Comments on: Zunacy http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2006/11/26/zunacy/ I am an astronomer, writer, and skeptic. I likes reality the way it is, and I aims to keep it that way. My real name is Phil Plait, and I run the Bad Astronomy blog. Mon, 09 Nov 2009 05:51:56 -0600 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.4 hourly 1 By: Irishman http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2006/11/26/zunacy/comment-page-1/#comment-24359 Irishman Wed, 29 Nov 2006 20:35:15 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2006/11/26/zunacy/#comment-24359 Yeah, that's a bad philosophy, the more you comply the more you're penalized. Yeah, that’s a bad philosophy, the more you comply the more you’re penalized.

]]> By: Valhar2000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2006/11/26/zunacy/comment-page-1/#comment-24358 Valhar2000 Tue, 28 Nov 2006 11:00:03 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2006/11/26/zunacy/#comment-24358 Well, I talk about "the war on customers" because I am also somewhat familiar with the practices video game developers are engaging in nowadays to prevent piracy, some of which really do constitute an attack on paying customer (particularly since the pirate, who does not pay for the game, gets a game that does not have these nasty features, so the game developers are now actually penalising the people who pay before they play). With DRM and all these things, we are coming to something similar in the music industry: if you download an mp3 illegally you get a file that is more useful and versatile than the DRM-protected mp3 you buy. Well, I talk about “the war on customers” because I am also somewhat familiar with the practices video game developers are engaging in nowadays to prevent piracy, some of which really do constitute an attack on paying customer (particularly since the pirate, who does not pay for the game, gets a game that does not have these nasty features, so the game developers are now actually penalising the people who pay before they play).

With DRM and all these things, we are coming to something similar in the music industry: if you download an mp3 illegally you get a file that is more useful and versatile than the DRM-protected mp3 you buy.

]]> By: Davis http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2006/11/26/zunacy/comment-page-1/#comment-24357 Davis Mon, 27 Nov 2006 20:51:07 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2006/11/26/zunacy/#comment-24357 <blockquote>Regarding DRM, it all seems to be part of the huge modern war that all publishers are waging against their customers.</blockquote> A little plug, for those annoyed with DRM -- tracks downloaded from emusic have no DRM attached. They're plain old mp3 files. The catch? You pay for a monthly allocation of downloads, rather than per song, and their catalog is comprised entirely of independent labels. I'm rather fond of them.

Regarding DRM, it all seems to be part of the huge modern war that all publishers are waging against their customers.

A little plug, for those annoyed with DRM — tracks downloaded from emusic have no DRM attached. They’re plain old mp3 files. The catch? You pay for a monthly allocation of downloads, rather than per song, and their catalog is comprised entirely of independent labels. I’m rather fond of them.

]]> By: Michelle http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2006/11/26/zunacy/comment-page-1/#comment-24356 Michelle Mon, 27 Nov 2006 20:16:04 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2006/11/26/zunacy/#comment-24356 Microsoft's Zune sucks? Am I surprised? Eeeh.... No. I'm not :P Microsoft’s Zune sucks? Am I surprised?

Eeeh…. No. I’m not :P

]]> By: hale_bopp http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2006/11/26/zunacy/comment-page-1/#comment-24355 hale_bopp Mon, 27 Nov 2006 18:13:28 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2006/11/26/zunacy/#comment-24355 Let's not forget the blank CD nonsense. Some are marketed as "music" CDs and some are marketed as "Data" CDs. The "music" CDs cost more and pay a royalty to the music indusrty. What is the difference between them? Nothing from what I can tell. I buy data CDs and burn music to them all the time (copies of music I bought legally...I keep copies in my car. If someone breaks into my car, they can steal copied CDs and I still have the originals). Personally, my mp3 player is filled with all the free NPR and astronomy podcasts and I don't have a single song on it! Rob Let’s not forget the blank CD nonsense. Some are marketed as “music” CDs and some are marketed as “Data” CDs. The “music” CDs cost more and pay a royalty to the music indusrty. What is the difference between them? Nothing from what I can tell. I buy data CDs and burn music to them all the time (copies of music I bought legally…I keep copies in my car. If someone breaks into my car, they can steal copied CDs and I still have the originals).

Personally, my mp3 player is filled with all the free NPR and astronomy podcasts and I don’t have a single song on it!

Rob

]]> By: Kaptain K http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2006/11/26/zunacy/comment-page-1/#comment-24354 Kaptain K Mon, 27 Nov 2006 13:35:54 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2006/11/26/zunacy/#comment-24354 The music industry is a double rip off! Not only do we the consumers pay outrageous amounts for he music, but the musicians get almost none of it. Although recording hardware and software that can rival the quality of the big studios are available and affordable to the working musician, recording contracts require that all recordings must be done in the company studios. The cost of the studio is charged against future artist royalties. Although the artist (probably) wrote the songs, recorded the songs and toured to promote the songs, the studio keeps ~90% of the money and, as I said, takes the costs of production out of the artists ~10%! The music industry is a double rip off!
Not only do we the consumers pay outrageous amounts for he music, but the musicians get almost none of it. Although recording hardware and software that can rival the quality of the big studios are available and affordable to the working musician, recording contracts require that all recordings must be done in the company studios. The cost of the studio is charged against future artist royalties. Although the artist (probably) wrote the songs, recorded the songs and toured to promote the songs, the studio keeps ~90% of the money and, as I said, takes the costs of production out of the artists ~10%!

]]> By: Evolving Squid http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2006/11/26/zunacy/comment-page-1/#comment-24353 Evolving Squid Mon, 27 Nov 2006 12:01:19 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2006/11/26/zunacy/#comment-24353 What I find interesting is that the video industry was sent a pretty clear message about DRM when the DivX vs DVD battle was quickly and decisively won by the DVD format, and although there might be some piracy, DVDs are still sold in huge quantities. The music world will learn this eventually, and they'll learn it the way the DivX folks learned it: people won't pay for the music just like they didn't pay for DivX disks. What I find interesting is that the video industry was sent a pretty clear message about DRM when the DivX vs DVD battle was quickly and decisively won by the DVD format, and although there might be some piracy, DVDs are still sold in huge quantities. The music world will learn this eventually, and they’ll learn it the way the DivX folks learned it: people won’t pay for the music just like they didn’t pay for DivX disks.

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