Comments on: Switchfoot on DRM

By: Reader's Write

Reader's Write — Sat, 01 Oct 2005 21:11:07 +0000

when major labels stop making money from the artists

By: Reader's Write

Reader's Write — Sat, 24 Sep 2005 00:55:57 +0000

please don’t be mean to my good buddy Tim Foreman, whom I just saw in concert!!! Yay for Tim!

By: Reader's Write

Reader's Write — Fri, 23 Sep 2005 02:03:58 +0000

OK, so the DRM mechanism is software automatically installed on your Windows computer by software on the CD? And to make it work, you have to leave enabled a very dangerous misfeature of an operating system renowned for awful security? People who are actually affected by this get exactly what they deserve for their ignorance. Seriously.

I would have to go through hours of effort and seriously inconvenience myself before that DRM mechanism would actually restrict my access to the CD audio data. It’s as effective as writing “please don’t copy this disc” on the CD, except that in this case computers running WIndows actually read those instructions and comply with them (apparently without the user’s consent, before the user is given the option of installing or refusing to install software). That has got to be the stupidest technical measure I’ve ever seen. The only thing stupider is that it actually works because so many people’s machines are configured to be insecure by default.

I wonder if there are any CD drives that have upgradable firmware and that can accept firmware upgrades on CD’s. That would effectively do the same thing that this toy DRM system does, but without the possibility of working around it. On the other hand, it would make it possible to burn CD-R’s that instantly, automatically, and permanently disable CD drives…so hopefully it never happens.

By: Reader's Write

Reader's Write — Thu, 22 Sep 2005 07:29:42 +0000

Doesn’t matter if the CDs include DRM as DRM can’t work. All it takes is one person out of the 6.5 billion people to have the technical skills to decode the DRM and then make it available to everyone else in a DRM-free format. There is no way to make content available to a digital device without making it also available to a technically sophisticated person in control of that device.

All DRM does is provide motivation for people to get their content from other than authorized choices.

Letter to an MP where I spoke about the snake-oil of DRM:
http://www.digital-copyright.ca/node/1050

By: Reader's Write

Reader's Write — Tue, 20 Sep 2005 23:22:30 +0000

*and* everyone knows that Sony’s forums aren’t well watched by administrators, those are moderated by normal users.

By: Reader's Write

Reader's Write — Tue, 20 Sep 2005 09:32:24 +0000

That post was replied to almost immediately after it was posted by a member of the message board, which in turn shows that whether or not Sony would’ve removed the post, there was already someone, probably more than one person, who read it before Sony even realized it was there. Basically, removing the post would’ve drawn more attention to it

By: Reader's Write

Reader's Write — Tue, 20 Sep 2005 02:40:53 +0000

I seem to recall that Coldplay’s “X & Y” was being leeched via Bit Torrent far and wide at least two weeks before the ‘official’ release date. Apparently the ‘promo’ copies of CDs don’t include DRM at this point. It would likely irritate the recipients who are general program directors and DJs at radio stations, concert promoters, booking agents for television productions, etc.

By: Reader's Write

Reader's Write — Tue, 20 Sep 2005 01:41:17 +0000

Really need a “roll eyes” smiley right now.

I was inferring to the fact that it is posted on SONY’s music forum, and the fact that everyone was praising Switchfoot for a statement that obviously had to be allowed by admins employed by SONY. If SONY didn’t want this info broadcasted, SONY could have removed it from SONY’s forum.

Clear enuff??

By: Reader's Write

Reader's Write — Mon, 19 Sep 2005 23:22:30 +0000

“Did this escape everyone’s eye?”

Nope, only yours. This is right at the top of the story “Hello friends,” posts the band’s Tim on the band’s Sony Music forum.

By: Reader's Write

Reader's Write — Mon, 19 Sep 2005 22:03:52 +0000

“..posts the band’s Tim on the band’s Sony Music forum”

Did this escape everyone’s eye? Who controls the board that this “rebelious hack” is posted?

I think this is an unholy covenant between Switchfoot and Sony to play good cop/bad cop, which will result in the sympathy, anti-corporation, and “Yeah! Stick it to the man! I’m supporting this artist fer sher” purchases. Sony could care less than what’s shown on the bottom line.

By: Reader's Write

Reader's Write — Mon, 19 Sep 2005 20:25:43 +0000

i’d never heard of switchfoot.

because of this article, i just used the search engine here and found a couple of torrents for the album.

it’s really good – use the search engine here and get it now.

By: Reader's Write

Reader's Write — Mon, 19 Sep 2005 20:12:02 +0000

Stop using Winblows and start using Linux (BSD or other os’s). Demonstrate your frustrations to the lables by using LimeWire to receive your intertainment instead of buying music from the store. Make the cartels irrelavent like they are trying to do with the wishes of their customers.

By: Reader's Write

Reader's Write — Mon, 19 Sep 2005 19:39:51 +0000

I have nothing but admiration for artists who, first and foremost, want to get their music in front of as wide an audience as possible with as little hassle as possible. But I strongly suspect that, when Switchfoot signed with Sony, they signed over rights to their music, at least for a while. If so, I’m afraid Sony might go after them for facillitating the circumvention of copy protection on their own music!

How long will it be before we see major labels suing artists for this sort of thing?