Hard News by Russell Brown

Read Post

Hard News: You've gotta hand it to Steve

87 Responses

First ←Older Page 1 2 3 4 Newer→ Last

  • slarty,

    Thanks Robyn - that's nearly the one. i wish I could find it... maybe it's a conspiracy.

    Today I was ranting on about identity authentication, and it made me realise that the reason we stuff up our proof of ID (eg. passports, ID cards etc.) so often is that we can't menatlly distinguish between the medium and the content. We are not our body, we are our mind.

    It's a very similar problem to Rights Management - music is not a CD or a sheet of paper, it is the intellectual content.

    Yet we continue to fail to educate people about this difference, and then we end up with compliance (rights) issues...

    Hey, maybe there's a philosophical work in this :)

    Since Nov 2006 • 290 posts Report Reply

  • Hamboy,

    my excuse is I'm terminally lazy I guess, I'm continually sending emails full of typos and missed words..I write and hit send...

    It's the post button.
    You can proof read and correct your post as many times as you wish, but the post button will add typos.
    I've noticed print buttons do the samething.

    Christchurch • Since Dec 2006 • 162 posts Report Reply

  • Simon Grigg,

    Apple is now talking about going into the song rental business. Frankly it feels like Jobs is floundering around as much as the major Record Companies now. This is getting more bizarre by the day. Apple / ITMS look more and more like a large cul de sac off the road to the future.

    And, whilst I'm in a grump...why do these American commentators continue to throw US figures around as it they are global...the US is slightly less than the EU in market share now, and shrinking.

    Just another klong... • Since Nov 2006 • 3284 posts Report Reply

  • amalmac,

    One of the issues that is being missed is that music is collected. Who believes that their DRM embedded original files are going to work in five years time let alone two? I personally have the first single that I bought mumble years ago.

    As far as the death of the album... check out the bittorrent sites, you will see albums being offered and downloaded in vast quantities. I put forward that these are being collected rather then seriously listened to, they were never sales in the first place.

    Since Apr 2007 • 4 posts Report Reply

  • Nobody Important,

    Who believes that their DRM embedded original files are going to work in five years time let alone two?

    Excellent point! Reminds me of how we all had to pay again when we switched from vinyl to CD's. At least then we were paying (albeit well above true cost) for a physical, manufactured product. I shudder to think what will happen in the future when our 'old' digital downloads won't play on the latest output device and we're asked to download (and pay) again.

    Hmmmm ..... actually .... isn't this already happening with PS3? .... original Playstation games won't play on the new console??

    expat • Since Mar 2007 • 319 posts Report Reply

  • Kyle Matthews,

    I'm not sure if that's an entirely equal comparison. I agree that you should be able to format shift when technology moves on. If you own a vinyl of an album that you can't play anymore, you should be able to copy it to tape or MP3 it.

    But that's a pretty different argument. Copying of PS games is a lot more difficult than just digitising your CD, and that's OK, I can't think of a good legal reason for copying PS games.

    Anyway, according to this, you can play PS1 and PS2 games on your PS3.

    http://www.nz.playstation.com/ps3/hw/productdetails.jhtml

    Since Nov 2006 • 6243 posts Report Reply

  • Simon Grigg,

    Copying of PS games is a lot more difficult than just digitising your CD, and that's OK, I can't think of a good legal reason for copying PS games.

    It just requires a Mod chip. Pirated PS1 &2 games are freely available everywhere in Asia so it can't be that tricky. My daughter has an Indonesian purchased PS2 which comes with the chip as factory standard (probably since you can't buy the legit software here).

    Just another klong... • Since Nov 2006 • 3284 posts Report Reply

  • amalmac,

    But that's a pretty different argument. Copying of PS games is a lot more difficult than just digitising your CD

    An audio file is a very simple (especially compared to a PS2 game!) that is being made unduly complicated with DRM.

    Checked out one of the legit sites digiRAMA to discover that not only are you restricted as to what you can do with the files but they will only work through Windows Media Player! I will not use the Evil Empires bloated piece of spyware!

    If the music industry considers this an alternative to peer to peer they are dreaming.

    Since Apr 2007 • 4 posts Report Reply

  • amalmac,

    Please excuse this rant, it has been building for sometime... ever since Napster came along.

    I find it astounding that the music industry has within its grasp the Holy Grail of every entrepreneur, a product that does not have to be manufactured, without the need to carry stock and has a distribution network that costs next to nothing.

    What angers me the most are the retail opportunities that are being missed. The industry is forgetting that people with a decent internet connection or even a computer are in the minority. Besides, your average punter has better things to do with their time that sit around waiting for downloads, then trying to working out how to use the software to get it onto their device (look at the digital photo trade). There is the potential that everywhere you go there is somewhere that can upload what ever your heart desires to what ever device you carry. Or even burn a CD, complete with cover, if you are prepared to wait.

    From a retail business stand point imagine not having to carry stock. Not having to buy 100 units at $25 per unit and only selling two, with the rest being lucky to sell for $5, let alone give away! This will give the opportunity for the small operator to come back into the market, with someone who is interested in selling the music not just the product. There should be no reason that you could not buy any song ever released!

    The promotional opportunities are amazing. Once again there is an avertising medium that costs next to nothing as well. Imagine the hype that could be generated for the global simultaneous release of a song/album (god help us!).

    Make it the right price, make it too easy to buy and they will come. MC Lars said it best, "Music is no longer a product, it is a service". The music industry needs to stop the attitude of why they/we shouldn't and grab hold of all the reasons why they should!

    Since Apr 2007 • 4 posts Report Reply

  • Nobody Important,

    I agree with amalmac!

    It's hard to argue against what he said, but I'm guessing Mr Grigg can enlighten us as to the thinking of record retaillers (he sold enough records thru them). I'm guessing its the record companies, not the retaillers that are the problem.

    Kinda reminds me of Alan Shore's closing arguments in Boston Legal the other night visavis The Dept of Homeland Security's inability to determine one Denny Crane (US citizen) from one Daniel Crane (Canadian citizen) who is on the No-Fly list.

    I believe the solution he offered was to employ someone named Steve

    am I on the NO-FLY list?

    expat • Since Mar 2007 • 319 posts Report Reply

  • Kyle Matthews,

    It just requires a Mod chip. Pirated PS1 &2 games are freely available everywhere in Asia so it can't be that tricky. My daughter has an Indonesian purchased PS2 which comes with the chip as factory standard (probably since you can't buy the legit software here).

    I didn't say tricky or impossible, just a lot more difficult than digitalising CDs, which my computer does automatically when I put it in, without even asking, and no additional hardware or software required.

    Since Nov 2006 • 6243 posts Report Reply

  • amalmac,

    I'm guessing its the record companies, not the retaillers that are the problem.

    You got it, it is no Denny/Daniel situation (nice one though!).

    The record companies are once again leaving he retailer out to dry. You gotta feel a bit sorry for them. Between the deliberate shrinking of the catalogue available to them through the distributors, Amazon, peer to peer, iTunes, overpricing and The Warehouse their market is about shot.

    Since Apr 2007 • 4 posts Report Reply

First ←Older Page 1 2 3 4 Newer→ Last

Post your response…

Please sign in using your Public Address credentials…

Login

You may also create an account or retrieve your password.