Barenaked Ladies, DRM, USB
p2p news view / p2pnet: A Seattle Post-Intelligencer article mentioned Toronto`s Barenaked Ladies were making some of their music available for sale on a USB Drive.
Wanting to find out more, I asked the following on their BBS:
While I shouldn’t have to ask, the Sony-BMG “rootkit” scandal suggests that I need to. Is there any “software” on this memory stick, and are all the files (not just the “For The Holidays” MP3’s) in a vendor-neutral standard file format (IE: no Windows Media, Apple “FairPlay” or other Digital Restrictions Management)?
To protect my personal privacy and security I run Linux, and don’t install software that isn’t licensed such that it can be publicly audited (IE: I only use Free/Libre and Open Source Software flora.ca/floss )
Has anyone bought one of these, and is a technical person able to comment?
I’d love to BLOG about this on digital-copyright.ca, but without having this important question answered it is hard to know.
One anonymous board member indicated that there was no DRM.
BNL’s label, Nettwerk Music Group, has been listed as a CRIA member and its ceo seems to have been misinformed and lobbying alongside Henderson and others (See: New haven for free music: Canada, in CSMonitor). Does anyone have any more recent information on this label’s views on DRM and policy such as Bill C-60? I’m not going to pay money to help fund a supporter of C-60 style laws.
This is an interesting idea, and one that I hope is taken up by one of the independents as another innovative DRM-free way to sell music.
Russell McOrmond – p2pnet contributing editor
[McOrmond is an independent author (software and non-software) who uses modern business models and licensing (Free/Libre and Open Source Software, Creative Commons).]
December 1st, 2005 at 1:05 am
On behalf of the label, I can tell you the answer is that BNL USB does NOT contain any:
DRM
SPYWARE
ADWARE
VIRUSES
HIDDEN SOFTWARE
The majority of the content is in vendor-neutral standard file formats. Specifically non-DRM MP3 formats. Although the videos are Apple QuickTime but they do not contain any DRM. Same is true for downloads sold directly from our website, http://www.nettmusic.com. We are all about offering DRM-free alternatives!
Megan Healy
Nettwerk Records
megan at nettwerk dot com
December 1st, 2005 at 10:29 pm
Awesome, I wasn’t aware of this. I just checked your site and you have a few artists I like, such as BT, Delerium and Tiesto, so I’m sure there’ll be more stuff on there similar to that which I might like.