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subego · Mar 3, 2012, 12:00 PM

I wanted a song. It was "Album Only".

It took me 15 seconds to steal it off the web, no client needed except my browser.

In another 10 seconds it was through iTunes Match and I was downloading the iTunes version.

I went into this enterprise with the full intention of paying you. Don't you stupid ****ups realize that?

turtle777 · Mar 3, 2012, 12:11 PM

No, they don't. Music Industry executives (and some musicians) seem to be born morons.

-t

subego · Mar 3, 2012, 12:14 PM

The industry needs to die in a fire.

ghporter · Mar 3, 2012, 08:32 PM

NO, but the executives need to "get burned" one way or another so they start actually thinking about how THEY are killing sales.

jmiddel · Mar 4, 2012, 12:31 AM

If only THEY would engage us as the significant others that feed them rather than as naughty children, we could co-operate. THEY see it it as zero-sum, we as win-win.

mduell · Mar 4, 2012, 11:10 PM

Oblig Oatmeal

subego · Mar 4, 2012, 11:27 PM

Worth it for "****hammer".

ghporter · Mar 5, 2012, 05:31 AM

That wasn't the "*****" I was expecting. Totally worth it!

OreoCookie · Mar 5, 2012, 06:02 AM

I ran into a similar unreasonable problem: I've downloaded a few episodes of House in HD. This time, I wanted to watch them on my large external screen, but all I got was a warning that I'm not allowed to play back video on my external monitor. I forgot about the condition that the connection to the monitor must be encrypted, argh! (I connect my monitor via DVI and a DisplayPort-DVI adapter.)

Why does the industry punish honest people? If I had pirated those episodes instead, I wouldn't have any restrictions on how to play them back.

subego · Mar 5, 2012, 07:06 AM

Originally Posted by OreoCookie

I ran into a similar unreasonable problem: I've downloaded a few episodes of House in HD. This time, I wanted to watch them on my large external screen, but all I got was a warning that I'm not allowed to play back video on my external monitor. I forgot about the condition that the connection to the monitor must be encrypted, argh! (I connect my monitor via DVI and a DisplayPort-DVI adapter.)

Why does the industry punish honest people? If I had pirated those episodes instead, I wouldn't have any restrictions on how to play them back.

I actually had that copy protection trip for a Mac connected to a compliant TV. HDMI to HDMI.

mduell · Mar 5, 2012, 09:44 AM

Originally Posted by subego

I actually had that copy protection trip for a Mac connected to a compliant TV. HDMI to HDMI.

HDMI doesn't imply HDCP (it's optional).

Also there are a variety of crappy HDCP implementations on the market.

OreoCookie · Mar 5, 2012, 09:47 AM

Originally Posted by subego

I actually had that copy protection trip for a Mac connected to a compliant TV. HDMI to HDMI.

Do you know of any workaround?

P · Mar 5, 2012, 10:12 AM

Originally Posted by mduell

HDMI doesn't imply HDCP (it's optional).

Also there are a variety of crappy HDCP implementations on the market.

Technically you are right - it is the "HD Ready" logo that requires HDCP. HDMI does however require (from 1.3 on) that if HDCP is included, it must pass certain tests.

FWIW, I have never seen an HDMI-capable TV that does not support HDCP.

mduell · Mar 5, 2012, 11:10 AM

Originally Posted by OreoCookie

Do you know of any workaround?

HDFury

But that only works for HDMI/HDCP sources, not your case of a crappy adapter breaking the secure chain.

OreoCookie · Mar 5, 2012, 12:17 PM

Originally Posted by mduell

HDFury

But that only works for HDMI/HDCP sources, not your case of a crappy adapter breaking the secure chain.

The adapter isn't crappy, it works perfectly, it's DRM that's crappy

The Final Dakar · Mar 5, 2012, 01:10 PM

subego, why do you feel entitled to purchase any song as a single?

lpkmckenna · Mar 5, 2012, 01:20 PM

It is Big Media that are a bunch of raging ****hammers. The president of the RIAA still doesn't think that CD ripping is fair use.

The Oatmeal comic is cut off in the sixth panel. But that's ok, I saw it a few days ago.

The "album only" thing is an issue of big media believing bundling is a worthwhile strategy, when it's just a consumer-hostile strategy. We see it all the time with stupid bundling plans in cable television, or the fact that you can't buy Revenge of the Sith on Blu-Ray without buying the entire prequel trilogy in a single bundle. Of course, you can't see any of the Star Wars flicks on Netflix, on iTunes, or anywhere else online.

And then there's the ridiculous scam that is Digital Copy, which will expire if you don't install it fast enough. I actually used my Digital Copy of Watchmen, only to discover that it's a different version of the film: the DVD is the extended edition, the DC is the theatrical version. A proper rip of the film solved that stupidity.

My biggest gripe is that DVDs now don't include all the content of the Blu-Ray (a tech I'm not gonna adopt anyway). I was pissed when I discovered that The Dark Knight DVD didn't include a director commentary, but the Blu-Ray did. WTF?

lpkmckenna · Mar 5, 2012, 01:21 PM

Originally Posted by The Final Dakar

subego, why do you feel entitled to purchase any song as a single?

Ah yes, the "entitlement" smear.

Athens · Mar 5, 2012, 01:32 PM

The industry killed itself. Apple showed them the way with 99 cent music and it created a paying industry in spite of the fact you could get the music totally free. But at 99 cents it made it affordable to spend money. Movie industry needs to catch up. I will not spend 20 bucks on a digital movie. I won't spend 5.00 on a rental either.

mduell · Mar 5, 2012, 02:30 PM

Originally Posted by lpkmckenna

The Oatmeal comic is cut off in the sixth panel. But that's ok, I saw it a few days ago.

I linked to the full version at Oatmeal's site, I just posted the first image.

The Final Dakar · Mar 5, 2012, 02:34 PM

Originally Posted by lpkmckenna

Ah yes, the "entitlement" smear.

It seemed like it was missing.

turtle777 · Mar 5, 2012, 03:08 PM

Note to self: get Game of Thrones.

-t

subego · Mar 5, 2012, 03:12 PM

Originally Posted by mduell

HDMI doesn't imply HDCP (it's optional).

Also there are a variety of crappy HDCP implementations on the market.

My point was I didn't have DVI in the chain.

subego · Mar 5, 2012, 03:27 PM

Originally Posted by The Final Dakar

subego, why do you feel entitled to purchase any song as a single?

Not a bad question.

Upon reflection I'd say it's mainly because that's the model for the store I patronize.

subego · Mar 5, 2012, 03:58 PM

Originally Posted by OreoCookie

Do you know of any workaround?

Bitching to Apple got me my money back, but no Mythbusters.

OreoCookie · Mar 6, 2012, 04:07 AM

Originally Posted by The Final Dakar

subego, why do you feel entitled to purchase any song as a single?

That's the wrong question. The right one is: do media companies want to make money by selling stuff people want? Here, some media company lost some business.

Demonhood · Mar 6, 2012, 03:59 PM

Originally Posted by subego

Not a bad question.

Upon reflection I'd say it's mainly because that's the model for the store I patronize.

But you've got to ask yourself: Do more people buy the entire album (because they, after being unable to buy the single, sample the rest of the songs on the album and discover they're of a similar quality)? Or do more people give up and then find a way to retrieve the file illegally?

In the first instance, someone is spending $10 or so.
If it was available as a single, you'd be spending $1.
Are there 10X more people that get pissed and pirate it than folks that buy the whole album? I'm not sure, but it seems entirely possible.

subego · Mar 6, 2012, 05:52 PM

My experience has been albums with songs of similar quality don't offer album only songs.

It is used exclusively when the rest of the album is a stinking pile.

Salty · Mar 7, 2012, 10:18 AM

I found this problem on a few compilation albums, Switchfoot's best of had ONE new song, (actually it was from the Narnia movies which also had it as album only on their sound tracks), they also had a song on Hawaii Five O's sound track that was album only. Mat Kearney had a great song on Soul Surfer's sound track which was also album only. In all cases it took me about twenty minutes to find the free version online and I've enjoyed the song. I often buy whole albums, but especially for compilations it's stupid as hell.

Then you also get albums that don't get released on Canadian iTunes because the labels want us to go get the CD. Hence the album gets pirated.