DRM of nostalgia!
I've gone legitimate and DRM'd myself. I'm now in possession of not less than 5 albums which I purchased off BigPond Music and am not ripping my hair out with worry that the files will be next to useless. I was fairly surprised that I could transfer the files onto my Creative Zen Vision M without as much as a blink and in fact I used the Creative software to copy the files across. I can also burn the albums onto CD and then rip them to MP3 without grief. I of course use the worlds greatest MP3 encoder, LAME via Exact Audio Copy which I use to do the copying of all my audio CD's and I can't recommend it enough. Give Windows Media Player the flick if you want to rip your CDs, not so much as one blip or click when playing back on my MP3 player with EAC.
I can't say that my days with channel BT are over because I'm an immoral being and haven't sold out entirely to DRM and besides where else will I get my Linux ISO's from? I believe that EMI are doing away with DRM and it is a welcome move on the part of one Record Industry giant to heed the calls of the consumer. I think the Record Industry would do well to utilise the torrent culture in some way, but they seem to just want to take us music fans all the way to the bank. The price one pays for legitimate music downloads is a little hefty in my opinion, $16.50 for the average album probably represents a cost of half to that of an actual CD. It is excessive for what we are getting, when in comparison, owning a CD gives greater freedom to shift the music around. I'd like to see albums go for around 5 dollars online and also for online stores to offer a far greater array to choose from. The biggest attraction in the Bit Torrent swarm, from what I can gather, is that the selection is far superior to that of any online store and also the obvious consideration, that the music is free. (apart from AllofMP3 which has a good selection and extraordinarily inexpensive, but the legality of their offerings is somewhat dubious and suspect) In truth I haven't used the much famed Itunes because I don't want to have to install more software just to download some songs, however I'd imagine that their selection is much the same as to the plethora of music stores claiming millions of songs, but tell me if you can find Skepticism anywhere on their listings? I've had another go today at ordering their CDs, this time from Red Eye Records as JB Hi-Fi left me cold with only one of the CDs I ordered. After waiting for a couple of months, the deal fell through when their supplier couldn't get it or some other bullshit. Utopia Records didn't have any of em in stock either when I visited today, but I did get the new Nine Inch Nails - Year Zero CD, Kreator's Enemy of God and My Dying Bride's Deeper Down EP. I've gone ballistic with music this weekend but when discomfort is present, retail therapy is sometimes the only source of distraction and escapism that is viable. I guess I've been on trip in nostalgia and some of the purchases over the last couple of days are a reflection on this trip. A trip into a more innocent and endearing time of my life. When I look back it was a time of promise and perhaps fury of possibility, but as I sit here pondering, I never really took advantage of the fury in its full potential. I want to recapture some of it and redirect it into something worthwhile, but even now I am racked with the same doubts that fueled my existence back then. Some things don't change and I suppose it can if I want it to. I want some old flame to reignite the passion I once felt but it seems withered and aged and I'm afraid to take flight in case I cannot subdue it to manageable levels.
I've yet to fully listen to all this new music but the train ride to work in the sombre mornings of autumn will afford me the time to reflect on the soothing sounds of Metal to gear me for the long winter days ahead, while I slave at my workstation for the greater good of humanity.
Year Zero is a strange story in the land of Reznor, from having read the wikipedia on Year Zero and the back cover of the CD it promises insight into the moral police and what could be described as the beginning of the end. A concept album for a conceptualised world of terror and corruption of God. I really like the cover art, is it "The Hand That Feeds" coming from the heavens on the front cover?
I am almost jealous of artists, they seem to be able create something worthwhile while all I can do is create a mediocre existence and fantasise about how awesome it would be to have this thing that people could could take away with them on their travels and daily grind. I really admire musical songwriting talents. The seemingly simplicity of songs is often such an intense emotive force and the beauty of it is such that they can be tucked away in your pocket and expressed wherever you are. Anyway I haven't such talents but I can imagine and that is good enough.
I can't say that my days with channel BT are over because I'm an immoral being and haven't sold out entirely to DRM and besides where else will I get my Linux ISO's from? I believe that EMI are doing away with DRM and it is a welcome move on the part of one Record Industry giant to heed the calls of the consumer. I think the Record Industry would do well to utilise the torrent culture in some way, but they seem to just want to take us music fans all the way to the bank. The price one pays for legitimate music downloads is a little hefty in my opinion, $16.50 for the average album probably represents a cost of half to that of an actual CD. It is excessive for what we are getting, when in comparison, owning a CD gives greater freedom to shift the music around. I'd like to see albums go for around 5 dollars online and also for online stores to offer a far greater array to choose from. The biggest attraction in the Bit Torrent swarm, from what I can gather, is that the selection is far superior to that of any online store and also the obvious consideration, that the music is free. (apart from AllofMP3 which has a good selection and extraordinarily inexpensive, but the legality of their offerings is somewhat dubious and suspect) In truth I haven't used the much famed Itunes because I don't want to have to install more software just to download some songs, however I'd imagine that their selection is much the same as to the plethora of music stores claiming millions of songs, but tell me if you can find Skepticism anywhere on their listings? I've had another go today at ordering their CDs, this time from Red Eye Records as JB Hi-Fi left me cold with only one of the CDs I ordered. After waiting for a couple of months, the deal fell through when their supplier couldn't get it or some other bullshit. Utopia Records didn't have any of em in stock either when I visited today, but I did get the new Nine Inch Nails - Year Zero CD, Kreator's Enemy of God and My Dying Bride's Deeper Down EP. I've gone ballistic with music this weekend but when discomfort is present, retail therapy is sometimes the only source of distraction and escapism that is viable. I guess I've been on trip in nostalgia and some of the purchases over the last couple of days are a reflection on this trip. A trip into a more innocent and endearing time of my life. When I look back it was a time of promise and perhaps fury of possibility, but as I sit here pondering, I never really took advantage of the fury in its full potential. I want to recapture some of it and redirect it into something worthwhile, but even now I am racked with the same doubts that fueled my existence back then. Some things don't change and I suppose it can if I want it to. I want some old flame to reignite the passion I once felt but it seems withered and aged and I'm afraid to take flight in case I cannot subdue it to manageable levels.
I've yet to fully listen to all this new music but the train ride to work in the sombre mornings of autumn will afford me the time to reflect on the soothing sounds of Metal to gear me for the long winter days ahead, while I slave at my workstation for the greater good of humanity.
Year Zero is a strange story in the land of Reznor, from having read the wikipedia on Year Zero and the back cover of the CD it promises insight into the moral police and what could be described as the beginning of the end. A concept album for a conceptualised world of terror and corruption of God. I really like the cover art, is it "The Hand That Feeds" coming from the heavens on the front cover?
I am almost jealous of artists, they seem to be able create something worthwhile while all I can do is create a mediocre existence and fantasise about how awesome it would be to have this thing that people could could take away with them on their travels and daily grind. I really admire musical songwriting talents. The seemingly simplicity of songs is often such an intense emotive force and the beauty of it is such that they can be tucked away in your pocket and expressed wherever you are. Anyway I haven't such talents but I can imagine and that is good enough.
posted by TwistedTripper at 9:38 PM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home