the developers there.

allofmp3 :) i like this site

Two years ago, I up and stop purchasing CDs from RIAA-affliated labels. This was back when they first started sueing children and college students left and right. After a few months, I came to the realization that the record label's already got their money from the record and the only person directly hurt by my non-purchases was the artist himself. Granted they're only making fractions of pennies from each sale, but what the label [who really doesn't pay for anything, just loans money to the bands] sees is an artist who isn't selling.

So what does this have to do with you, Ivan? [I thought you might ask that!] I guess it's that there's really no punishing the record labels. They've got the power, they make the rules. I myself listen to mostly independent/small-label artists, where the ratio of money made by the performer and by the label is a little more equitable. And that's about all I've figured out I can do about it.

And Nathan is right, I've never seen DRM on a indie release. In fact, I've never seen it on anything I've bought. I have ripped everything in my collection to my hard drive. Interpol, Sonic Youth, and a few others all seem [from the packaging] to have some kind of protection [maybe] but it's never stopped a CD from ripping. That's just my experience though.

.first the discographic companies who want more and more money, sell the cds at realy high prices! thankin that they are too good.

.then in the scene apears the piracy

.then people stop buying original cds and prefer the pirated ones, because of the money diference..

.then the stupid discographic companies make their cd's "protected" from copy, what realy *#cks the people who buyed the cds and want to rip them to their hardrive or iPod.

.then they see that they can't win against the piracy they attack internet p2p communites! and create stupid associations....

.then an inovative online music selling service apears, the problem is that there are some discographic companies which think they are good and don't gave permission to Apple sell their productions on the internet

who caused this *#ckin situation? THE DISCOGRAPHIC COMPANIES, and who is *#cked up? THE REAL CUSTOMERS!

ahh, and screw cmercial music!

my two cents to the discussion.

peace
//Static

What happened to having the right to make a backup copy of your CD? Unless they invent a completely scratch-proof CD, we need to maintain our right to make a backup copy of our investment. (And even after they invent that, because nothing is indestructible)

Here's the deal. The record industry is actually WAY more evil than you give them credit for. For example:

In what other art form (I'm going ahead and calling mainstream music "art" for the sake of argument here) are you allowed, and even encouraged by your peers to sue other artists because their work may have been "inspired by" your own?

Another example: We never hear of individuals passing away and leaving behind warehouses of original paintings, sculpture, pottery, and the like behind and hear, "we never knew he/she was an artist." It would be very strange, right?

That's because the very nature of art is to be shared with others. We do what we do as visual artists to convey a message, an emotion, promote a product... to whom? Ourselves alone? No. To others.

I view music much in the same light. The record industry will have you believe that they somehow invented the art of music and as such, they have right to dictate to the planet what's acceptable, what's of value musically and what isn't.

Maybe living in Nashville has jaded me just a bit, but as an artist of both visual and musical nature, I'm simply telling it like I see it, but I will stop short of beating a dead horse here and make my point. :)

Does the record industry have the right to do what they do? Sure. In fact, let them have it. There's is a perfect case for the "give-'em-enough-rope-and they'll-hang-themselves scenario.

In the meantime, there's more beautifully creative music that defies genre on the net waiting for you to download and enjoy. In fact, if you like a particular piece, email the artist and ask for the source tracks and do your own remix. The good stuff is out there, you just have to look for it.

A good starting point is the music portion of creativecommons.org.

Terry Thornhill

e-zign Design Group

Once the largest, single industry was looming fiber into cloth. Well, we have machines to do that today. So what about the loomers? Those who sat and made the cloth before machines? Sorry, but your profession is now obsolete.

The record industry didn't invent music, they only developed the media to which the music was "stuck to." Be it vinyl, magnetic tape or digital disc. To the record industry: "I'm sorry. Your product is now obsolete."

Terry Thornhill

e-zign Design Group

In the US you've never had the right to make a backup copy. In Canada they're in the process of making it so we have just as restrictive laws with regards to copy protection. The record companies just don't get it. The more they clamp down on their product, the more people will look for alternatives. The world today is about flexibility and choice. Every market in the world has to deal with new trends with their business, yet the music industry continues to lag behind because they refuse to change their business model. I think in the next 5 years we will start seeing the label system as we know it disintegrate and be reborn. People don't need millions of dollars anymore to make albums. Look at the White Stripes for an example of that. Music is intangible and always has been. The record companies just used tapes, records and CDs as a means of getting music from point a to point b. Now that isn't even necessary. Why take a horse and buggy to where you're going when you can take a car? There is money out there to be made when it comes to music. The music companies just have to figure out how, or else they'll be swallowed up by whoever does.

http://www.slideaway.ca - portfolio

http://www.modsuperstar.ca - now with 23% more iron

Thanks for sharing your views. I'm relieved to see that I'm not alone. :)

Somebody shy to comment sent me this link, which is quite interesting:

A new kind of online music store has arrived, singing a different tune: No major labels allowed!

Launched in the shadow of large digital distribution empires such as Apple's iTunes and Napster, these independents-only music stores are designed to serve musicians who find themselves buried beneath the major labels' artists.

... and it isn't the smell of petroleum refinery plants. New Jersey, yes that state in between NY and PA is trying to get a little more blood from downloaders. Not enough to just to have to pay for each song, now NJ is going to try to implement their 6% tax on each song downloaded. I can see this trend becoming the next
"Tobacco Tax" in the USA. $8 bucks for a pack of cigarettes, one reason i quit, and a starting out $1.06 per song. It will be funny to see if this gets into the system. And I will assume that it'll take off like wild fire - just like the Non-smoking bars in CA, then NY, next NJ. Politicians are probably pissed they haven't been receiving the tax money from people going to the record stores anymore - CAUSE they f**king overcharge.

my 2 cents - with 8.875% NY state tax

What does this button d.... CRAP!

use CD-BABY www.cdbaby.com

they have a deal with apple, all their music gets into itunes, plus they list with all the other music stores as well.

They provide a lot of other services to musicians as well, including: webistes, credit card swipers, cd sales, and $20 UPC barcodes.

The major labels are already dead, they just don'tr know it yet.

copy protection on CD's just makes people stop buying them, originally it was the geeks that ruled the peer to peer networks downloading 'ilegal' mp3's as the masses get more IT savvy they started to hook into these sources for their music. and the age of piracy boomed.

there ARE other options hower, check out sites like http://www.epitonic.com - free and legal mp3 downloads from thousands of artists you may not have heard of but should hear - probably a few you have heard of, but dont hear enogh of too!

ATB. Jim

I also heartily recommend lavamus.com. I'm not about to start buying copy-protected CDs or DRM-encumbered music.
As long as your country does not ban importing music