[Hudlug] Elvis Costello! I spit on the floor!

[Chris Wood]

On Wednesday 25 September 2002 15:43 pm, you wrote:
>
> The "big" 5:
>
> Universal Music Group
> Sony Music Entertainment
> EMI Group
> Warner Brothers Music
> BMG Entertainment
>

D'oh! I used to look after some of Universal's websites at my last job - how 
could I forget them?

> I don't feel comfortable with monopolies such as M$ and the 5 above
> deciding what I can or can't play on MY hardware- which is what DRM
> amounts to. If an mp3 is not encoded using the "correct" algorithm, it
> won't play on my "creative puke-box"/ "Media Player"/ "Jukebox Jury
> Box".

Yes, but you can still get media players that will play non-DRM material. 
They all still do it today, and even if MSD choose to drop non-DRM from 
their repetoire, I'd be extremely surprised if others did the same. There 
are far too many people out there with standard mp3 material...

> Who decides on the DRM standards? Will they be proprietary? You can bet

Of course, this *is* Microsoft were talking about!

> your life they will and uncle bill will be laughing all the way to the
> bank (I imagine money no longer holds any thrill to a man with a
> personal fortune big enough to buy entire countries). I have major
> misgivings about the reinforcement of existing monopolies and lending to
> the them of the DRM stick.

I have no argument with this. Monopolies are rarely in anyones interest 
other than the people that run them.

> Monopolies reduce choice. This is established, and this is why a lot of
> people don't use M$. Monopolies become monopolies by forcing out
> competition. Without competition, you have no choice. If you have no
> choice, the supplier can feed you any old shit, charge what he wants and
> not fear you moving to another supplier.
> This is what the big 5 do so very very well. Its unnecessary to give
> them another tool, such as DRM, to enforce their position- they do well
> enough already. It is however, probably too late to introduce
> competition to this arena. Reform is whats needed and the internet

Hmmmmm.... I thought you said earlier that the music industry thrives on 
independent artists and record companies taking things into their own 
hands...

> provided the means. DRM DMCA Palladium(soon enough) are all attempts by
> the established 5 to maintain the current business model. They wouldn't

If you were head of a business such as theres, wouldn't you do everything 
you could to maintain your profits/monopoly, primarily as it means that 
you'll keep your job and have lots of money pouring into your bank account.
And no, money isn't important to me, but I'm sure it is to many of them.

> even need to enforce it if they were more responsible with their price
> per unit to the end user. I could easily consume 5 albums a week. But I
> and many others can't justify the £75/week.

Neither can I...
As I said earlier, buy off the internet, or from that shop in Kingsgate. 
You'll probably pay £55 max in the Kingsgate, assuming they have what you 
are looking for. If you have unusual tastes then perhaps you won't fare so 
well....

> M$= bad
> big5= bad
> DRM= bad
> £15 for a CD= "Is it made of solid silver?"
>

I agree £15 is shocking, so I'm selective where I shop.

You sound like you've dabbled with the music biz a bit. Care to enlighten us?

Cheers,

C.