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Ripping Might Soon Be Legal

By on 09/01/2008 in Music, Technology

Ars Technica reports:

“Lord Triesman, Minister for Intellectual Property, today announced a consultation on IP reform that could make format shifting a legal right.”

This, in English, means that consumers would be allowed to transfer music from their – i.e. – CD’s onto their iPods. Personally, I didn’t know this was still illegal but sounds like the government is taking some good steps. Few things I hope will be included in the new legislation:

  • It’s not restricted to audio (music, audiobooks etc.) but also allows movies to be transfered.
  • It would allow content transfered the other way around, too. From a digital file onto a audio CD or DVD player playable DVD. This, of course, for no other reason but to not allow the Industry to use restrictive DRM on the content they sell.

Update: At the same time as I can’t see above things happening, it would be a great change for the British government to show leadership in this area. Unlike with some other decisions this administration has made, I could see rest of Europe follow.

Interestingly, the article notes that Association of Independent Music is against this reform and wants the performer to be paid for other mediums their work is played on. Interesting. Association of Independent Music? Very strange. On the other hand, BPI supports the act.

–kristian

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Event of the Year

By on 05/11/2007 in Music

Sibelius smoking a cigar
We went to listen to Los Angeles Philharmonic last Friday. It was the best thing I’ve seen or heard all year. They played Sibelius’s 4th and 7th Sinfonies as well as Steven Stucky’s Radical Light and as encore, Finlandia. Absolutely fantastic. If you haven’t been to see a classical concert before, go and see this. I think there’s few tickets still left. You wont regret it.

–kristian

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Price of the New Radiohead Album

By on 01/10/2007 in Music

Why give it away for free when people might actually want to pay for it. Price of the new Radiohead album will be exactly what you want to pay for it. I’m thinking of paying £0.10 per track which is a lot more compared to what any artist makes on any other type of, legal, download.

I will also be buying the special edition ‘Discbox’, which you do have to pay a fixed amount of monetary units. £40.

radiohead's website order info

–kristian

ps. The ‘Discbox’ has two 12″ LP’s as well as tons of other good stuff. I think it’s time for me to buy a new record player. The old one broke when moving to my previous place about 15 months ago. If you have one you want give me, get in touch. Thanks.

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EU to protect consumers from the Music Industry

By on 18/07/2007 in DRM, EU, Music

Today, an advocate general for the European Court of Justice, the highest court in the EU, released an opinion saying that ISPs are not required to disclose information that could identify subscribers in civil copyright infringement cases. (via)

EU citizens privacy is protected from the Music Industry. The Industry now needs to find better ways of fighting piracy.

I would recommend:

- Stop suggesting that every consumer is a criminal until otherwise proven. Remove DRM.

- Make buying music easier than stealing it.

- Give artists more than 5% of purchase price. No-one wants to steal from the artist. With todays system no-one is.

- Go after the pirates who make money out of it. Not the ones who copy the music and then go see the artist live.

I guess the Industry is a bit pissed of as this pretty much stops them from making money in the same way as their American causing do.

–kristian

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Tapes: Small Room

By on 17/06/2007 in Music

So this has been in production for a good while now. … But now it’s ready. Yippee!

Do enjoy (click to play):

“Small Room” is from the album “Tapes”. Find it here. Released on Aisti Records.

Versions available:480p and 720p and on Youtube.

–kristian

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Apple / EMI Press Conference [Updated]

By on 02/04/2007 in Apple, DRM, Music

I’m in with others speculating that this will mark the removal of DRM from EMI signed artists. I really hope so. I believe that this is the biggest single thing to happen in the fight against piracy. Of course it’s not going to kill piracy, nothing will, it’s human nature to prefer free over cheap. But it will offer a viable alternative to piracy. The two biggest reasons we have piracy is that a) you’re not limited in the way you can use the content and b) it’s easily available. These on top of the obvious price point which is hard to compete.

We’ll see in few hours what happens. I hope the changes are immediate. I’d write more but I must go and carry some logs (actual birch tree trunks, not the computer ones..)IMG_7344.jpg

[update]: It was as predicted. Good. Also, interestingly, you can update your existing DRMed songs to de-DRMed version for a mere 15p ($0.30). The DRM free content will be more expensive. This is for a single reason; ‘you get less (DRM), you pay more’. It’s a shame they’re more costly but I guess this is a way for them to start pushing the prices up.

Jobs: I don’t like this DRM thing, lets get rid of it.
EMI: That’s fine, but you have to pay more then.

I would imagine that as rest of the Four will follow soon after and music with DRM will not be sold, at least through iTMS, for much longer. And the tracks will keep their newly found higher price point (99p). Notice that album prices will remain.

Interesting day, I must say.

Back soon,

kristian

PS. If you wander what kind of logs I was piling up, check here.

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These Norwegians Rock

By on 28/03/2007 in Music

[youtube]

need i say more.

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