http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tm...e=9&u=/usatoday/20030923/tc_usatoday/11865096 Anti-swap CD hits the racks In his new album, Coming From Where I'm From, Anthony Hamilton reflects on his roots and the directions in which they have led him. His CD, meanwhile, offers a glimpse of the direction the music industry is taking to prevent rampant piracy. The soulful singer's Arista debut, which arrives in stores today, may look like a traditional CD. But it's the first of an expected wave of CDs intended to keep listeners from swapping songs on the Net. The disc has two sets of music tracks: one set of "encrypted" songs that can be handled by CD players but cannot be ripped on computers, and a duplicate set of tracks in the Windows Media format. These can be downloaded from the CD to a computer and then transferred to portable devices or recorded to home CDs. But these "secure digital" tracks cannot be played on another computer should they be uploaded to the Net. "The whole concept was to create a legally licensed structure" for computer use of recorded music, says William Whitmore of SunnComm, which designed the anti-copy technology. The company two years ago released the first protected CD, Charley Pride's A Tribute to Jim Reeves.That disc, which simply encrypted the tracks so they couldn't be copied by PCs, and other early efforts met stiff consumer resistance. Record labels are hoping this CD will prove more acceptable because it lets fans use music with their own devices and share with friends, but not with millions of others, says Nathaniel Brown of BMG, which distributes albums on the Arista label. "This is the first generation that allows the kind of personal use that we have deemed appropriate," he says. In CD players, the disc plays normally. When put into a Macintosh (news - web sites) or Windows PC, the disc installs software to keep the music secure, and an interactive menu pops up with several links, including one to copy some or all of the Windows Media tracks to your hard drive. Another link allows you to send e-mail to friends so they can download a copy of the song playable for 10 days. "You're sharing music, but you are not giving it away forever," Whitmore says. Sunncomm is talking to other music labels, as is competitor Macrovision. BMG plans to release more protected CDs this year, though it's making no further announcements yet, Brown says. Many Net swappers "think it is their God-given right to steal music," Whitmore says. "They don't know any better. We have to teach them."
I think that this solution may just keep both legal sides of the fence happy. The Music industry and the people who have legitimate reasons for copying music should both be satisfied with this. But we all know it will only take a few week sfor some 12 year old kid to crack the encryption and set us back to where we currently are.
the riaa should just offer a pay download service, i would gladly pay $1 a track for 12 good songs, than go buy a cd with one good song and 11 crappy ones... they're gonna need to embrace the technology and not fight it. i don't care for 'others' to install software on my pc either...
I bet it will not be long before someone learns to beat this system as well, if they already have not!
Really, a felt tip pen got them last time. Only a matter of time before some figures out out to get past this.
Puh-leaze. I give it two weeks before some kid from Belgium cracks the code and offers the countering software online... Seriously, what is the over/under for when someone cracks this anti-piracy scheme? Can we set up a betting pool for this?
Seems like all you'd need to beat this system is a quality microphone on your computer with which you could just record the music that's coming out of the speakers. Seems easy enough.
Yeah, kids today are extremely motivated when it comes to utilizing technology. Plus, Rock Stars shouldn't be paid that much freakin money. Instead of 20 mil a year lets make it 8. They can still buy the ferrari, the nice house, and retirement funds. The only thing u can't buy (rather shouldn't blow your money on) pardon the pun is coke and drugs. Take the 12 million and give it to the homeless and needy.
not even that, there are already simple programs that can record a specified input like an audio player, or a line in, or anything else. the end result is a new wave file. just check out "mp3 recorder" on cnet downloads
I bet it will not be long before someone learns to beat this system as well, if they already have not! Stereo system CDR writer should be able to dup the tracks without the crap. The dup CD can be ripped and online before the ink on the CD cover is dry. The average person will not able to do this, but it only takes one of the 5 million Kaazaa users to break the system. I hope the RIAA paid somebody millions of dollars for this idea.
I use this software now whenever I call ESPN Radio programs to discuss sports. I have an extensive archive of *.wav files starring my not-so-pleasant voice.
just like with "secure" dvds, there is going to be a program that can bypass the encryption and allow true copies to be made. Guaranteed. Also, as an alternative method, you could theoretically run your audio output to the line in on your soundcard and record it that way. (Im not positive on this, thoughts?) It seems like a step in the right direction. Building in a timebomb into the songs would allow you to share the music with others so they can determine if they want it or not and giving the consumer a way to move the music onto their mp3 devices so they arent restrained in what method they can iuse to listen to the songs is a good idea. but, like has been said...it wont take a good cracker any time at all to break the encryption. I would bet it will be broken in less than 24 hours after the first mainstream release hits the shelves.
Who the hell is Anthony Hamilton and why would anyone want to share his music? Try this with a multi-platinum selling artist. You can bet it will be out there within days of being released.
If it's man made it can be broken. Nothing is unbreakable, if man built it then man can break it. No offense to the ladies just a figure of speech
