Free Beer! ... no, wait a minute... Free Music!

[acroyear]

BBC NEWS | Technology | Free downloads end Sony CD saga:

Free downloads end Sony CD saga
Dido (BBC)
British singer Dido is one of the artists affected
Millions of music fans will be given free music downloads or money to compensate for flawed anti-piracy software on CDs from label Sony BMG.

The final approval to the settlement for lawsuits against the music giant was granted by a US judge on Monday.

Sony BMG was accused of using copy protection program on CDs that left computers vulnerable to hackers.

The episode caused much embarrassment for the world's second largest music label.

Hidden files

The dispute began in November 2005 after software developer Mark Russinovich found that anti-piracy software XCP used by Sony employed virus-like techniques to hide itself on PCs.

This cloaked technology, he said, could be exploited by hackers. Following the reports, several lawsuits were taken against the record label.

At the same time, other consumers took action over Sony CDs that were being protected with another anti-piracy technology known as MediaMax.

According to the settlement, consumers who bought a CD with the XCP software can receive a replacement disc. They will also receive either a cash payment of $7.50 and one free album download, or three free album downloads.

Those with discs with MediaMax will only get free downloads.

of course the question is 1) how do i sign up (I got the G3 Live album with the hackjob software on it), and 2) does Sony have anything worth getting via download?

found out - the settlement site is http://www.sonybmgcdtechsettlement.com/

and I was right - the list of albums you can download sucks.

Comments

[jmthane.livejournal.com]

Good thing I didn't buy any of their spyware-infested CDs. When I can find one album I would consider downloading from that entire list - that's beyond suckage, it sucks and blows causing great air displacement...

[acroyear70.livejournal.com]

well, the Satriani album is the only thing i'm even remotely curious in (and i'd rather have seen a Steve Vai album than Satch).

i read about the problem and took a gamble that the way it was designed, it was windows only. i was right. i ripped through the thing like it wasn't there on my linux box ('cause to linux, it wasn't!).

the real irony was that it was a 2-cd set and only the first disc had the "protection". the theory on their part was that you'd put in the first disc, install the "protection" (i say that like one would say "protection" to a mafia racket) and it would recognize the second cd when you inserted that later.

well, no worries. i can send it back, if i get a replacement for it, fine, but i have my real copy (and the mp3s i intended to make) AND i have the 5.1 dvd that it's the soundtrack for. go fig.