Now trading CD's is becoming illegal

[craigwatanabe]

Oh my read this from the RIAA:

http://www.neowin.net/index.php?act=view&id=33213

[pzarquon]

Re: Now trading CD's is becoming illegal

Here's the original article in the LA Times: Sharing Still Divisive. I'm sure folks copying and passing around CDs is a threat, but I'm intrigued that it's positioned anywhere near the threat of online file-sharing. A store-bought CD that's passed around puts, what, 12-14 songs in the hands of maybe a dozen people a week, depending on how fast folks circulate it. A single file-sharing network user can distribute thousands of songs in one evening.

Still, I guess I can see the appeal, given the social aspect and the tangible nature of a disc (and the fact that the media is so darn cheap these days). A quote from the LA Times piece:

"It's so easy and cheap to get new CDs that I don't even bother to copy them onto my computer," she said. "Sometimes I'll get four discs a day. It's like rediscovering music."

I still have a few CDs that were part of various online community "mix tape" exchanges, and those were pretty fun exercises in getting to know new music and new people. So perhaps the pending death of the CD is greatly exaggerated.

[adrian]

Re: Now trading CD's is becoming illegal

Oh my read this from the RIAA:

http://www.neowin.net/index.php?act=view&id=33213

hey, a fellow neowanian!

But also, I read that the RIAA will sue XM radio (or some satellite radio) device because they can record the music.

Plus, IMO the RIAA is becoming a joke. I see no results in the P2P scheme their running. If anything, it went underground than went away. If they want to help their CD sales, then make the CDs cheaper.

[craigwatanabe]

Re: Now trading CD's is becoming illegal

Does anyone remember when the whole music rights thing came up when cassette tapes became popular back in the 70's? Same issues just different media. But to satisify those who was being infringed upon, there was a surcharge imposed on every blank cassette sold.

Eventually CD's became popular in the early 80's and then DAT/DAC formats allowed anyone to make digital copies of original music and here we go again.

Is there a surcharge on digital recording media now? I'm sure there are but if so then the music industry has no claims anymore because this is what was agreed upon way back when right?

As for retaining music and passing it onto friends...pretty soon the RIAA will be suing people for humming a tune that's been floating around in their heads because someone else sang that song. Isn't that a form of copying music and sharing it with others?

[Pomai]

Re: Now trading CD's is becoming illegal

Does anyone remember when the whole music rights thing came up when cassette tapes became popular back in the 70's? Same issues just different media. But to satisify those who was being infringed upon, there was a surcharge imposed on every blank cassette sold.

Speaking of cassette, I can't understand what's the logic with manufacturers continuing to market bookshelf/boombox systems with DUAL CASSETTE up until this day. A total waste of manufacturing expense and product real estate on a format that has been virtually inferior for almost two decades already.

In the last 5 years (or perhaps longer), I'm guessing only 5% of US consumers who've purchased a stereo system with dual cassette have ever dubbed from tape to tape, and as high as 90% have have never used the cassette deck at all.

Regarding DAT/DAC, I remember that. The notion of the general consumer population being able to duplicate a digital source without loss in quality was new at the time, but the recording industry was rightfully frightened, knowing exactly where this was heading.

[craigwatanabe]

Re: Now trading CD's is becoming illegal

Right now it's still easier to duplicate tapes on dual cassette decks than with CD's for the rest of those who don't have a computer or can't figure out how to burn CD's.

And yes cassettes are still in use by fledgling musicians and in seminars so boom boxes and dual cassette decks remain somewhat popular (albeit fading fast) for those technology challenged individuals.

[tutusue]

Re: Now trading CD's is becoming illegal

[...] As for retaining music and passing it onto friends...pretty soon the RIAA will be suing people for humming a tune that's been floating around in their heads because someone else sang that song. Isn't that a form of copying music and sharing it with others?

Ummm...the RIAA will most likely PAY ME to stop humming. My voice is that bad!

[tutusue]

Re: Now trading CD's is becoming illegal

[...]And yes cassettes are still in use by fledgling musicians and in seminars so boom boxes and dual cassette decks remain somewhat popular (albeit fading fast) for those technology challenged individuals.

I recently purchased a used car that has some high-falutin sound system in it...including a 6, yes SIX, cassette tape 'changer'. I'd never heard of sucha thing! I have a bunch of tapes in storage. I'll have to test this thing out! Hmmm, come to think of it there's no manual! Oh well! It's not a stock sound system but it must be nearly as old as the car (1995). At least it has an aux. jack for my iPod! As much as I liked the PodFreq fm transmitter I'd been using for 2 years, I like the aux. jack set-up better. But I'm still shaking my head over that thing holding 6 cassette tapes.

[Paul Ogata]

Re: Now trading CD's is becoming illegal

Sue, think about all the iPods you could plug in using cassette adapters. Madness! I am jealous!

[tutusue]

Re: Now trading CD's is becoming illegal

Sue, think about all the iPods you could plug in using cassette adapters. Madness! I am jealous!

That's taking 'shuffle' to a whole, new, expensive level!

[Pomai]

Re: Now trading CD's is becoming illegal

Quote from that LA Times article...

"Four decades ago, before courts ruled that selling used recordings was legal, the music industry tried to stop stores from offering pre-owned tapes and records." and... "the courts have generally decreed that it is legal to buy, sell or trade used tapes and compact discs, as long as they are not copies and the transaction is not a rental."

I always thought about that. Going to Jelly's or Hungry Ear and buying used CD's was always a bargain. Yet my conscience knew by doing that, the artist was making one less sale on what I would have bought, had used CD's never been available. If you think about it, sales of used CD's or DVD's are in an indirect way, a rental.

If you sell it back to another retailer to resell, it just became a rental. Duh.

Lala.com has good intentions, but I'm not sure if they're on to something that the likes of iTunes has already capitalized on. At least, not anything that the major record labels are willing to buy into - yet.

[tutusue]

Re: Now trading CD's is becoming illegal

Going to Jelly's or Hungry Ear and buying used CD's was always a bargain. Yet my conscience knew by doing that, the artist was making one less sale[...]

Not to mention half.com and our local libraries!

[LikaNui]

Re: Now trading CD's is becoming illegal

Quote from that LA Times article...
"Four decades ago, before courts ruled that selling used recordings was legal, the music industry tried to stop stores from offering pre-owned tapes and records."

On a related note:
Back in the day, record companies used to give us DJ's our own personal copies of almost every record that came out. They had a hole punched clear through the album cover in a corner, and that was supposed to stop us from selling the albums, and record stores were supposed to know it meant for them not to buy the albums from us.
Yeah. Like that worked.
Those albums were more valuable than the retail versions. They were the first ones pressed off the master disc, so the audio quality was much higher than albums later in the pressing run. (As I recall, they'd use a master disc for about 100,000 copies before starting with another master disc.)

[craigwatanabe]

Re: Now trading CD's is becoming illegal

I remember those promo copies with the gold leaf embossed warning: Radio Copy, for promotional use only not for resale. So we gave em away as prizes for being caller number 9 with the correct answer to our trivia questions.