UK Retailers Join The Anti-DRM Crusade
Posted by James | Filed under Music
Digital Rights Management has long been one of the most hotly-discussed and widely-loathed technologies around, and whilst its grip on mainstream media providers seems set to continue, the wall of DRM is slowly beginning to crumble.
Recently we’ve seen plenty of activity against DRM, and even a change of tune with music executives making overtures about how ‘they were wrong to go to war with consumers’. Whilst it used to be just consumers who were the majority of DRM opponents, their cause has just been strengthened with new that British music retailers have added their voice to the campaign against DRM because they believe that horrendous amounts of copy protection is actually putting people off buying the very media they rely on.
Whilst it’s fair to say that in certain areas, particularly video, there’s plenty of progress yet to be made in changing industry opinion, the continuing demise of DRM is music to my ears!
Tags: british music, consumers, copy protection, digital rights management, drm, mainstream media, music retailers
Saul Williams shows Big Music how to release an album
Posted by James | Filed under Future, Geek, Play
Journalists and music fans the world over fawned over Radiohead for their bold release strategy for In Rainbows. After breaking with the majors, Trent Reznor and his parter-in-crime Saul Williams are taking that strategy and stepping it up to the next level of awesome. Saul’s new Trent-produced album The Inevitable Rise and Liberation of NiggyTardust is now available two ways: Free or $5.
For zilch, you get the whole album in DRM-free 192kbps MP3 encoded with LAME 3.97 “and love,” plus the digital booklet (take that, Radiohead). For $5, you get the digital booklet and a choice between 320kbps MP3 or FLAC lossless, meaning even audiophiles can feel good about purchasing a digital copy.
While he kind of dodged the question in the famed interview he revealed he was a former OiNK member, this feels like a pointer toward where the release of the next NIN album is heading. I’d still prefer a physical CD, personally, but this kind of digital release I can get behind—the price and the format are right. The rest of the industry would do well to pay close attention to how this turns out—or not, and simply follow suit.
Download here: NiggyTardust
Tags: downloads, drm, fair use, free, Music, nin, nine inch nails, saul williams, trent reznor
Welcome to Jimmahdigital.com, personal blog of James Simm, Wigan/Manchester-based .Net developer.
