Santana
All That I Am
(Sony/BMG)
Neil Diamond
12 Songs
(Sony/BMG)
(and fuck
any other labels using copy control such as
Koch - among others. So far Universal and Warner Music have wisely not fully entered the Copy Control arena)
DO NOT SUPPORT CORRUPT RECORD LABELS!
SONY/BMG & EMI ARE CORRUPT COMPANIES RUN BY CRIMINALS EVEN LOWER THAN THE MOB!
VISIT THE BOYCOTT SONY/BMG SITE!
READ WHAT PEOPLE THINK OF EMI AND SONY/BMG HERE!
Some new Copy Control releases to download for free from the internet instead of buying include:
Santana All That I Am (Sony/BMG) Neil Diamond 12 Songs (Sony/BMG) |
 Liz Phair Somebody's Miracle (Capitol/EMI)  Beastie Boys Solid Gold Hits (Capitol/EMI) |
December 23, 2005 - Sony/BMG installed their spyware rootkit on your computer even if you clicked "no" when it asked if it could...
You insert the Copy Controlled disc into your computer and up pops a box asking if you'd like Sony/BMG's home-phoning spyware installed on your computer. You click "no" yet Sony/BMG installs their hidden malware anyway. In other words, Sony/BMG simply do not care about your rights one iota as long as they can protect THEIRS.
November 30, 2005 - By knowing about the corrupt rootkits yet remaining silent anyways, Sony/BMG proved they hoped they could fool their costumers...
Business Week has an article describing how Sony BMG had been warned by
F-Secure on Oct. 4 about the dangers of their rootkit protection, but failed
to do anything until Oct. 31 when computer-systems expert Mark Russinovich
revealed the rootkit in his blog." From the article: "Sony BMG officials
insist that they acted as quickly as they could, and that they expected to
be able to go public and offer a software patch at the same time. However,
Russinovich posted his blog item first, forcing Sony BMG to scramble to
contain the crisis. It recalled millions of CDs recorded by 52 artists,
including Van Zant, Celine Dion, and Neil Diamond. Plus, it offered
exchanges to customers.
November 22, 2005 - In a press conference
held on November 18 Cary Sherman, the president of the RIAA, stated in reference
to Sony BMG's "rootkit" software that Sony/BMG did "nothing wrong" and even praised the corrupt record company...
It was just a matter of time before the corrupt RIAA chimed in their support for the corrupt Sony/BMG.
November 22, 2005 - Texas sues Sony/BMG for spyware violations, just further proof that you shouldn't mess with Texas...
Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott filed a civil lawsuit on Monday against Sony/BMG Music Entertainment (6758.T) for hiding "spyware" software on its compact discs in a bid to thwart music copying. This is in addition to the lawsuit from the EFF, among a few others brewing presently. Even some Sony/BMG staff are speaking out about their company's shameful behaviour.
November 22, 2005 - Sony/BMG's childish bullying tactics against their own consumers have risen high enough in the mainstream news to generate comic strips about the evil Sony/BMG "rootkit" antics...
Read the November 21
comic strip from FoxTrot. Could Copy Control be doomed, thanks to Sony/BMG's mob-inspired corruption?
November 22, 2005 - Shouldn't YOU have the right to decide what YOU do with YOUR computer?
...or should we just let criminalistic corporations like Sony/BMG have the power to "root" around inside our private property?
November 20, 2005 - EMI irks Apple over iPod anti-rip CD compatibility claim, UK-based The Register reports...
No doubt happy that all this Sony/BMG rootkit media attention has taken the spotlight from their own Copy Control antics, EMI Music, using Macrovision's anti-rip CD system, this week told the world: "Apple is nearly finished with the technical work necessary to enable consumers to transfer music from content-protected discs to their iPods... music consumers will soon be able to legitimately port music from protected discs they own to the iPod." Well, this surprised Apple - why must Apple create a work-around just so defective EMI Copy Control discs can be compatable with iPods?
November 20, 2005 - Why
are Sony/BMG bottom-feeding scum?
Read this to see how little they respect OTHER PEOPLE'S copyright...
November 19, 2005 - Sony/BMG will "buy back" your defective rootkit music discs. Nice gesture, Sony/BMG, but you're too late, the damage is done, so fuck you STILL...
Washingtonpost.com is reporting that Sony BMG today detailed a program that should allow customers who bought one of the 52 titles known to be tainted with the company's deeply flawed anti-piracy software to exchange them for CDs of the same title, sans rootkit of course. Oddly enough, Sony is offering those who want to return the CDs the chance to download MP3 versions of the discs, but only after Sony has received the returned discs. Amazon.com also is sending out e-mails to customers who bought the discs, offering to replace or refund them at no cost. Jeez, Sony/BMG, you are ethically bankrupt!
November 16, 2005 - Sony is to pull their controversial rootkit music discs from store shelves, but only after being lawsuited and shamed into doing so...
Sony's DRM rootkit has been found to have infected at least half a million networks. Serious security flaws have been found in the software
that Sony is distributing to users who want to remove the Sony rootkit. Because of the way the tool is configured it allows any
web page that the user subsequently visits to download, install and run any
code that it likes. Even Microsoft is getting into the act. Microsoft said it would remove controversial copy-protection
software that music discs from music
publisher Sony BMG install on personal computers, deeming it a security risk
to PCs running on Windows.
November 16, 2005 - Sony/BMG steals software code to build their insecure "rootkit"...
According to this Dutch article the Sony DRM software (aka rootkit) contains code from the LAME MP3 encoder project, which is licensed under the LGPL (Lesser General Public License). However, the source code has not also been distrbuted, hence breaching the license. Sony feels it's entirely OK to violates your privacy in order to create a backdoor onto
your machine by using someone else's code without permission or licensing that violates an Open Source license! Sony/BMG really ARE gutter rats!!
November 14, 2005 - If you thought XCP "rootkit" copy-protection on Sony/BMG music discs was bad...
...perhaps you'd better read the 3,000 word (!) end-user license agreement (aka "EULA") that comes with all these CDs. Makes rootkit seem like a child's toy!
November 12, 2005 - Sony/BMG to "suspend" use of Copy Control on future releases...
Stung by continuing criticism, the world's second-largest music label, Sony BMG Music Entertainment, promised Friday to temporarily suspend making music CDs with antipiracy technology that can leave computers vulnerable to hackers.
November 11, 2005 -
Lawsuits aplenty! Sony/BMG sued by a bunch of angry consumers upset over the corporation's rat-ass behaviour...
A class-action lawsuit has been filed on behalf of California consumers who may have been harmed by anti-piracy software installed by some Sony music CDs. A second, nationwide class-action lawsuit is expected to be filed against Sony in a New York court on Wednesday seeking relief for all U.S. consumers who have purchased any of the 20 music CDs in question. Read more here.
November 11, 2005 -
Italy is seething with anger over Sony/BMG's corrupt actions...
The fallout continues over Sony BMG Music Entertainment's controversial XCP copy protection software, with an Italian digital rights organization now taking the first step toward possible criminal charges in the matter. Looks like it's Sony/BMG that are the criminals after all - maybe the RIAA should sue Sony/BMG?
November 5, 2005 - Sony DRM Decloaking Patch Might Crash Windows. Researcher says Sony's copy protection software also appears to communicate with Sony servers...
As if it weren't already bad enough for law abiding music consumers, Sony's new Copy Control discs may crash your computer - but not before contacting the Sony HeadQuarters as it collects data about YOU. Click here...
November 2, 2005 - Sony/BMG Copy Control discs installing things to your computer you didn't ask for, give permission to and CANNOT UNINSTALL...
Generally speaking,
when something is installed on your computer without your consent or awareness, then that is considered VERY bad. Usually the culprits doing this are not giant record labels like Sony/BMG however. Read this interesting article and be scared. The article is very tech-centric but should scare you off ever buying a Copy Control disc ever again. Already Sony/BMG has posted a hastily thrown together "service pack" to remove, as they actually refer to it, "the cloaking technology component" that was illegally installed on consumer's computers.
November 2, 2005 - Sony/BMG distributed label ATO Records apologizes to consumers over Sony/BMG's covert deployment of Copy Control...
The ATO Label, home to My Morning Jacket and David Gray among others, is an independent label distributed via Sony/BMG. Without ever asking permission Sony/BMG decided to add the corruptive Copy Control "feature" to their discs. ATO, who are understandably upset, issued an apology on their website. Sady, ATO are locked in their distribution arrangement with Sony/BMG and are forced to endure this sad state of affairs. And so are the music consumers who unwittingly purchase ATO releases.
October 5, 2005 - KOCH to try out Copy Control (blindly following the lead of EMI and Sony/BMG)...
First EMI Music. Then the newly-merged Sony/BMG. Now, it appears, the largest independent label is also intending on joining the Copy Control craze. Add Koch to the list of labels to boycott!
Sony/BMG screws over the fans as well as the band with the release of "Nothing Is Sound" - but Switchfoot want to help out its fans by showing exactly how to bypass the Copy Control "feature" on this corrupted disc.
Tim Foreman from Switchfoot had this to say on the band's official website:
"Let me first say that as a musician AND as a music fan, I agree with the frustration that has been expressed. We were horrified when we first heard about the new copy-protection policy that is being implemented by most major labels, including Sony (ours), and immediately looked into all of our options for removing this from our new album. Unfortunately, this is the new policy for all new major releases from these record companies. It is heartbreaking to see our blood, sweat, and tears over the past 2 years blurred by the confusion and frustration surrounding this new technology. It is also unfortunate when bands such as ourselves, Foo Fighters, Coldplay, etc... (just a few of the new releases with copy protection) are the target of this criticism, when there is no possible way to avoid this new industry policy."
Thank you to Switchfoot for caring, regardless if their asshole label (Sony/BMG) has no intent on dropping the Copy Control from their discs. FUCK YOU, SONY/BMG, YOU ASSTARDS! Quit ripping off the fans and decent musicians like Switchfoot.
UPDATE! October 5, 2005
CNN has an article posted entitled "Musicians tell how to beat system". Web forums instruct fans on how to beat copy-protected CDs.
UPDATE! September 30, 2005
EMI Christian Music Group Recalls Switchfoot CD For Copy Protection Settings!
Apparently the Copy Control that EMI used was particularly consumer-unfriendly. Now a slightly less annoying but still idiotic type of Copy Control will be pressed onto the replacement discs. Read more here.
In an low-key and unusual arrangement, Switchfoot uses two labels
for distribution - EMI for the Christian market, and
Sony-BMG for the secular and world markets. It is the EMI edition that has been recalled. Read what some of the confused Switchfoot fans are saying on the band's Sony/BMG controlled message board.
“In an age where piracy of music is rampant, incorporating this technology into new releases is a reasonable and necessary step to protect artists, songwriters, producers, retailers and all others that rely on music sales” - Leigh Ann Hardie, VP of strategic initiatives and publicity for EMI CMG Label Group.
I sent an email to the lovely Leigh Ann: Here it is:
You actually said Copy Control is a reasonable and necessary step?!?!
Not only is this "reasonable and necessary step" NOT going to stop people from making legal back ups of their legally purchased music but it is fundamentally WRONG. It treats your consumers like criminals.
I have launched a campaign against EMI and Sony/BMG. I advocate that consumers do not buy Copy Control discs from EMI or Sony?BMG but rather simply download the songs for free from the internet where non-Copy Control versions can be found.
So, good work on tainting Switchfoot's album launch with the tragic paranoia of its backwards thinking parent labels.
"Copy Control CDs won't play in all players, and are therefore of less
value than normal CDs. In a competitive environment, prices would adjust
to take account of this, but by keeping customers in the dark, the record
companies hope to keep selling inferior merchandise at a higher price."
(source)The new Rolling Stones album "A Bigger Bang", released September 6th, has Copy Control - DON'T BUY IT! Download it for free from the internet instead! Fuck you, EMI!
|
|
TABLE OF CONTENTS:
• WELCOME!
• WHAT IS COPY CONTROL?
• WHAT CAN I DO AS A CONSUMER?
• WHAT OTHER LABELS OWNED OR DISTRIBUTED BY EMI MUSIC USE COPY CONTROL?
• LINKS
• NEW! EMI MUSIC ANTI-COPY CONTROL FORUM
|
|
WELCOME!
As anyone in the world with a local EMI Music label
branch in their country will soon discover, all CDs from this corporation
are now released with "Copy Control" technology. Consumers may have come
across new discs by Massive Attack, Idlewild, Rosanne Cash among many
others with this new "feature".
Well, the recent EMI discs I have will not play on my car stereo. The
ones that do 
may
only play the first 9 seconds or so of a song.
After tinkering on the internet freeware software scene for a few minutes
I was able to digitally rip the protected CD to my computer and have a
fully playable clone CDR ready for my car. I visited EMI's local Toronto
office on March 28 to show them my car-friendly disc. This is my only
current option since the store says I can't get a refund as these discs
are "not defective". I am only able to exchange it for a new copy of the
same album.
Alienating the customer is not a practical business model, as I explained
to the EMI representitives that came out to the lobby and see me.
Making my own car-friendly CDRs wasn't that hard to do. But why should
I spend my hard earned money on a new CD that will not play on the player
of my choice and then be forced to spend additional money and time on
creating a car-friendly CDR? The original product SHOULD be playable in
ANY player I choose. Period!
All I'm asking for is that, once I provide EMI Music with proof of purchase
of a Copy Controled disc, that they provide me with a non-Copy Controlled
disc at their expense. I'll take an advance promo CD or a special EMI
supplied CDR - as long as it does NOT feature Copy Control.
I'll be posting the EXACT instructions on how to circumvent the EMI Music
Copy Control here if my concerns are not resolved by the EMI Music representitives
I spoke with. I may even post Copy Controlled albums in their entirity,
just so the music is able to be distributed in a form people can use in
their MP3 players or burnt to a CDR.
WHAT IS COPY CONTROL?
While details are not generally public knowledge, EMI
Music's Copy Control is a Macrovision based technology that effectively
makes ripping a CD digitally a hassle. Note that I said it was not impossible
to rip digitally. Of course, ripping in analogue format is still easily
done, and for most people this is good enough sound quality for them.
For audio purists, and anyone buying a CD is among them, they expect near-master
tape quality as featured on a compact disc.
When compact discs were first introduced in the late 80s by European electronic
giant Philips, a standard was put into place to ensure all CDs were of
a required quality. CDs that met this standard are then able to sport
the CD logo that we all are familiar with, as pictured at right.
The new compact discs from EMI Music are so radically different from a
standard CD that they are no longer allowed to have this logo associated
with them. To rectify this, EMI has decided to be open about the fact
they are using Copy Control and have even replaced the standard CD logo
with their own Copy Control logo. All new EMI discs will now have either
a sticker on the front shrinkwrap alerting the consumer to Copy Control
or on-sleeve disclaimers right on the reverse side artwork. Or both, in
many cases.
"We are not releasing any details about the technology, but we know that
if someone is determined to circumvent it they will," EMI
Music Australia managing director
John O'Donnell said, "We're not fazed by that. It's an impediment that
will stop many people and make others think twice about burning CDs."
(source)
This is proof the big 5 major labels are not clued into the realities
of digital media. If simply ONE person manages to circumvent the
Copy Control then the music is now ready to be shared online with the
world. Piracy CANNOT be stopped. Thinking in an outdated business
model SHOULD be stopped, however.
COPY CONTROL MUST BE PROPERLY LABELLED
While
the new releases featuring Copy Control are in fact labelled to alert
the consumer, some discs like the new Massive Attack album "100th
Window" features the information buried within small fonted text
on the reverse side of the CD jewel case artwork. A consumer that fails
to read the small print may end up getting home and discovering their
new CD will not play on the player of their choice or will not be able
to be digitally ripped.
WHAT CAN I DO AS A CONSUMER?
Simply do not buy any EMI Music releases from now on.
If you really want a certain EMI release then find the MP3s off a file
sharing service and burn your own CD. The music industry needs to learn
that by price gouging consumers and then adding a quality inhibiter like
Copy Control that there are consequences.
WHAT OTHER LABELS OWNED OR DISTRIBUTED BY EMI MUSIC
USE COPY CONTROL?
Virgin Music, Blue Note, Capitol, Nettwerk, Astralwerks, Parlophone, Chrysalis,
Heavenly, Food, Source and many others. Just because the familiar EMI
Music logo is absent, be careful when buying CDs. Be especially careful
buying online as there will likely be no mention of EMI Music's Copy Control.
HOW CAN I CONTACT EMI MUSIC AND TELL THEM HOW I FEEL?
Please feel free to visit the EMI site most appropriate
to the country where you reside. Send them emails, call them up on the
phone, send them letters and even drop by their headquarters to voice
your opinion. Tell them that you refuse to support their company until
they resume releasing CDs that can be played in the player of your choice.
You're already paying a highly inflated price for your music. Now you
are paying the same price for a degraded product that may not even play
on your players of choice.
EMI
Music Arabia
EMI
Music Australia
EMI
Music Austria
EMI
Music Brazil
EMI
Music Canada
EMI
Music Finland
EMI
Music France
EMI Music
Germany
EMI
Music Italy
EMI
Music Korea
EMI
Music Malaysia
EMI
Music Netherlands
EMI
Music Spain
EMI
Music Sweden
EMI
Music Switzerland
EMI
Music Taiwan
EMI
Music New Zealand
EMI
Records UK
Capitol
Records USA
WHAT HAVE OTHER VISITORS TO THIS SITE SAID?
Add your opinion to the EMI
MUSIC ANTI-COPY CONTROL FORUM
Yesterday I purchased the new album by The Music. Great band and great
album. Unfortunately I just realised that this CD is "copy controlled"
and will not play in my car stereo.
I own over 800 CDs and have been buying them for over 15 years. With my
purchase of an iPod I have left my CD Walkman behind. With an iPod I can
have many albums at my disposal instead of just one. I am very disapointed
in your comapny and I will be returning the CD today, citing that "it
does not play in the device that I choose". Not only that, I am also boycotting
your label and any other labels, artists that choose to go this route.
Because you are not giving consumers a choice in what they can do with
a product that they have paid for you are forcing them to download illegal
copies. There will always be illegal copies floating around in cyber space
because there are always people who enjoy solving "impossible" puzzles.
The Music has lost revenue.
EMI has lost revenue.
HMV has lost revenue.
I will find all the songs on the net and burn my own copy that will play
anywhere I want it to. I guess the Moral of the story is: if you and your
artists want to make money then don't bite the hand that feeds you!!!
I won't even get into the inflated price of CDs.
•
Found your most useful site after buying the new album "Vehicles & Animals"
by "Athlete". It won't play in the dashboard CD player in my new Renault
Laguna. Renault are one of the largest autmotive companies in Europe.
EMI are losing out on this market.
•
As a lot of people, I can't play the last two CDs I bought (Massive Attack
and Placebo) in my car stereo and in my DVD player. Can you tell me what
freeware do you use to digitally rip the protected CD?
•
Firstly, I am an Australian music buyer who does not support the methodologies
of copy control. However, this is secondary to the fact that my recently-purchased
copy of the Be Good Tanyas' Chinatown CD contains sound errors. The glitches
occur at around the 8 to 9 second mark of several songs, and sound like
a millisecond of the music has been removed or contains a stop-gap. My
assumption is that this is due to the copy-control technology, as none
of my other CD's have this recurring error. Owing to the fact that your
Q&A page mentions that there have been playability issues surrounding
the copy control CD's, again, I must assume that your new technology is
the source of the sound errors.
•
It may be of interest to you that I spend well over $2500 on music releases
per year, but that I plan to discontinue purchases from EMI or subsidiary
companies. Please provide me with details regarding how I may receive
an audibly perfect copy of the aforementioned release.
•
Nice site - Interesting to read the quote from David Bowie.
I have just received the new Aladdin Sane remastered album by David Bowie
- on EMI and copy protected of course- I already own this album on 12inch
Vinyl and "compact cassette"- perhaps EMI will sell me a forth copy that
I can use in my Net minidisc and my MP3 player.
Incidentally, despite their claims I have yet to find a copy controlled
disk that will play on my DVD player.
They just don't get do they!
LINKS TO OTHER COPY CONTROL RELATED SITES
Fat
Chuck's
Campaign
For Digital Rights
Boycott
RIAA
Notice
Network's Report A Corrupt CD
EMI
Music Australia forced to close their message board due to anti-Copy Control
posts!
Former
EMI Music artist David Bowie supports non-Copy Controlled CDs
David Bowie; always a visionary (albeit a weird one
at times), has stated that he is taking the money while he can. He feels
that the industry is blind to the realities of what is going on, and instead
of looking for new avenues for revenue, it clings on to an outmoded structure
that can not survive. He sees a future where copyright will only be what
you make of it. (text excerpt from this
source)
Skulls
And Wishbones, an article from cubey.com...
A
good article from Business Week about how the big labels are slow to embrace
the internet and MP3s
You
are breaking the law by making a copy of a CD you legally purchased, regardless
of its purpose. Oh really?
It
seems this guy is as riled as I am about EMI Copy Control...
As
is this guy, who posted a rather direct opinion about EMI Copy Control
on his March 31st entry
An
Australian article from mid-March 2003 that shows people WILL get angry
about Copy Control
Copy
Management in the Digital Era, an older but good article from the technology
side of Copy Control
A
Japanese article (in English) from last Fall about that country's feelings
on Copy Control
Music
For The Masses, information on CDs that have been released in New Zealand
with copy-protection
Roxio
makes CD burning software but wants you to get in line with the EMI Copy
Control attitude
TechTV
is one of my favorite television channels on the cable dial, here is their
Copy Control page
EMI
Music calls its CD buying customers "liars and thieves"!
EMI
Music Germany thinks you are a "filthy pirate" if you try to
hack their Copy Control
The dangers of DRM (Digital Rights Management)
A
guy in Australia who is hopping mad over EMI's Copy Control and is doing
something about it
High-tech
fails to stop the music going round
Feel
free to send the creators of Copy Control a nice form-based email about
how nice their product is
DISCLAIMER
To be fair, it is definitely not merely EMI Music that is adding various
forms of Copy Control to their compact discs. All major labels, including
EMI Music, Warner Bros., BMG, Universal and Sony are involved in trying
to corrupt the CDs that consumers pay good money for. Please refrain from
buying any copy protected discs in the future and simply download the
files from a file sharing network. Fedge Communications does not advocate
downloading music files of non-copy protected music. If it's copy protected
however, go for it. The music industry ought to be ashamed of itself for
this type of consumer abuse!
pissed off Radiohead fans (among other angry music consumers) have visited
here so far...
A Fedge Communications site
www.fedge.net
TIP: If your CD does not contain either the LaunchCD.exe or
Autorun.exe files, it may not be compatible with this iPod
solution. Please reply to this letter for more information.
Once the Sony BMG player application has been launched and the End User License Agreement has been accepted, you can click the Copy Songs button on the top menu.
Follow the instructions to copy the secure Windows Media Files (WMA) to your PC. Make a note of where you are copying the songs to, you will need to get to these secure Windows Media Files in the next steps.
Once the WMA files are on your PC you can open and listen to the songs with Windows Media Player 9.0 or higher (or another fully compatible player that can playback secure WMA files, such as MusicMatch, RealPlayer, and Winamp). You can then burn the songs to a standard Audio CD. Please note that in order to burn the files, you will need to upgrade to, or already have, Windows Media Player 9 or 10.
Once the standard Audio CD has been created, place this copied CD back into your computer and open iTunes. iTunes can now rip the songs as you would any normal audio CD.
Please note an easier and more acceptable solution requires cooperation from Apple, who we have already reached out to in hopes of addressing this issue. To help speed this effort, we ask that you use the following link to contact Apple and ask them to provide a solution that would easily allow you to move content from protected CDs into iTunes or onto your iPod rather than having to go through the additional steps above:
http://www.apple.com/feedback/ipod.html
Thank you for the opportunity to be of assistance.
The Sony BMG Online Support Team
CCKM