"The Inevitable Rise and Liberation of Niggytardust!"

Saul Williams is distributing his latest record, the dramatically titled “The Inevitable Rise and Liberation of Niggytardust!” solely via the Intarweb (i.e. no Radiohead “In Rainbows” nonsense). Those interested can either grab the 192 kbps MP3 version for free, or pay $5 and opt for the FLAC version. Both versions come with a PDF booklet, containing artwork and lyrics to the songs.

The record has been produced Trent, “I know that artists should embrace the flow”, Reznor (NIN fame). The two gave an interview on New York Magazine regarding the release. Reznor says (emphasis mine):

I’m truly saddened because I think music has been devalued, so that it’s just a file on your computer, and it’s usually free. But we can’t change that. What we can do is try to offer people the best experience that we can provide them. Will it work? I don’t know. But I think it’s a great way to get music out to people who are interested.

If you truly believe that record companies are evil and you’ve had enough with the way music lovers are treated nowadays, put your money where your mouth is and buy the album. You don’t have to be a fan of his music — I think the album sucked but I didn’t regret spending those $5 one bit. If we truly had enough with the music industry’s tactics, these initiatives should be getting the most of our support. √ Dec 6th, 2007

Amazon 1-Click patent rejected

“Amazon One-Click patent rejected by the US Patent Office as a result of my request”: a perfect excuse for me to type: “Flawless. Victory.” [via] √ Oct 20th, 2007

Mediocre music

Jared Christensen on “Legacy”:

As the son-in-law of a musician, and the husband of an aspiring musician, I can tell you in no uncertain terms that a future in which we do not pay for music will be a future full of mediocrity and disappointment.

Something tells me he does have a point. √ Oct 14th, 2007

Just a nice way of saying "steals just one copy"

“‘Copying’ music you own is ‘stealing’”:

Pariser replied, “When an individual makes a copy of a song for himself, I suppose we can say he stole a song.” Making “a copy” of a purchased song is just “a nice way of saying ‘steals just one copy’,” she said.

Jennifer Pariser is the head of litigation for Sony BMG (read: its chief anti-piracy lawyer). Good times. [via] √ Oct 6th, 2007

Amazon, DRM and a rule of thumb

Με αφορμή την είδηση ότι NBC θα διαθέσει τελικά τον κατάλογο του μέσα από την υπηρεσία Unbox Amazon (ας όψεται το μακράν περιοριστικότερο DRM της τελευταίας σε σχέση με το iTunes Store), τα παρακάτω λόγια είναι καλή τροφή για σκέψη:

What’s surprising is that Amazon, a company that grew to prominence specifically because of their reputation for great customer service and experience, would go along with such odious restrictions. Here’s a simple rule of thumb: if an honest customer has to even think about the rules, your DRM system is odiously restrictive.

√ Sep 7th, 2007