CD copy protection - TravelPUNK Backpacker College Student Budget Travel Message Boards!

**LiveFreeorDie** · 10-12-2005, 09:37 AM

FYI - I read an article today discussing how more and more CDs are coming out that have copy protection built in so that they cannot be ripped onto your computer using I-Tunes. Apparently there is a bit of a dispute between Apple and many of the recording companies because Apple will not license their copy protection software 'Fairplay' to the record companies.

In any event, if you end up buying a CD with this protection, you need to rip it using Windows Media player and then convert the files over to AAC (or just leave in MP3 if you choose to rip them to that format).

I guess recent Cds with this protection include the latest Foo Fighters and the latest Alicia Keyes. I guess many of the artists are pissed off because they do not support this at all, but the record companies are doing it anyway.

The record companies are just encouraging more people to download illegally when they pull this type of bullshit. :greenguy:

**juliagulia** · 10-12-2005, 04:20 PM

whaaaaat! but thats the only way i get songs! stupid recording companies

foofiter · 10-12-2005, 07:08 PM

I just use BitTorrent. Most of my CD's are scratched and someone else has done all the ripping for me. I am going to backup my iTunes collection and then sell all my CD's to the used shop. I have my iPod with the iTrip so I no longer need CD's.

The RIAA never ceases to piss me off.

Stick it to the man!

Foo

**kingcrazylegs** · 10-13-2005, 02:35 AM

Its so silly, they know people will find a way

**TimmyJames1976** · 10-13-2005, 06:32 AM

try holding down SHIFT when putting the CD un your comp....it should cancel the auotrun program that initiates the copy protection crap.......havnt tryed it yet but my buddy told me about it....either way, just ask a comp tech what to do to nix an autorun.exe if the SHIFT thing doesnt work

**juliagulia** · 10-13-2005, 09:33 AM

nice tip timmy ill try it next time i rip some cds. if it doesnt work ill ask a friend of mine. computer genius that guy.... you'll probably see him being sued by the music biz some day

**Elizabeth** · 10-13-2005, 02:26 PM

As long as the record companies keep inventing copy protection technology, some leet hacker/computer genius will find some way to break it.

Its the music industry's fault though. Most albums that come out today have about one or two singleworthy songs and the rest is crap.

What is a record company anyway? Its the middleman who happens to be screwing the consumer and the artists. They only exist to "help" the artist get his or her music out to the fans in hopes they will go see their show. The artists now have a better tool to do this: p2p. The record companies are slowly becoming obsolete. Horse drawn carriages are now obsolete but you don't see them getting bent out of shape and suing car companies.

Fight The Man!

**LiveFreeorDie** · 10-13-2005, 03:03 PM

I don't believe the fix is as simple as holding down the shift key. Several artists' websites are actually posting directions on how to beat it (using the Windows Media method). Keep in mind - this isn't copy protection to keep you from ripping the CD to ANY jukebox software....only I-Tunes. There is a bit of a dispute going on I guess. Stupid. Good way to piss off a shitload of people. how many I-Pods are out there now? 25-30 million? They exect to sell 10 million more in Oct to Dec of this year. Record companies are complaining about sales of CDs and then they do this?

**space virgin** · 10-13-2005, 06:18 PM

Is this something that's encoded in the data when the CD is made? Or is it a function of the actual disc?

Because if it's just a disc thing with iTunes, wouldn't you theoretically be able to rip it to your hard drive and later import it into your iTunes library anyway? Or am I full of crap?

**omisan** · 10-17-2005, 11:19 AM

*shrugs* there are a zillion ways to rip music on to Macs/Windows machines without using iTunes. Windows Media, etc.

**LiveFreeorDie** · 10-17-2005, 04:05 PM

^I agree, but how many people may buy a CD, try to rip it using I-Tunes, fail, and not know why and just give up thinking they have a bad cd?? Yes, there are a million ways, but it is a pain in the ass if for every CD, you have to rip it into MP3 format using WM, or another format which then has to get converted to AAC. I personally think MP3 does have poorer sound quality than AAC and so prefer not to rip my CDs into MP3 format.

**omisan** · 10-17-2005, 05:36 PM

If you can't rip directly from iTunes, the best way is to rip to .WAV or .AIF, which are at the same sound quality as the CD itself.. Sure, the files are huuuge, but then you can convert them to .M4A, .WMA, .OGG - whatever you prefer. On a mac, it's pretty simple to grab the AIFs without a conversion - just open the CD in the finder and drag the files on to your hard drive

**PlayPal** · 11-11-2005, 08:02 AM

I ran into that problem with the new Coldplay cd, and not knowing anything about it just tried copying the cd. It copied fine and then I was able to rip it into I-tunes from the copy, which I then gave to a friend. Maybe not as slick as other ways, but it worked.

xanthuos · 11-11-2005, 10:49 AM

OK, first off, let me say this post is not a "DON'T DOWNLOAD!" rant. It's simply a plea that people be aware of the effect that their downloading has.

When you download a song or an album rather than purchasing it, you're not just "sticking it to the man." You're sticking it to a lot of people, many of them NOT rich. One of the groups in the music industry that actually suffers from illegal downloading the most are songwriters. As we all know, not every song from an album becomes a hit. The songs that don't become hits still generate royalties for a songwriter though, through album sales. Most songwriters are not rich, and having a hit song is not something that happens for most of them.

So please...when you download, be aware of the effect it has. I'd love it if downloading only hurt the major record labels, as I am more in favor of an independent distribution system. It doesn't though, and it is hurting a vibrant talent pool of songwriters the most.

Also, by the way, a record label isn't just a middle man. Seek out education on the functions of a record label, and you'll learn more about the music industry.

**TheJake** · 11-11-2005, 11:38 AM

this coming from the guy with 17,000 songs... lol

**PlayPal** · 11-11-2005, 12:18 PM

All paid for.....?

xanthuos · 11-11-2005, 01:37 PM

Nope...but I don't tell people that "I see nothing wrong with downloading," or "The record labels are screwing the artists anyway" or "Metallica has too much money." I know I'm stealing from songwriters, amongst others.

I'm just not going to be naive about it.

**The Monsignor** · 11-16-2005, 05:11 AM

Just when you thought it was safe to play on your computer, Sony introduces a new "eXtended Copy Protection" software to certain music CDs that, when installed on a pc, expose you to all sorts of vulnerabilities, including dangerous security openings in Windows!

They've recalled the CD's involved, but they're doing little to warn consumers about the dangers created by their heavy-handed approach to anti-piracy.

Sony BMG recalls copy-protected music CDs

Much more info on how it works and what it does can be found HERE.

They've already got lawsuits pending in several places, and hopefully they will be hurt financially by the consequences of their actions!

Quote:

Perhaps the biggest news in the story last week is Sony’s first public response since one of their executives stated in a National Public Radio interview, “users don't know what a rootkit is, and therefore, don't care." Mid-day Friday Sony announced, with the hope that press coverage wouldn’t last through the weekend, that it would temporarily cease production of CD’s containing First 4 Internet’s XCP technology, the software that utilizes the rootkit.

If I ever had any sympathy for their company and the results of downloading music, that pretty much killed it...

Stewart Baker, the assistant secretary for policy in the Department of Homeland Security, directed his comments during a U.S. Chamber of Commerce conference pointedly towards Sony's behavior:

Quote:

“It's very important to remember that it's your intellectual property -- it's not your computer. And in the pursuit of protection of intellectual property, it's important not to defeat or undermine the security measures that people need to adopt in these days.”

Killer Cyborg · 11-16-2005, 05:38 AM

MSFTs Palladium hardware/software standard will kill off piracy in the future as well as personal freedoms

In the meanwhile, Record companies would be better served spending R&D cash on hunter killer
programs and swamping the net with defective downloads.

xtremefx · 05-14-2006, 01:48 PM

yer,i cant believe like most of you seem to use itunes from what i have been reading,wow,thats dissapointing actually,anyway,if it is protected,theres always some form of software you can dl for free and that will be some form of help to you to rip from protected cd's/dvd's,and if your complainin about converting them to diff file formats,theres a software called dbpower amp,you can download a trial or buy full version,and you can convert say mp3's to aac,also if the type of format you have or want to change it to isnt intergrated into the program,then it will say and will send you straight to the site so you can download the patch for you then you can carry on converting,

also personally,if i had the money and lived closer to where i could actually buy cds,then i would have no quams about buying cds/tapes/vinyl/etc.,but because i can download for free,i do,simple really,its just the hard disk space then is annoying,i have to actually BUY another hard disk,so upsetting

i think thats everything