[Wolves] Really Free music

[Andy Wootton]

Alan Pope wrote:

>On Mon, 13 Dec 2004 00:14:29 +0000, Andy Wootton
><andy.wootton at wyrley.demon.co.uk> wrote:
>  
>
>>I like the Apple iPod but I won't buy one because Apple don't provide a
>>mechanism by which I can listen to Ogg Vorbis downloads. This would
>>    
>>
>So don't buy one then? Buy an iRiver that *does* support Ogg?
>  
>
Well basically my logic runs: Jonathan Ives is a product design genius 
and the committee that threw together the iRiver out of iPaq spare parts 
aren't. I want truth AND beauty. I'm also a hi-fi seperates man. When I 
want a radio, I'll buy the one that I want. It's the same Zen as Unix; 
pick the best tool for the job. If I must have a radio forced on me, MS 
Office-style, then I want DAB not obsolecent FM technology. To misquote 
Ade on LUG Radio - I'm willing not to put my money where my mouth isn't.

Me buying the good-enough-for-geeks design would have no benefit to the 
gazillion iPod owners who are the potential audience for the small bands 
I was talking about. While I keep my £300 in my pocket I have some 
leverage over Apple. At least I would have if there were a few thousand 
others who agreed with me and told Apple about their opinion. 
http://www.apple.com/feedback/ipod.html
**

> <>guarantee that performers with no budget will always be able to compete
> on equal terms. I don't want iTunes to control the creation of music any
> more than I want Microsoft to control the production of software.
>
>
>Just because a media player supports a particular file format doesn't
>automagically mean people are free-er. At the end of the day Ogg is
>*just* a file format for most people.
>
>Cheers,
>Al.
>  
>
MP3 depends on a patent and potentially, consequential licensing fees so 
is only available to free software developers willing to give away money 
as well as their free time. For the two formats in question I think it 
does mean people are free-er. If the music providers aren't planning to 
overcharge us once they achieve sufficient market penetration then they 
have nothing to lose by using open standards.

Woo