daved
30 Jul 2003, 03:53 PM
I've only been involved in a couple crusades, but with the emergence of Buymusic and labels rush to wma format I've decided it's time to speak out:
Just say no to Windows Media files. Especially the free ones (yeah, I know that includes almost every major label band's freebies).
There's no reason to caution people against buying the drek being sold by buymusic.com, but I'll take just a second to skewer it with authority: the files don't sound especially good (compared to AAC), and come with so many restrictions and so little flexibility that they are truly worthless. Speaking as someone with a library of 3000 or so files (all legit, thank you) on my computer and iPod, I can say with reasonable certainty that no human being can or will ever keep straight the scope and range of deals that apply to these files. Which ones burn, copy or play is a total crapshoot, making rational use of your legitimate purchases difficult to impossible. Most sensible users will figure this out when they click into buymusic.com the first time and see the row of confusing rights-management icons and simply pass. But, if you actually USE digital files in your daily life, you don't need to waste a single second at buymusic.com. Move on. This place is empty.
The real danger is the WMA freebies. You know, the files all the labels are suddenly offering you for free. Be afraid. Be very afraid. They're a trojan horse to a dark, silent future.
If you download these files you send a message: I'm willing to take it deep and hard, allow me to hold my cheeks for you. You're signing onto a deal between devils: major labels and microsoft, in collusion to ultimately control how and where you listen to music you buy. If they find no resistance to this format, and see downloads increasing, they'll use that as evidence to support their bad ideas and unamerican plans (the RIAA and MPAA have perverted the legal concept of "fair use" and "copy rights", twisting them far away from the original intentions).
Windows Media was designed by lawyers, who built restrictions on every concievable use for your into the files themselves. While this isn't a bad thing in and of itself, it is a radical shift from the compulsory and blanket rights structures of conventional media. There is no precedent or rationale, other than fear, for this change.
Every time you download a WMA file, you're voting for a bad format, and against your own rights. When you install the Win Media Player 9 on your computer you're not just saying NO to your present and future rights. You also write off open standards and rationality in the music industry. Your continued downloading of these files sets a bad precedent, assuring your children will never be able to enjoy or use music as you do today. The world will be a grayer, duller place if Win Media files become the standard.
When you see the Win Media logo on music, just say no. No matter how good the song or how great the artist, resist.
Don't stop there. Spread the word. Let people know that it doesn't have to be this way. AAC/MP4 is a rights managed open standard that protects artist and fan equally. It's implementation is being fought tooth and nail by the record industry and Microsoft... indeed this is a Cage Match for the ages!
Say no to Win Media. Screw them before they screw you and generations of fans to come. We are writing the book for the new century... lets turn the page on the ignorance and fear that have defined every major label foray into online delivery so far. Don't even look at those files, and for god sake, don't buy the junk being sold on buymusic.com (it's a really offensively lousy deal compared to the alternative offered at iTunes Music Store... if I were a wintel user I'd be furious that they took me for such a fool).
-d-
PS: If you're waiting on iTunes for Wintel, don't hold your breath. The majors are sticking it to Apple since it's been successful, holding out for a model more like Buymusic where THEY control price, and set it 20-30% higher and deliver music with rights-grenades minus the pins. When buymusic flops (either going belly up or selling less than iTunes to a market that's 30X bigger), they'll come around and others will replace them with good files at a fair price, provided the market forcefully rejects the entire winmedia initiative.
Just say no to Windows Media files. Especially the free ones (yeah, I know that includes almost every major label band's freebies).
There's no reason to caution people against buying the drek being sold by buymusic.com, but I'll take just a second to skewer it with authority: the files don't sound especially good (compared to AAC), and come with so many restrictions and so little flexibility that they are truly worthless. Speaking as someone with a library of 3000 or so files (all legit, thank you) on my computer and iPod, I can say with reasonable certainty that no human being can or will ever keep straight the scope and range of deals that apply to these files. Which ones burn, copy or play is a total crapshoot, making rational use of your legitimate purchases difficult to impossible. Most sensible users will figure this out when they click into buymusic.com the first time and see the row of confusing rights-management icons and simply pass. But, if you actually USE digital files in your daily life, you don't need to waste a single second at buymusic.com. Move on. This place is empty.
The real danger is the WMA freebies. You know, the files all the labels are suddenly offering you for free. Be afraid. Be very afraid. They're a trojan horse to a dark, silent future.
If you download these files you send a message: I'm willing to take it deep and hard, allow me to hold my cheeks for you. You're signing onto a deal between devils: major labels and microsoft, in collusion to ultimately control how and where you listen to music you buy. If they find no resistance to this format, and see downloads increasing, they'll use that as evidence to support their bad ideas and unamerican plans (the RIAA and MPAA have perverted the legal concept of "fair use" and "copy rights", twisting them far away from the original intentions).
Windows Media was designed by lawyers, who built restrictions on every concievable use for your into the files themselves. While this isn't a bad thing in and of itself, it is a radical shift from the compulsory and blanket rights structures of conventional media. There is no precedent or rationale, other than fear, for this change.
Every time you download a WMA file, you're voting for a bad format, and against your own rights. When you install the Win Media Player 9 on your computer you're not just saying NO to your present and future rights. You also write off open standards and rationality in the music industry. Your continued downloading of these files sets a bad precedent, assuring your children will never be able to enjoy or use music as you do today. The world will be a grayer, duller place if Win Media files become the standard.
When you see the Win Media logo on music, just say no. No matter how good the song or how great the artist, resist.
Don't stop there. Spread the word. Let people know that it doesn't have to be this way. AAC/MP4 is a rights managed open standard that protects artist and fan equally. It's implementation is being fought tooth and nail by the record industry and Microsoft... indeed this is a Cage Match for the ages!
Say no to Win Media. Screw them before they screw you and generations of fans to come. We are writing the book for the new century... lets turn the page on the ignorance and fear that have defined every major label foray into online delivery so far. Don't even look at those files, and for god sake, don't buy the junk being sold on buymusic.com (it's a really offensively lousy deal compared to the alternative offered at iTunes Music Store... if I were a wintel user I'd be furious that they took me for such a fool).
-d-
PS: If you're waiting on iTunes for Wintel, don't hold your breath. The majors are sticking it to Apple since it's been successful, holding out for a model more like Buymusic where THEY control price, and set it 20-30% higher and deliver music with rights-grenades minus the pins. When buymusic flops (either going belly up or selling less than iTunes to a market that's 30X bigger), they'll come around and others will replace them with good files at a fair price, provided the market forcefully rejects the entire winmedia initiative.