Comments on: DRM and the new Springsteen http://www.PieAndCoffee.org/2006/06/20/drm-and-the-new-springsteen/ religion, activism, hospitality Sat, 04 Sep 2010 19:29:07 -0500 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.6 hourly 1 By: matthew brown http://www.PieAndCoffee.org/2006/06/20/drm-and-the-new-springsteen/comment-page-1/#comment-3122 matthew brown Tue, 11 Jul 2006 11:59:35 +0000 http://www.PieAndCoffee.org/2006/06/20/drm-and-the-new-springsteen/#comment-3122 Try e-music.com -- they sell music without DRM by subscription. I like it -- and they gave me a free 512 MB nano player for signing up! Try e-music.com — they sell music without DRM by subscription. I like it — and they gave me a free 512 MB nano player for signing up!

]]> By: Adam (Southern California) http://www.PieAndCoffee.org/2006/06/20/drm-and-the-new-springsteen/comment-page-1/#comment-2791 Adam (Southern California) Thu, 22 Jun 2006 21:06:25 +0000 http://www.PieAndCoffee.org/2006/06/20/drm-and-the-new-springsteen/#comment-2791 Matt - sorry for not recognizing the sarcasm. Mike - I think you hit the nail on the head there... serious music piraters aren't stopped by little things like DRM; such things exist only to make life difficult for the casual music fan. It seems idiotic that it took so much time and so much legal wrangling to even get to the point where a halfway-reasonable legal music-downloading site like iTunes even existed. Whatever happened to trying to make money by giving people what they want, rather than trying to keep your industry afloat by harassing and thwarting your customer base? Matt – sorry for not recognizing the sarcasm.

Mike – I think you hit the nail on the head there… serious music piraters aren’t stopped by little things like DRM; such things exist only to make life difficult for the casual music fan. It seems idiotic that it took so much time and so much legal wrangling to even get to the point where a halfway-reasonable legal music-downloading site like iTunes even existed. Whatever happened to trying to make money by giving people what they want, rather than trying to keep your industry afloat by harassing and thwarting your customer base?

]]> By: Mike (Worcester) http://www.PieAndCoffee.org/2006/06/20/drm-and-the-new-springsteen/comment-page-1/#comment-2786 Mike (Worcester) Thu, 22 Jun 2006 17:16:11 +0000 http://www.PieAndCoffee.org/2006/06/20/drm-and-the-new-springsteen/#comment-2786 Matt: Your point is very valid. I hope I don't sound like I want Springsteen to give away his music. What I want is for Springsteen to sell me his music in a format I can listen to. I listen to new music on computers and an mp3 player. It doesn't seem like Springsteen will sell me a copy of the new album that I can listen to--though his label is willing to give me a usable promo copy for free! Not sure if Springsteen is gaining much by using harsh DRM here. People pirating music for money aren't discouraged by such half-assed measures. I don't use file-sharing networks much, so maybe the DRM has kept the new album off them. Somehow I doubt it. I'd buy a copy of this album for my little brother for his birthday, except it's a coin toss whether the non-standard, DRMed commercial version will play on a given player. Matt: Your point is very valid. I hope I don’t sound like I want Springsteen to give away his music. What I want is for Springsteen to sell me his music in a format I can listen to. I listen to new music on computers and an mp3 player. It doesn’t seem like Springsteen will sell me a copy of the new album that I can listen to–though his label is willing to give me a usable promo copy for free!

Not sure if Springsteen is gaining much by using harsh DRM here. People pirating music for money aren’t discouraged by such half-assed measures. I don’t use file-sharing networks much, so maybe the DRM has kept the new album off them. Somehow I doubt it.

I’d buy a copy of this album for my little brother for his birthday, except it’s a coin toss whether the non-standard, DRMed commercial version will play on a given player.

]]> By: Matt Brown http://www.PieAndCoffee.org/2006/06/20/drm-and-the-new-springsteen/comment-page-1/#comment-2784 Matt Brown Thu, 22 Jun 2006 16:47:48 +0000 http://www.PieAndCoffee.org/2006/06/20/drm-and-the-new-springsteen/#comment-2784 Well, my comment was meant to be taken as irony. There will be no "after the revolution" IMHO. OF COURSE the music business is run for profit; therefore it draws its share of sleazebags (the drugs and the sex might help in that regard, too). My point made more directly: If you download music (or other copyrighted material) to your computer without paying for it, then you are helping to remove the motivation for most of the people who are putting stuff out in the first place. If something is open-source, fine; but most music on the market is distributed for profit. If you want free music, fine. I suggest learning to play an instrument. Well, my comment was meant to be taken as irony. There will be no “after the revolution” IMHO. OF COURSE the music business is run for profit; therefore it draws its share of sleazebags (the drugs and the sex might help in that regard, too). My point made more directly: If you download music (or other copyrighted material) to your computer without paying for it, then you are helping to remove the motivation for most of the people who are putting stuff out in the first place. If something is open-source, fine; but most music on the market is distributed for profit. If you want free music, fine. I suggest learning to play an instrument.

]]> By: Adam (Southern California) http://www.PieAndCoffee.org/2006/06/20/drm-and-the-new-springsteen/comment-page-1/#comment-2783 Adam (Southern California) Thu, 22 Jun 2006 16:02:18 +0000 http://www.PieAndCoffee.org/2006/06/20/drm-and-the-new-springsteen/#comment-2783 I don't make my purchases in a vacuum, but I do try to make my music choices based on whether or not I like the music, not whether or not I admire the artist's political and personal stances. That's not to say I'm going to rush out and buy a <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prussian_Blue_%28American_duo%29" rel="nofollow">Prussian Blue</a> album or anything, but trying to make a living as a musician involves dealing with all sorts of sleazy characters. I might prefer that they stick to the highest ethical standards, but I'd rather just buy albums I like than be forced to become a moral clearinghouse for musicians. That said, I've never been a fan of Springsteen's music, but I know Benedetti has liked him for years. I don’t make my purchases in a vacuum, but I do try to make my music choices based on whether or not I like the music, not whether or not I admire the artist’s political and personal stances. That’s not to say I’m going to rush out and buy a Prussian Blue album or anything, but trying to make a living as a musician involves dealing with all sorts of sleazy characters. I might prefer that they stick to the highest ethical standards, but I’d rather just buy albums I like than be forced to become a moral clearinghouse for musicians.

That said, I’ve never been a fan of Springsteen’s music, but I know Benedetti has liked him for years.

]]> By: Matthew Brown http://www.PieAndCoffee.org/2006/06/20/drm-and-the-new-springsteen/comment-page-1/#comment-2779 Matthew Brown Thu, 22 Jun 2006 12:42:05 +0000 http://www.PieAndCoffee.org/2006/06/20/drm-and-the-new-springsteen/#comment-2779 After the revolution (e.g. when music production and distribution is completely freed of financial considerations)you won't want to buy Springsteen's recordings anyway. Has any of you ever read Adam Smith? Springsteen -- and all the people who make his recordings possible -- are TRYING TO MAKE A LIVING. Thus the DRM encoding. If you don't like it, do what I do and buy your music from a source that doesn't feature music with DRM encoding, like emusic.com. Granted, they don't feature Springsteen's work, but WHY WOULD I WANT TO SUPPORT SOMEONE WHO COLLABORATES WITH THE MAN, ANYWAY? After the revolution (e.g. when music production and distribution is completely freed of financial considerations)you won’t want to buy Springsteen’s recordings anyway. Has any of you ever read Adam Smith? Springsteen — and all the people who make his recordings possible — are TRYING TO MAKE A LIVING. Thus the DRM encoding. If you don’t like it, do what I do and buy your music from a source that doesn’t feature music with DRM encoding, like emusic.com. Granted, they don’t feature Springsteen’s work, but WHY WOULD I WANT TO SUPPORT SOMEONE WHO COLLABORATES WITH THE MAN, ANYWAY?

]]> By: Mike (Worcester) http://www.PieAndCoffee.org/2006/06/20/drm-and-the-new-springsteen/comment-page-1/#comment-2716 Mike (Worcester) Wed, 21 Jun 2006 01:40:13 +0000 http://www.PieAndCoffee.org/2006/06/20/drm-and-the-new-springsteen/#comment-2716 Have you seen Downhill Battle's t-shirt? <a href="http://downhillbattle.org/postal/index.php" rel="nofollow">"Home Taping Is Killing The Music Industry: And It's Fun"</a> Have you seen Downhill Battle’s t-shirt?

“Home Taping Is Killing The Music Industry: And It’s Fun”

]]> By: Adam (Southern California) http://www.PieAndCoffee.org/2006/06/20/drm-and-the-new-springsteen/comment-page-1/#comment-2714 Adam (Southern California) Wed, 21 Jun 2006 00:03:18 +0000 http://www.PieAndCoffee.org/2006/06/20/drm-and-the-new-springsteen/#comment-2714 It is pretty nuts, isn't it? I have an LP from the early '80s whose inner sleeve is <a href="http://www.stunned.org/weblog/archives/000015.html" rel="nofollow">some record-company graphic showing</a> an audiocassette with crossbones (mocking the skull & crossbones) and the warning: HOME TAPING IS KILLING MUSIC AND IT'S ILLEGAL Of course, both statements were demonstrably false. It is pretty nuts, isn’t it?

I have an LP from the early ’80s whose inner sleeve is some record-company graphic showing an audiocassette with crossbones (mocking the skull & crossbones) and the warning:

HOME TAPING IS KILLING MUSIC

AND IT’S ILLEGAL

Of course, both statements were demonstrably false.

]]> By: Mike (Worcester) http://www.PieAndCoffee.org/2006/06/20/drm-and-the-new-springsteen/comment-page-1/#comment-2713 Mike (Worcester) Tue, 20 Jun 2006 23:18:48 +0000 http://www.PieAndCoffee.org/2006/06/20/drm-and-the-new-springsteen/#comment-2713 I can accept that someone wants to sell me a CD that has no value. I'm just surprised that the *only* version of this Springsteen album that has value to me---that I can play on my devices---is not the version I can buy, but the version I can get for free! I can accept that someone wants to sell me a CD that has no value.

I’m just surprised that the *only* version of this Springsteen album that has value to me—that I can play on my devices—is not the version I can buy, but the version I can get for free!

]]> By: Adam (Southern California) http://www.PieAndCoffee.org/2006/06/20/drm-and-the-new-springsteen/comment-page-1/#comment-2712 Adam (Southern California) Tue, 20 Jun 2006 22:59:04 +0000 http://www.PieAndCoffee.org/2006/06/20/drm-and-the-new-springsteen/#comment-2712 You're saying you want to be able to play a CD you bought on your computer? You're stealing music! You’re saying you want to be able to play a CD you bought on your computer? You’re stealing music!

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