full-disclosure - Re: Do you really think CDs will be protected in future?

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Message-ID: <004c01c38e8c$9be33430$6401a8c0@andromeda>
From: prp17 at adelphia.net (Phillip R. Paradis)
Subject: Re: Do you really think CDs will be protected in future?

> And since you asked for my opinion, (although I know I will get flamed 
> for this) I think the recording industry does have a case. I have seen 
> many a music lover who never bought any CDs. But they are going about it 
> in a wrong way. What they need to do is this:

I agree that they do have a case. I think, however, their problems are
entirely of their own creation.

> 1.) Decrease prices. Today, there is a virtual cartel on the 
> CD market, almost every CD costs the same, no matter whom is it released
by etc. 
...

Agreed.

> 2.) Offer added value. Good artists and managers have known this for a 
> long time. People will more likely buy a record which also has nice 
> artwork, exclusive content (maybe printed) or gives access to online 
> content or such.

True enough, though such things will get copied also. New Line Cinemas did
something interesting with it's Lord of the Rings movies; they released an
extended version of the movie (on 5 DVDs) that also included (among other
extras) a pair of miniature statues from the movie. This edition is a bit
expensive, but copying it entirely is rather difficult. (If anyone disputes
this, would they please email me a 5lb stone statue...)

> 3.) Offer digital downloads and "on-demand" CD generation. Quite often, 
> I may want my personal "Best of" which is not the same as theirs. Or I 
> may want individual tracks. The price should be reasonable, of course.

The price should be free, if you can show that you have purchased CDs which
already contain those tracks. US Copyright law provides for fair use; making
copies of a work for your own use certainly qualifies as fair use. Why then,
should I be forced to pay an additional fee for a right I am supposedly
given by law?

> 4.) Quit copy protection, since it does more harm than good: previously 
> it was unheard of, that people would bring back CDs to the store because 
> it did not work for them. This causes confusion and hurts sales exactly 
> to the non-technical. In the interim, all copy-protected CDs should be 
> clearly labeled as such in the native language of the country of sale 
> (which is to say, English is not enough)

Agreed, for the most part. As I work for a retailer, however, I know that
what consumers think is irrelevant to the record folks. The retailer I work
for has an agreement with it's suppliers such that once a customer opens a
CD (or DVD, VHS tape, software package, etc) they cannot return it, unless
the media is defective, in which case they get another copy of the same
product only. So if your newly purchased CD is copy protected and won't play
in your CD player, you're stuck with it anyway, unless you want to get
another copy of the same useless disc.