DRM

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DjShadow

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#8211 13-Jun-2006 13:39

Looks like going forward our choice in MP3 players maybe limited a bit. If Apple will launch iTunes Music Store in NZ then ipod users will be happy, otherwise we will need to stick to brands whoes mp3 players will do DRM protected WMA.
I got a Sony mp3 player, SonicStage which comes with it will recognise WMA files but will not touch DRM protected ones, so I'm guessing I need to stick to ripped CD's and standard mp3 files.
I like the idea of Urge.com which has just started in the USA, $14.95 per month for as much as you eat, if that started in NZ I'd be more than willing to pay that to get legal music since its a reasonable cost and the artists still get something out of it .

alasta

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#38393 13-Jun-2006 13:55

Rather than having your hardware purchasing decisions dicatated by clueless record companies, I would suggest that an easier alternative would be to boycott DRM encoded music altogether.

tonyhughes

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#38394 13-Jun-2006 14:06

I am an avid ipod user, but wont be using itunes when it launches here....

Its a good device, and plays mp3's that you rip yourself, or download legally from the internet.

Can still use coketunes etc, just buy, burn to cd with wmp, then use itunes to import the audio cd. All the DRM dodging is done for you by Microsoft and Apple Corp.

Poetic justice if you ask me lol

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#38395 13-Jun-2006 14:50

I too, if there is a All you can eat music/movie subscription, i'd be willing to pay for them. otherwise, maybe I'll buy CD or singles that I like and rip them into WMA and use it with my PMC or PocketPC/Smartphone... I envy Ipod's popularity but i have nothing against them, I think Apple's Ipod gives other competitors good run for their design and playing catch up, good way to spur innovation! :-)

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alasta

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#38397 13-Jun-2006 15:03

tonyhughes: Can still use coketunes etc, just buy, burn to cd with wmp, then use itunes to import the audio cd. All the DRM dodging is done for you by Microsoft and Apple Corp.

Err, no.

The problem with this technique is that you have to re-rip the CD in an uncompressed format. Using a compressed audio file to burn a CD, and to then re-rip it in a different compression format causes a considerable loss of audio quality.

I personally prefer all of my music in 192kbps AAC or 256kbps MP3, so the 128kbps compression that online music stores typically use is bad enough without any further degradation.

lokinz

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#38403 13-Jun-2006 15:55

alasta:
tonyhughes: Can still use coketunes etc, just buy, burn to cd with wmp, then use itunes to import the audio cd. All the DRM dodging is done for you by Microsoft and Apple Corp.

...The problem with this technique is that you have to re-rip the CD in an uncompressed format. Using a compressed audio file to burn a CD, and to then re-rip it in a different compression format causes a considerable loss of audio quality...

That is only one way, I use coke tunes and my iPod, there are some handy little tools around for stripping drm (if you have the license key), then it’s just a matter of importing them with iTunes which auto converts to mp3. No noticeable quality loss.

alasta

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#38422 13-Jun-2006 19:42

lokinz: That is only one way, I use coke tunes and my iPod, there are some handy little tools around for stripping drm (if you have the license key), then it’s just a matter of importing them with iTunes which auto converts to mp3. No noticeable quality loss.

WMA is a completely different codec to MP3, isn't it? If so, then it would be impossible to convert from one to the other without a significant loss of sound quality. You may not necessarily notice it on crappy white earphones, but you will definitely notice it on half decent equipment.

With regard to circumventing DRM, there is also a tool available to do this with material purchased from the iTunes Music Store. In the interests of complying with the forum rules, I won't name this utility, but you can easily find it if you do a bit of quick research. The catch is that it only works with music purchased on older versions of iTunes, since Apple managed to tighten the security of Fairplay when they released iTunes 6.

Jama

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#38424 13-Jun-2006 20:08

Has anyone tried www.allofmp3.com? Based in Russia and it is the second largest download site in the UK. Only a few USD for an album based on the size/type of encoding you choose.

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alasta

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#38427 13-Jun-2006 20:45

Jama: Has anyone tried www.allofmp3.com? Based in Russia and it is the second largest download site in the UK. Only a few USD for an album based on the size/type of encoding you choose.

Yes, I've used it and been very pleased with the results. I'm pretty sure it's legal and, whilst it's probably ethically dubious, I don't really care much for ethics at the moment wherever record companies are concerned.

nathan

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#38433 13-Jun-2006 21:50

I'm not judging you, personally I think the AllOfMP3 service is a great idea and I'm sure heaps and heaps of people use it, and why wouldn't you - DRM free music encoded and virtually whichever codec and bitrate you want

But there is just no way www.allofmp3.com is legal :(

- newly released albums for $2 - too good to be true

Its just too hard, or they're too scared to go into Russia to shut them down

paradoxsm

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#38436 14-Jun-2006 00:20

I'd say the latter!!!! Russia would blow them to bits!

Just steer clear of DRM and forget worrying about it! Why not buy a CD and rip it?, for all those unusual NZ tracks, there is www.amplifier.co.nz

alasta

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#38444 14-Jun-2006 08:29

nathan: I'm not judging you, personally I think the AllOfMP3 service is a great idea and I'm sure heaps and heaps of people use it, and why wouldn't you - DRM free music encoded and virtually whichever codec and bitrate you want

But there is just no way www.allofmp3.com is legal :(

- newly released albums for $2 - too good to be true

Its just too hard, or they're too scared to go into Russia to shut them down

It's my understanding that music downloads in Russia are governed by the same intellectual property licenses that radio stations use. Therefore, a web site 'broadcasting' music to its users is considered to be the same as a radio station doing likewise, hence the ridiculously low prices.

I think this is unsustainable and, as I have already mentioned, ethicially dubious but I would doubt that it would be illegal to use their service. Someone with a background in copyright law will be able to clarify, but my former flatmate who was a law student told me that downloading from allofmp3.com is tantamount to parallel importing.

paradoxsm

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#38538 14-Jun-2006 18:59

It's Legal but unethical,, The artist recives nothing through this. I made a Blog post on this a while back Paradoxpost

I'd really like to skip the record companies altogether and download illegally and pay a $2 royalty direct to the artist.

why does a company not offer a service direct to artists where the artist gets $1.50 and the site gets 50c? ($nz)

I have found another way of obtaining music quite legally,, Saving radio streams to hard drive and just editing out the songs with mp3 directcut which does not change the excoding or "transcode", 128k is quite acceptable for mp3 player listening and often they are not Audibly compressed (the bite and attack taken out of the sound)

Jama

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#38570 15-Jun-2006 07:45

paradoxsm: It's Legal but unethical,, The artist recives nothing through this.

Are the ethics of this my problem? I don't think so. The record companies have brought this on themselves. They have had ample opportunity to sort out the mess of music downloads but instead they have focused their time and efforts prosecuting people for illegal P2P.

The Internet has no borders and therefore makes a mockery of any local laws.

3g

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#38614 15-Jun-2006 10:46

www.tunebite.de is my solution to DRM

.

I have no problem paying for music - I just want to be able to use it on my Sony MP3 player.

paradoxsm

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#38680 15-Jun-2006 17:57

I have been doing this for years with "Totalrecorder" which is a driver overlay, not a sampling program which means minimal loss of quality (only transcoding losses) This looks to be the same thing only nice easy and automatic,

If it does:
"Leverages High Speed Digital Dubbing for turbo-speed recording and allows you to listen to other music while it's doing its job."

I'd be very interested,, Last time I tried to make a hack to speed up WMA decoding but some code was slowing it down when it got about 1/4 way.