DISQUS

Webomatica: How To Not Compete With Free

  • engtech · 2 years ago
    DRM has 10 more years before they realize it's causing them to lose customers.
  • webomatica · 2 years ago
    Sadly - you're probably right.

    I'm actually okay with "weak" DRM or low quality, cheap digital versions for sale, but when it seems the content owners make it difficult to enjoy a product because of piracy fears, that's where I get annoyed.

    My previous employer had a pretty cool hardware product that was crippled by draconian DRM - but that's a story for another day.
  • Podophile · 2 years ago
    Couldn't agree with you more. While France Gall was never well-known in the US, several of her early albums were re-released on CD here a few years ago. I found them at the Virgin Megastore on Market for $9.99 each in 2004. There's no reason they shouldn't be on the iTunes Store. Surprisingly, very little of her music is available on the French or German iTunes store either (where she was actually a star in the 60s and 70s). And even if her entire catalog of music was available on the French store, American customers wouldn't be allowed to buy it.

    Until the record companies all get on board, and international barriers are erased, legal downloading will never have a chance to surpass file-sharing in the marketplace.
  • webomatica · 2 years ago
    Hey podophile - I was just thinking about stopping by the Virgin on my way home just now. I'll have to check it out. (I did find some amusing videos on YouTube, though!)
  • Podophile · 2 years ago
    Wow... Who knew there were so many France Gall videos on YouTube? They even have Laisse Tomber Les Filles, the original version of Chick Habit. I've probably watched every Serge Gainsbourg video on YouTube, but never thought to search for France Gall. Thanks for the link.
  • webomatica · 2 years ago
    Yeah... definitely retro - stuff sure was different back in the 60s!

    By the way - I did stop by the Virgin Megastore and got "Baby Pop" and "France Gall". 7.99 a piece. So the music industry still got my money - despite a lot of inconvenience. Now I have rip-friendly CDs, though.