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More DRM stuff:
Feb. 28th, 2007 05:28 pmFirstly, from Kaura I pass along a link to something interesting and hopeful: A digitial media fair use bill has been introduced.
Then, I shall just pass along a peculiar and interesting observation. Wierd Al's recent album, Straight Outta Lynwood, had its big promotional release bungled, because somebody let slip the "White and Nerdy" music video early, and it got passed across most of the internet in a matter of hours. (I myself saw it about that time, and I'm not particularly well hooked into the internet trends grapevine.) Not only that, but that song, and several others from the album were shortly thereafter put up on Al's own homepage, and on his Myspace page (the only page on all of Myspace that doesn't sear my eyeballs,) and have been downloaded a bazillion times.
If the people who claim that piracy and downloads over the net are stealing their business are right, if people who download download instead of buying, and thus they've lost a customer, then Straight Outta Lynwood ought to be suffering pretty badly, given that the best stuff off the album is being given away, and half the world has downloaded it.
However, and I quote from wikipedia here, "Straight Outta Lynwood is Yankovic's most successful chart album in the U.S, and his first top ten album ever, entering the Billboard 200 at number ten." Not only that, but the one most downloaded and watched song of those available for download, the one most passed around, the one that I've seen shared on the net in dozens of places without even trying to look for it, is "White and Nerdy." Well, let's see how that's doing then... ""White & Nerdy" has also become Yankovic's first-ever Top 10 single, peaking at #9 on the Billboard Hot 100. (His previous highest-peaking single was 1984's "Eat It", which peaked at #12)."
So to anybody who insists that piracy is hurting your business, yeah right. The evidence is stacking up steadily, and is becoming more and more overwhelming. The more people download your stuff off of the net, the better it sells. If this fair use bill goes through, it'll be the best thing that ever happened to the music industry, if they'd just take their heads out of the sand and pay attention.
Also, on the subject of Weird Al and DRM, Don't Download This Song. No. Don't do it! I seeeeeeee you with your mouse hovering over that link. Don't you dare follow it and download the song. Don't do it! No. Noooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo!
(P.S. Had to add this. If you like White and Nerdy, you should see this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GWc6QQ9JlMc Al put it up himself. And yes, that is Donny Osmond rocking out nerdily in the background. Which is the best part.)
Then, I shall just pass along a peculiar and interesting observation. Wierd Al's recent album, Straight Outta Lynwood, had its big promotional release bungled, because somebody let slip the "White and Nerdy" music video early, and it got passed across most of the internet in a matter of hours. (I myself saw it about that time, and I'm not particularly well hooked into the internet trends grapevine.) Not only that, but that song, and several others from the album were shortly thereafter put up on Al's own homepage, and on his Myspace page (the only page on all of Myspace that doesn't sear my eyeballs,) and have been downloaded a bazillion times.
If the people who claim that piracy and downloads over the net are stealing their business are right, if people who download download instead of buying, and thus they've lost a customer, then Straight Outta Lynwood ought to be suffering pretty badly, given that the best stuff off the album is being given away, and half the world has downloaded it.
However, and I quote from wikipedia here, "Straight Outta Lynwood is Yankovic's most successful chart album in the U.S, and his first top ten album ever, entering the Billboard 200 at number ten." Not only that, but the one most downloaded and watched song of those available for download, the one most passed around, the one that I've seen shared on the net in dozens of places without even trying to look for it, is "White and Nerdy." Well, let's see how that's doing then... ""White & Nerdy" has also become Yankovic's first-ever Top 10 single, peaking at #9 on the Billboard Hot 100. (His previous highest-peaking single was 1984's "Eat It", which peaked at #12)."
So to anybody who insists that piracy is hurting your business, yeah right. The evidence is stacking up steadily, and is becoming more and more overwhelming. The more people download your stuff off of the net, the better it sells. If this fair use bill goes through, it'll be the best thing that ever happened to the music industry, if they'd just take their heads out of the sand and pay attention.
Also, on the subject of Weird Al and DRM, Don't Download This Song. No. Don't do it! I seeeeeeee you with your mouse hovering over that link. Don't you dare follow it and download the song. Don't do it! No. Noooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo!
(P.S. Had to add this. If you like White and Nerdy, you should see this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GWc6QQ9JlMc Al put it up himself. And yes, that is Donny Osmond rocking out nerdily in the background. Which is the best part.)
