I knew this had been coming for some time: Labels to Dampen CD Burning.
The recording industry is testing technology that would prevent consumers from making copies of CD "burns," a piracy defense that could put some significant new restrictions on legally purchased music.
Tools under review by the major labels would limit the number of backups that could be made from ordinary compact discs and prevent copied, or "burned," versions from being used to create further copies, according to Macrovision and SunnComm International, rivals that are developing competing versions of the digital rights management (DRM) software.
When are they going to learn that people don't like being controlled? This reminds me of Disney's initial concerns over VCRs in the 1970s. There's a story that Disney executives couldn't grasp how they were going to charge home viewers each time they played a tape. They also didn't understand how they could ensure the proper number of viewers would be charged. They saw the VCR as a threat to ticket sales, which they only revenue model they understood, similar to the way that dogs only understand certain words like "walkies" and "food" and "get in the car".
So now, technology has changed and the RIAA is doing the same thing. Instead of figuring out new revenue models, they want to cripple our existing technology. This is over-the-top ridiculous. Do they also want to charge us every time we get a song stuck in our heads and sing or hum it? If that's the case, I must owe the RIAA several thousand dollars for "Afternoon Delight" and "Brickhouse", which haunt me regularly.
I think I should be able to charge companies for my eye time. It's only fair. If they want to be the intellectual property police, then I should protect my eyes and ears from their intellectual property unless I ask for it. I want a dollar for every time I see an ad for one of their "artists" (notice the sneer quotes). In addition, I want $2.00 for every time I hear a song that sucks. Brittany Spears alone could pay for my retirement at this point.
I can't keep the RIAA from shoving their crap boy bands down my throat; the least they could do is leave my computer alone.
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Long Way From Home by The Heavy