[Troll]

Yes!!! I was one of the thousands of people that complained to consumer protection councils here in France about FNAC and EMI selling copy protected discs as CD's. Seems to have paid off. The French consumer councils have sued FNAC and EMI for "deception in relation to the substantive quality of CD's." Basically they've been passing off protected discs as CD's. Europe is quite far ahead of the US in copyright protection technologies. They've been using us as guinea pigs before releasing the technology in the US. I don't mind them protecting the CD's as such but I mind that it's easy to assume you are going to be able to put the disc on your iPod or play it in your car, when in fact you can't. You often have to look very carefully to see the notice that the disc is protected.

One of the proposals I made was that they be forced to sell the protected discs (which aren't considered to be CD's) in a separate section of the shop with big warnings specifying that they weren't CD's. Whatever the outcome is, looks like the labels are going to have rethink their strategy. That said, the results of the case aren't out yet.

[Logic]

Let's hope "we" win this case and get these CPD's off the market for good.

[Troll]

Actually, there isn't much of a political angle to this is there? Ooops, apologies.

[MacNStein]

Very cool. I mean hell, they aren't "CDs" and shouldn't be marketed and sold as such.

[lil'babykitten]

Poor old record companies. They are desperate to increase their sales!

[typoon]

Originally posted by lil'babykitten:
Poor old record companies. They are desperate to increase their sales!

Unfortunately with Protected CD's the could hurt them more than they are now. These record execs need there heads checked.

[MacGorilla]

Originally posted by typoon:
Unfortunately with Protected CD's the could hurt them more than they are now. These record execs need there heads checked.

Pirates will always find ways around copy protection. All this does is inconvience the average customer, which will hurt the record companies in the long run.

[Troll]

A large number of the original complainants are people who had to take their iMacs back to Apple to get the protected discs out of the drives! They got stuck. I believe that was one of the systems they tested in Europe and then abandoned though.

[Spheric Harlot]

Originally posted by Troll:
A large number of the original complainants are people who had to take their iMacs back to Apple to get the protected discs out of the drives! They got stuck. I believe that was one of the systems they tested in Europe and then abandoned though.

Yes, but the first album they tried that particular method on (the one that could be defeated with a simple marker pen) was a CELINE DION album.

I have no sympathy.

(I do however hope the record companies get this crap stuffed so far up their asses that they start sh¡tting out the mouth - oh wait, they already do.)

-s*

[Logic]

Originally posted by Spheric Harlot:
Yes, but the first album they tried that particular method on (the one that could be defeated with a simple marker pen) was a CELINE DION album.

I have no sympathy.

(I do however hope the record companies get this crap stuffed so far up their asses that they start sh¡tting out the mouth - oh wait, they already do.)

-s*

[Capt.McDuff]

Copy protection has never worked and never will. If I can see, hear, or read it then I can copy it.

[macvillage.net]

Originally posted by MacGorilla:
Pirates will always find ways around copy protection. All this does is inconvience the average customer, which will hurt the record companies in the long run.

That's the bottom line.

Eventually it will be all underground music. The days of professional bands and concerts are drawing to a close.

Concerts today just insurance costs to much for anyone but an elite few to do. Not to mention venue, advertising, and ticketmaster cuts. Tack on security. Concerts are rarely profitable, and even the profitable ones are barely anything to be worth the effort.

They used to do tours to 'promote the record'.... but the record will never be paid for again.

It's P2P and underground.

Even iTunes stands a dim chance. Jobs admits it's only to sell iPods, not make a profit... but eventually mp3 players, like other hardware level off in sales. Then what? Will apple take the cost? Or will record labels? Why would they all spend money and not make any?

Mark my words: no more professional music.

Amature's will finally be on the level with 'professionals'. No longer will one band make it big because they sold their soul, while another doesn't because they want artistic freedom.

But all will have day jobs. No questoin about it.

10-20 years. Closer to 10.

[Capt.McDuff]

The best music on this planet never comes from the pre-packaged filth that the music labels are trying to force upon us. It never has and never will.

Thank God for the internet and it's ability to circumvent the monopoly of the RIAA and MPAA.

[voodoo]

Good news! Hope they win the lawsuit against FNAC and co. Perhaps that will make the record companies cringe a bit over their treatment of lawful record purchasers.

[Spheric Harlot]

Originally posted by macvillage.net:
Mark my words: no more professional music.

Amature's will finally be on the level with 'professionals'. No longer will one band make it big because they sold their soul, while another doesn't because they want artistic freedom.

But all will have day jobs. No questoin about it.

10-20 years. Closer to 10.

That means an awful lot of good people will stop making music that can currently still somehow barely make ends meet.

I dread the day.

[macvillage.net]

Originally posted by Spheric Harlot:
That means an awful lot of good people will stop making music that can currently still somehow barely make ends meet.

I dread the day.

It's already come for some.

There's some talk now about reversing laws prohibiting big tobacco from advertising at things like concerts. Way back when they could, it was lots of money.

Doubt it will happen though.