DRM Kicks It Up A Notch And Exposes Your Machine To Attackers [Archive]

Ed Hansberry

11-03-2005, 09:00 PM

<a href="http://news.com.com/Sony+to+patch+copy-protected+CD/2100-7355_3-5928608.html?tag=nefd.top">http://news.com.com/Sony+to+patch+copy-protected+CD/2100-7355_3-5928608.html?tag=nefd.top</a> Last month, <a href="http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/B0009XT8Y2/qid=1131044233/sr=8-1/ref=pd_bbs_1/103-3798681-5529450?v=glance&s=music&n=507846">I purchased a CD</a> for my wife for her birthday. I actually pre-ordered it from Amazon knowing it would ship and arrive on time. At the time of pre-order, Amazon didn't have the blaring [CONTENT/COPY-PROTECTED CD] disclaimer. If it had, I wouldn't have purchased it. As soon as she put it in and tried to play it with Windows Media Player, it told her it needed to install some software. I immediately looked at the case, saw it was copy protected and sent it back for a refund, which Amazon happily provided. Had we allowed that software to install, it is very likely it would have installed the <a href="http://www.sysinternals.com/blog/2005/10/sony-rootkits-and-digital-rights.html">malicious software Mark Russinovich</a> traced back to Sony music CDs. According to the CNet article, not only is this stuff a hassle, it puts software that is deeply hidden from your view, yet allows virus writers to exploit, bypassing antivirus software. Sony has enlisted the help of anti-virus companies to patch the corporate malware. :roll: I will never knowingly buy a copy protected CD. If it ever came to the point that most CD's were copy protected, I would actually set up a new PC just for the purpose of ripping the music and then running it through external recording devices plugged into the sound card. There is always a way around this stuff. Until Sony and other labels treat me like a customer and not a thief, I'll continue to buy most of my CD's from independent artists through stores like <a href="http://www.cdbaby.com">CD Baby</a>.

Lex

11-03-2005, 09:05 PM

I was completely unaware of this whole issue. Is there a way to tell if CDs are copy protected when looking at the CD in retail outlets? I don't mind copy protection as much as I mind virus backdoors !

allenalb

11-03-2005, 09:26 PM

some of these copy preotected cds have actually CAUSED me to download music in the past. generally i never download music, because i don't like the quality, and i prefer to rip all of my own CDs as FLAC/CUE for my home theater, and OGG for my PPC with a huge PAR2 backup (i'm paranoid about data loss, to say the least). i have ONE cd from sony purchased a couple of years ago from ebay (a promo of a Tori Amos CD if anyone cares) that i couldn't rip, so i ended up downloading someone elses successful rip.

bottom line (in my opinion, anyway) is the more the corporations treat us like criminals, the more we actually BECOME criminals. maybe that's actually their goal :(

the conspiracy theorist in me likens it to the idea that all police officers have small bags of drugs and untraceable pistols in their trunks for the inevitable overzealous "arrest". i don't actually believe this, but occasionally i do wonder...

IpaqMan2

11-03-2005, 09:28 PM

I haven't purchased an audio CD since about 1999 and with all of the "copy protection" stuff labels hide in the audio CDs I don't foresee me buying any audio CDs anytime soon.

I get all my audio music from online services, than re-rip the files to Mp3s or unprotected WMAs and archive them on CDs or DVDs. It's a process but doesn't take very long to do, but is worth the effort so I can maintain the freedom of playing my music where ever and on whatever I want too, whether audio CDs or portable music players.

It's sad that I have to use "pirate" tactics to have the freedom of use of legally purchased music.

Jason Dunn

11-03-2005, 09:52 PM

Is there a way to tell if CDs are copy protected when looking at the CD in retail outlets?

Yes, the back it will usually say something to the effect of "this CD does not conform to the CD standard and may not play in all CD players". Those are the ones that have the more invasive DRM.

wkspear

11-03-2005, 10:14 PM

Here's another good (to me at least) article:

http://blogs.washingtonpost.com/securityfix/2005/11/sony_raids_hack.html

One can at least have the consolation of knowing that these protectionist strategies never work. Sony, who's certainly not the only or maybe even worst offender, has been pulling somewhat related stunts for years. I stopped buying Sony products 7 years ago after discovering my clock radio had a proprietary 9-volt backup battery (which they then stopped making). So I retrofit the radio for a standard 9-volt battery - which is in a sense what people will do in this case. (Hey Sony, we're not STUPID.) My point is the company is too driven by sheer greed without thinking about the customer, IMHO (I mean, really, a proprietary battery? - and it never works as a business strategy, ever.

-W.

unxmully

11-03-2005, 10:43 PM

I read this one on Slashdot where the anti-DRM geeks were, quite rightly IMHO, livid.

Sony are absolutely dreadful, not only do they implement using a rootkit which leaves you open to all kinds of attacks, but they don't let you uninstall it without a PHd in Computer Science. The only upside to this is that it leaves them open to all sorts of legal action for, amongst other things apparently, trespass :evil:

And at the same time, they've built and maintained an empire on devices such as the Walkman and where would they have been if music on LPs had had some form of DRM?

Dreadful.

arb

11-03-2005, 11:02 PM

I have been purchasing my music online for a while and I don't think I will be changing that anytime soon. These DRM moves not only cripple technical users but also put fear into regular consumers. When you buy a CD it "should" work in your CD Player no matter if you purchased a CD player in 1980 or 2005. (Yes I own a CD Player that still works from 1980).

As far a legal actions against these companies. Sony should be forced to pay for damages that thier DRM causes. Consumers and corporate users should not be liable for paying for computer repairs especially if all they are doing is listening to thier music CD.

I have said this before, but here I go again... If all entertainment companies force consumers to adopt new technologies and on top of that make it more difficult to use because of "required" updates, then the industry in a whole will colapse because of this greed.

( Look at the PSP, every freaking month Sony puts out a new firmware update to prevent people from experimenting with the PSP. I think if you buy it, then it is technically yours to do whatever you want, otherwise Sony should be leasing this unit to you)

Thank you,

guinness

11-03-2005, 11:05 PM

Gerard

11-03-2005, 11:07 PM

In contracting this UK-based software company to add potentially dangerous software (and according to the discoverer's report, not even very well written software) to customer's computers, and then distributing these CDs to at least 2million customers, they have yet again shot their public image in the foot.
Sony has taken something of a beating over leaky plasma TVs (and possibly grave health issues for employees building the things), ever-changing Memory Stick formats and the commensurate incompatibility issues with relatively new devices, and just generally consumer-unfriendly tactics. It would seem that Sony's PR team has a lot of work to do in quieting the angry and vocal consumers who pay their way. Abusive practices along the lines of what the RIAA would love to see cannot possibly endear Sony nor any other company to the public at large.

Of course people are finding workarounds! What else would they do? If I have to rip CDs in realtime from my stereo's CD player just to have freedom of copying and transfer, that's just too much trouble. I'll either avoid the CD altogether or look to other sources for the tracks. If those tracks are not available through legal sites then many people will find other sources.

It's very basic psychology folks, nothing new here. Prohibition didn't slow down alcohol consumption, it escalated drinking rates, and made not a few millionaires in the process. Same deal with making harder drugs illegal. Controlled access makes people mad, makes them want to know what all the fuss is about, encourages the most juvenile impulses in many of us.

On the other hand, making things open source and fair tends to bring a smile to the faces of many (if not Bill Gates or the RIAA etc.), and a general feeling of community. Shared information is good, provided it's not dangerous. Anyone ever been killed by a pop song, had their head explode while listening, or perhaps spontaneously transformed into a terrorist because the music isn't DRM'd?

There are a few quotes springing to mind. Here are two, from an American poet and from a fictional princess:

Something there is which does not love a wall, which wants it down.

The more you tighten your grip [insert name of favourite draconian megacorporation or government or lobby group here] the more systems will slip through your fingers.

Coupled with the RI- and MPAA's latest big lobby in the US - a sweeping proposal to disable ALL analog copying of digital media at the hardware level on new devices - these do seem more and more like times ripe for rebellion. Of course the abusers of power have never admitted that rebels were rebels. They've always preferred to label them 'theives', 'pirates', or whatever unsavoury euphemism. In the cases of digital media, they seem unable or unwilling to appreciate that the vast majority of consumers will pay a fair price for a good product. There is money to be made, for honest business practicioners. For those hoping to make billions through the devious and abusive actions of vast legal teams, there is no future, because consumers will simply stop buying from them in the longer run as alternatives appear.

Paragon

11-03-2005, 11:12 PM

Wow! I had no idea....someone please remind me again.......why am I trying to listen to music legally. It is getting very difficult to continue paying for music when it is so much easier....and safer ;) to just download it for free.

emuelle1

11-03-2005, 11:28 PM

Yeah, right. It almost does seem like Kazaa is a safer environment than legally purchased music.

I pretty much gave up on music. I haven't bought a CD in years. I used to have a membership with Columbia Music, but I haven't gotten a new CD in since I discontinued my membership with them so many years ago.

I quit smoking about three and a half years ago and started listening to talk radio about the same time. Lately I download podcasts (or thoughtcasts, Ed :devilboy: ; I've listened to some of yours) or other MP3 files to my Pocket PC to listen to in the car. I don't bother much with music these days. I guess I'm better off.

I think that the music industry is so busy trying to protect their product that they haven't taken any time to understand how much their customers have changed. They'd still make us buy an entire CD for one good song like in the bad old days if they could.

jgalindo

11-03-2005, 11:37 PM

I use Replay Music www.replay-music.com to transform all my music to MP3 and play on my pocket pc.

SHC

11-03-2005, 11:47 PM

I have a Sony Network Walkman and have to use SonicStage to put music on it. Does anyone know if that programme installs this Rootkit?
Hope not.

PPCRules

11-04-2005, 12:03 AM

... I would actually set up a new PC just for the purpose of ripping the music and then running it through external recording devices plugged into the sound card.
Ed, anyone: I would imagine there is good software available that handles separating the audio into individual songs, etc., pretty well. Other than not being able to speed it up faster than real time, no user intervention should be needed. Does anyone have experience and a recommendation along this line?

I bought that same CD in a retail store. There is very little said about the issue on the packaging, and certainly not enough to know what it means. A lot of people are buying this stuff unawares. This is one of those few situations where I feel lawyers and class action suits are useful.

unxmully

11-04-2005, 12:09 AM

Read about this last week, but not only is what Sony doing terrible, but it also points to problems with Windows and using autorun, IMO (and Windows in general).

I read the worst thing about that rootkit, is that it basically makes XP unusable if you try to uninstall it (it shows up under some goofy heading in Add/Remove Programs).

There are a number of innacuracies here:

1. No it doesn't appear in add/remove programs. You have to get Sony to phone you and talk you throught using an ActiveX control in IE ( :roll: ) to remove it.
2. If you are as bright as Mike R and can remove it using other means, it renders your CD ROM non functional :|
3. It allows any virus or other nasty which has a name prefixed with $sys$ to be hidden from you and any virus scanners etc. you've installed. Hence your pc can be zombied far more easily.

All-in-all, pretty clever.

Andy

Gerard

11-04-2005, 12:33 AM

Ed, anyone: I would imagine there is good software available that handles separating the audio into individual songs, etc., pretty well. Other than not being able to speed it up faster than real time, no user intervention should be needed. Does anyone have experience and a recommendation along this line?

When ripping old vinyl to MP3 I use AudioGrabber. It's freeware now, the authors apparently feeling that they've made enough money from it as shareware. I've had mixed results using the automatic break sensitivity thingy. It works, sort of, on some media. It's worth it for me in cases of really nice old vinyl to take the time and manually insert track interrupts while it's playing/copying. Only have to do it once, and it's not like I am about to do this with hundreds of albums.

http://www.audiograbber.com-us.net/

C Sammet

11-04-2005, 02:51 AM

In case anyone needs it there is a utility to use to determine if the RootKit software was installed. IT can be found at;

http://www.sysinternals.com/Utilities/RootkitRevealer.html

I read this story earlier in the day and they had the link, so I thought I would pass it along.

Darius Wey

11-04-2005, 04:12 AM

Yeah, right. It almost does seem like Kazaa is a safer environment than legally purchased music.

Man, is that still running? I thought they flopped ages ago. I recall the Australian authorities nailing them hard over and over again.

Darius Wey

11-04-2005, 04:17 AM

Ed, anyone: I would imagine there is good software available that handles separating the audio into individual songs, etc., pretty well. Other than not being able to speed it up faster than real time, no user intervention should be needed. Does anyone have experience and a recommendation along this line?

There was a discussion at Digital Media Thoughts (http://www.digitalmediathoughts.com/) not too long ago on tools that could be used to rip select music CDs. It turned out CDex and iTunes 6 were success stories, though probably not always the case. Try either of the two and see how it goes. I've managed to use iTunes to play and rip all my DRM-crippled CDs, though your mileage may vary.

Darius Wey

11-04-2005, 04:19 AM

allenalb

11-04-2005, 04:21 AM

Ed Hansberry

11-04-2005, 04:48 AM

Note they also released this service pack: http://cp.sonybmg.com/xcp/english/updates.html
just note that fixes it, not removes it.

Darius Wey

11-04-2005, 05:17 AM

just note that fixes it, not removes it.

Yeah. :( I complained about it plenty over at DMT. :lol:

unxmully

11-04-2005, 09:29 AM

I notice this subject has gone from the front-page. Has Sony been talking to their Lawyers?

Darius Wey

11-04-2005, 09:53 AM

I notice this subject has gone from the front-page. Has Sony been talking to their Lawyers?

Eh? :? It's on the front-page.

Gerard

11-04-2005, 09:58 AM

Yup, I'm seeing it still there too. Someone's overdue to get some sleep.

unxmully

11-04-2005, 10:03 AM

For a while I was only seeing the entries from the HTC down. It's OK now, my browser (or my eyes) must have had a brain f**t. :oops:

hamishmacdonald

11-04-2005, 12:07 PM

I used the iTunes Music Store for the first time yesterday. I'd received a 40-song credit for signing up with BT Broadband, so I finally gave in and installed iTunes.

I found the top layer of the store nice enough -- the equivalent of the fruit that the growers have paid extra to show at eye-level. But past that, it was just columns of text -- blyeech!

I finally managed to pick 40 songs (difficult, 'cause I'm not a real 'muso'), got them downloaded... Then came to realise that iTunes is really just an add-on for the iPod. It doesn't work with anything else.

OK, but it's really easy to get the tracks, said my Mac-zombie friends (I used to be one, now I'm hardware agnostic -- a computer is just a tool, not a way of life). They told me that getting the songs into a useable format is as simple as burning a CD. OK, so I did that. (Well, three CDs, since you can only burn an audio CD, not MP3 CDs). Fine.

Not fine: When I put the resulting CD into my drive, it showed up with "Track 1, Track 2, Track 3...". All the track listing information had been stripped from the songs. That's not a real, usable CD.

So here's me, having legally obtained these songs, stuck not being able to use them the way I want. I understand that Apple is just complying with the rights-holders' wishes, but if they, and Sony, and all these other companies are so frightened to release this material, and are willing to be so hostile and obstructive to legitimate users -- well, stop selling the stuff.

I've manually added the names of the artists and tracks, and will do without the cover art. Meanwhile, I'm going to uninstall iTunes and not buy any more music online. Well done, music producers!

emuelle1

11-04-2005, 01:17 PM

unxmully

11-04-2005, 01:34 PM

I like iTunes for podcasts. It's also an easy way to rip my old, non digitally protected CDs into MP3. I haven't used their store.

I really don't like the direction that the music industry is taking. I'm sure that the movie industry is going the same way. I watched a presentation that Steve Jobs did on the new products that Apple rolled out. He said that with their DRM, you can buy songs at the iTunes store and use them on 5 computers. The problem that I have is that, being a Windows user, I could probably go through that many reformats or new systems in less then five years. Say I buy a song, and my drive crashes. Maybe I put the song on my laptop and Pocket PC. That's three computers. Then I reformat my drive. That's 4. Then I put it on my wife's laptop. That's all 5. Next time I get a new laptop or my main drive crashes, I'm SOL.

But hey, it's the legal users who are the criminals.

The 5 computers limit is concurrent systems so you're effectively allowed 5 copies of the "CD" you bought.

Then, before you do your reformat or upgrade, you unregister the computer from iTunes. That way it's not left on the count of registered computers. If like me you forget to unregister and hit the five limit, you can unregister them all and restart but you can do this only once per year.

The point is, it's not a once-registered never not registered and specific computers can be registered/deregistered as often as you like.

You can't, to my knowledge, play DRM AACs on a pocket PC so you would have to convert them to MP3 first. Also, because you had to convert, the Pocket PC doesn't count as one of your computers. And neither does an iPod anyway.

Personally I use iTunes and rip all my CDs to AAC, the sound quality is better than MP3 (my iPod won't play WMA), there's no DRM and I can play them on my iPod, either of the windows or Mac laptops I use and on an iPaq using TCMP and the AAC plugin. I only bought one title from iTunes because I like to own the physical first generation media but that's a quality preference, not an argument against the Apple DRM.

PPCRules

11-04-2005, 02:54 PM

If people just stopped buying the stuff, things would change right away.

Right now the industry is taking advantage of people that don't know any better. I think that is frauduent, and we will have to wait and find out where that goes. But other voices need to carry the message to the ignorant masses about what they are buying into.

gt24

11-04-2005, 03:01 PM

I'll throw in my 2 cents.

This utility has caused some grief already. First off, I read the following in an article and I don't have the link handy at the moment. In general though, Sony admits that some people are annoyed by the DRM and offer the ActiveX removal tool. However, if you find the original article, you can find out how to remove it yourself and learn a few valuable lessons on Windows user permissions (in general, there is a user account more powerful than the administrator, and you need to use that account to remove soem of the modifications).

Cheaters are cheating on World of Warcraft by renaming their cheat programs to have %sys% in front after installing this DRM. There isn't really a workaround at this time. This DRM software is completely incompatible with Windows Vista (it broke a beta install spectacularly) which brought up another interesting point. DRM software doesn't have to be updated... and if it isn't updated (and you can't remove it as a normal consumer because you don't know it is there!!) then the next service pack that you install... the next OS you upgrade to... will break everything on your computer because of incompatibility woes. THIS DRM STARTS EVEN IF YOU BOOT INTO SAFE MODE, due to how it is programmed... so there isn't a way to really remove it once it destroyed your Windows install, and you can't just "reinstall", you have to reformat and try again (because a reinstall won't remove the product causing the issues).

Also, we are talking about one DRM product. What if other companies release DRM products? What if one DRM package isn't compatible with another and thus your computer runs into problens (such as the lovely "you don't have any drives other than your hard drive anymore" problem)? To put it in nicer terms, you thought buggy software and drivers caused issues with Windows before.... DRM is software to prevent copying and false drivers that sit on your devices (with rights higher than admin) to make sure that if the software goes, then it won't let you access your drives (unless you know the lovely trick to kill them). Also, you must disable the rootkit that is hiding these fancy drivers and lovely software before you can even start removing this darn thing.

For any script kiddie that doesn't know how to use rootkits... Sony provided a lovely tutorial. For any cheater in games, Sony has your solution. For any joe user computer user, they will "blame Windows" for being unstable, BSODing, being unable to boot, literally destroying itself never knowing that Microsoft isn't to blame, but their music CDs are. My computing is getting difficult, eh? How long will it be before one of these DRM specials puts a fake driver inbetween you and your USB ports which causes your Pocket PC to simply not synchronize anymore? The joy of rootkits is that you can't tell if anything is wrong unless you know exactly how to disable the rootkit hiding the problem. My tech support is going to get interesting eventually...

Phillip Dyson

11-04-2005, 04:50 PM

If people just stopped buying the stuff, things would change right away.

In many cases its true that the consumer truly has the power directly. But unfortunately the RIAA already has so much momentum in blaming piraters for any loss of revenue. Legislaters believe them by default. Law enforcement believe them by default. A silent boycot could end up having the opposite effect.

Now if we had a platform where we could actually say something like "We the law abiding purchasers of media are deliberatly boycotting and heres why" then maybe something could happen.

Right now the industry is taking advantage of people that don't know any better. I think that is frauduent, and we will have to wait and find out where that goes. But other voices need to carry the message to the ignorant masses about what they are buying into.

I agree. As I said above, its not just consumers that are duped. But the "powers that be" who are still just human beings are duped as well, and these are the people who make the decisions on which side of the equation to protect. Consumers vs Corporations.

Unfortunately, at this point is has come down to just that. Consumers versus Corporations. And the Corps have the loudest voice and deeper centralized pockets.

Soyale

11-04-2005, 05:02 PM

As an amusing footnote to this story, I ran Rootkitrevealer on my system and it identified two pocket pc thoughts cookies as fishy :-)

Carlos

11-04-2005, 06:00 PM

ITMS has the most palatable version of DRM, I think. The 5 concurrent device plus the iPod is rather generous, I imagine Apple had to fight the labels long and hard on that one. Still I refuse to buy music with any DRM, or any music at low bitrats, so either I buy it from mp3search.ru or just get it from usenet.

Jonathan1

11-04-2005, 07:05 PM

always a way around this stuff

Ed. You've apparently been out of the loop for a while. They are now talking about watermarking audio tracks so when it’s recorded from any analog source it distorts the audio in some way. I don’t know how it works but there it is. I think people need to stop making bloody excuses and realize that sooner or later the MPAA and RIAA will get a solution that is virtually fool proof. Don’t automatically assume its going to get hacked.
I would SERIOUSLY suggest you guys all read this:

http://arstechnica.com/articles/culture/analog-hole.ars

It’s a good read and frankly should scare the crap out of anyone who is interested in fair use.

genius74

11-04-2005, 07:59 PM

Good Ol' Mother Russia....

www.allofmp3.com

Gerard

11-04-2005, 08:12 PM

"Good"? I'd rather see an artist's work stolen by the listeners than have even a penny per track go to Russian (or any other sort) pirates. Scam sales of MP3 files on those mock-legitimate sites rob the consumers and the artists both. If you must steal music, use P2P. At least that way you're an honest thief.

Steve Jordan

11-06-2005, 02:46 PM

After reading the steps the author took to find and remove the software, I immediately thought of (Monty Python) King Arthur's reaction to a large cow being flung at him over a castle parapet:

"Jesus Christ!" :shocked!:

I had DRM issues with a George Benson CD a few years ago, and never played it again. See if I EVER buy a music CD and put it into my PC, ever, ever again, if this is the music industry's idea of protecting their music. They can protect themselves right out of business, for all I care, and I'll satisfy myself with burning and listening to some of the 300 classic jazz albums in my collection.

Gerard

11-06-2005, 04:05 PM

Of all the jazz CDs given to me by my bassist clients, not one has DRM of any sort. All are independent releases on small local labels. Most of these men and women make a living from jazz. Don't cross off musicians just because the 'industry' (blech, what a sad thing to call music) is behaving badly. Most smaller labels don't have any more use for DRM than we users do. It's the giants, selling largely crap, who have something to lose - a lá The Emperor's New Clothes.

disconnected

11-07-2005, 12:45 AM

This has to be one of the worst examples of corporate arrogance I've ever heard of. I don't have much faith that writing to members of congress would help; they seem to be completely owned by corporate interests (see the Bono copywright extension act :( ). As has been pointed out, if it is truly legal for Sony to do this, what happens when other companies install conflicting software on PCs, causing total chaos.

I see that some of the more mainstream news reports are picking this up, but they don't really understand it, and just quote Sony reps as saying that this is a common practice, and that Sony is supplying a fix for it, on request (not saying that it is just a patch, and not an uninstall).

I hope that at the very least, a class-action lawsuit comes out of this, although that would probably benefit lawyers for the most part.

I no longer buy much music myself, and I'd guess that the biggest music consumers are teens and twenty-somethings. This is the same generation that is capable of finding ways around the problem, legal or otherwise, but I wish, instead, they could get themselves together for a formal protest. If someone could present Sony with a written pledge to never again buy ANY Sony products (directly or through download middlemen like itunes) until this practice ends (and Sony provides easy-to-use software to restore PCs to their original condition), signed by hundreds of thousands of people, then surely they'd have to see the error of their ways.

Steve Jordan

11-07-2005, 05:07 AM

Most of these men and women make a living from jazz. Don't cross off musicians just because the 'industry' (blech, what a sad thing to call music) is behaving badly.

I certainly want to support local and even mainstream musicians (I have more than one relative trying to make it in music now). It's unfortunate that the industry is strangling their ability to make a living, because of their outdated financial systems that haven't kept pace with modern reality. (Same thing I'm fighting while trying to sell e-books).

Maybe this DRM fiasco will result in another instance of the public outcry that Disney suffered with their "pay-per-view" videos, and the industry will be forced to find a better way to work with consumers, instead of dissing them. We can only hope. Because if not, it could mean the end of the music and video industries as we know them.

Gerard

11-07-2005, 06:01 AM

The end of things as we know them is coming soon. Just about every serious commentator on recent media events concurs on this. What will survive, or evolve from this mess is anyone's guess. I'm guessing the folks at EFF.org (Cory Doctorow among them; a fellow who knows a thing or two about ebooks) have a better notion than most of just what will become of information access, of whatever sort. Open source is certainly playing a role.

I'd like to see musicians make an honest buck for performing and recording their music. My wife is out fiddling tonight for a community dance, and she and her bandmates will each get about $70 for 3 hours' playing. Not exactly a living wage, considering they only get gigs about a dozen times per year. The big corporate interests have most of our society convinced that the star system is the only system worth paying for, that mega acts are worth millions while mere musicians around town hardly rate showing up to hear, let alone buying their music.

My suspicion is that Hollywood's and the music biz' star system will die, almost completely. The odd person might get lucky enough to be rich in the coming decades, but in general audiences will lose interest in the artifice of making semi- to non-talented pretty people into millionaires. Cooperating with the desires of the rich who want to get richer is a mug's game, and communication channels are waking people up to this reality. Just my opinion, and I'm not betting on it. But I do see a gradual increase in respect for musicians of talent, at least around here. Independent film is getting stronger too, as tools are available ever more cheaply, tools formerly only accessible to the big studios.

Steve Jordan

11-08-2005, 05:38 AM

Never do I underestimate the power of pretty people. They hold the cards in music and movies, no mistake. But the democratization of movies and music thanks to modern technology means that the industries will have to come up with something new, that the people can't create for themselves, or most likely perish.

But what's left? Live sex with the artists on the concert stage? That's about the only gimmick left to them. Let's see how well that goes over at Britney's house.

(No... actually, she might just go for it at that...)

Gerard

11-08-2005, 06:24 AM

Hey, if management said it'd be great for sales, most of the models posing as talented actors (both genders) would drop trou in a hot second. They've been cruising (pun intended) on looks so far, so what difference a little nudity?

Phillip Dyson

11-08-2005, 08:47 PM

Given that this is getting quite a bit of press, does anyone know if Microsoft issuing any sort of response?

Gerard

11-08-2005, 09:00 PM

Was that a joke? Perhaps not... after all, Microsoft's IE and Outlook applications are world famous for their abilities to expose users to dangers. That would make MS experts, in a way.

Jonathon Watkins

11-09-2005, 12:59 AM

Was that a joke? Perhaps not... after all, Microsoft's IE and Outlook applications are world famous for their abilities to expose users to dangers. That would make MS experts, in a way.

Why a joke? I would expect MS to issue some sort of patch or guidance on how to deal with Sony's massive screw-up.

Gerard

11-09-2005, 01:35 AM

Phillip Dyson

11-09-2005, 02:30 AM

I'd expect Sony or it's UK contractor who wrote the software to be better suited to disabling and uninstalling it. Microsoft getting into the mix might work, if Sony were completely open about the code and how it works and collaborated on a patch. Seems unlikely, considering how they seem to fixated on all things proprietary.

I was thinking along the lines of some "press statement" from Microsoft about how they're going to close the "hole" that has suddenly been discovered.

Microsoft Press Secretary:
We are deeply shocked that such a hole exists in our OS. We cannot express how shocked and appalled we are that Sony would do such a thing. We'll pursue with all diligence a fix in SP3.

Okay I know I'm dreaming. But it would surely give me a warm and fuzzy. I can see the headlines: Microsoft does the right thing. Think of the press they could get. They know they don't like Sony anyway. :wink:

Steve Jordan

11-09-2005, 04:15 AM

I'd expect Sony or it's UK contractor who wrote the software to be better suited to disabling and uninstalling it.

Based on software writing history, I wouldn't make that assumption at all. In fact, a talented hacker is more likely to figure out the best way to disable and/or uninstall the SW than Sony or the contractors.

Gerard

11-09-2005, 08:50 AM

... or Microsoft... But yeah, I can share the warm and fuzzy imagining. Think of it; even Slashdotters would feel compelled to utter faint praise!

Ed Hansberry

11-09-2005, 01:31 PM

I wonder if the Malicious Software Tool released yesterday as part of "Patch Tuesday" removes this? :devilboy:

Phillip Dyson

11-09-2005, 04:17 PM

Just reading this article (http://news.com.com/Sony+CD+protection+sparks+security+concerns/2100-7355_3-5926657.html?tag=st.rc.targ_mb) on CNet about the company who made the malware.

It continually mentions the RIAAs attempts to reach a balance between protection and the user's experience. :roll:

This is ridiculus. They don't want a balance, they want control. And they're willing to put consumers at risk to do it.

It also mentions that MP3s can't be played on the iPod. And they have the gall to blame Apple. :roll:

between the media industries' quest for power, and companies like SBC talking about charging companies that use their pipe (like Vonage) its pretty scary what the world could look like in 10 years.