FBI Anti-Piracy Warning: OH NO!!

I realize I'm a big pain in the ass, but why does this stupid logo have to be on the back of my CDs? Honestly, I don't think the average kid sees this and thinks twice about ripping the CD and burning copies for his friends in fear the FBI will haul him in for piracy. There is a hysterical episode of South Park where the boys are downloading a bunch of songs when the FBI shows up and takes them in. One of the men takes them to see Lars from Metallica and Britney to see how much the really rich acts have to suffer with lesser equipped private jets and no mini-bar by the pool. Copy-protected CDs are being released all over the world now to deter you from ripping a new release for any reason, including putting the album on your iPod apparently. RCA records is the most common label I've seen copy-protecting new releases by Dave Matthews Band, Foo Fighters, and the (overrated) Velvet Revolver CD. However, have no fear pirates, the DualDisc versions of these releases are not copy-protected, seeing how the CD side of the disc does not conform to regular CD specifications. They must not have figured out a way to block these yet.

The music and film industry are quick to point out piracy as the main reason they are losing money. Box office and record sales are at a low, which I credit to the constant releasing of crap from both sides. But let us look at some facts:

- Oasis have released an amazing new album "Don't Believe The Truth." The first single "Lyla" was released in the UK and Australia and not the US (those bastards at Sony make sure every Good Charlotte single gets a US release, though!) but before it was commercially available, the band's website has a pop-up window where you could hear streaming audio of the track. No download for you, but you can listen to it as many times as you want whenever you want (I drove my sister crazy for weeks with this one). You could also hear the song on the band's myspace page in streaming audio. Again, no download, but listen away! The single went straight to #1 in the UK its first week of release and the album was also #1 and guess what? Neither the CD or the single were copy-protected. Incidently, the album peaked at #12 in the US, which is not too great but is still the band's highest charting debut in the US. I personally think it would have sold better here if Sony put out a single here.

- The week before Coldplay's "X&Y" was released, you could hear the entire album in streaming audio on the band's website. [I guess now is a good time to note that streaming audio means there is a media player somewhere on the band's website. This plays a track or an entire playlist. Some also allow you to select tracks.] The single "Speed of Sound" went to #1 in the UK without copy-protection and the album almost went gold in its first week (500,000 copies sold) and was #1 in the entire solar system as predicted. It will surely be multi-platinum by the end of summer. The album was also #1 on iTunes.

- Tons of bands have sold millions thanks to streaming audio on myspace.com. Surely, you all know what that is by now. Weezer (peak #2) and Nine Inch Nails (peak #1) both featured their entire new albums on their myspace pages and both were huge sellers and still are (both are still on Billboard's Top 50 as of this posting).

Who says the internet is hurting the music industry? It has been far easier for me to discover more bands using the internet. Most current bands I'm into are not from the US and many don't have albums released here so I check out their websites. Bands like The Clarks, The Raveonettes, and Edwin McCain also have streaming audio on their sites for you to check out their stuff. Oasis has Radio Supernova, which has playlists divided into catergories like "Album Tracks" and "B-Sides" so you can choose what interests you. Coldplay has the Coldplayer on their site with audio and video. Cheap Trick and Sister Hazel have both put up exclusive tracks on iTunes, live and acoustic respectively.

Overall, this Anti-Piracy logo is crap and while I'm sure there are many who are content with dowloading entire albums and having a CD collection full of burned discs, there are many of us who still buy albums. For me, there has always been the excitement of buying a new album. When I was a kid and I bought a new cassette or a CD, I couldn't wait to get home to unwrap it and flip through the booklet while I had it playing through my headphones. These days, I come out of a record store, pop the CD into my car stereo and sit in the parking lot listening to it while I thumb through the booklet. This is still exciting for me. Besides, you won't see the FBI logo on any independet labels' releases. Lookout, Fat Wreck Chords, Liquor & Poker, Favored Nations, and Shrapnel don't have anything more than the standard "unauthorized copying is punishable under applicable laws" note, if even that. Most are smart and let you buy CDs straight from them reducing the price for you by cutting out the middle man (see "record stores").

Finally, if it is all about the artists and record companies making their due profit, why is it legal to sell used CDs? If you sell a CD to someone else, either a store or a person, there is no money for the artists there. I'm not trying to outlaw the resale of CDs, but to me, it is the same thing. In the end, pirates are cowards who will only download music for free because they think they won't get caught, but they don't have the balls to walk into a store and steal the CD.

This whole rant was initiated by a thread on the Oasis Message Board involving copy control with Pirates VS. Real Fans. Pirates believe Oasis have enough money already and apparently their music is not worth their money so they will illegally download it with no conflict of conscience, where as real fans will buy the albums and singles to support the music they like. You must be a member of the site to access this so if you are, click here. My comment is the first on Page 3 under the User ID Urizen81. If you are not a member, I urge you to become one. Visit the link attached to the band's name above. [NOTE: The thread has been deleted since the date this entry was posted, probably due to space restrictions on the Message Board. Thus, I have deleted the link but kept this post intact anyway. - CA, 7-19-05]

DIETS

So while walking around Target the other day, I couldn't help but notice all the special diet foods there are for sale. Atkins and South Beach Diet have their own brand of foods. The funniest part to me is they are all junk food. Cookies, chips, and chocolate for those on a diet. A few months back, Coke released C2, which had half the carbs, half the calories, and probably half the taste. My Target doesn't carry it anymore so I'm guessing they pulled it (and I no longer see those annoying commercials when I go to the movies which play "You Can't Always Get What You Want" while showing people drinking this sludge). They now plug the Diet Coke with Splenda instead. Not long ago, I was at Applebee's for dinner with some friends and noticed the wine list has something called Merlot 1.9. This cleverly-named beverage has only 1.9 carbs per serving (see "glass").

Similarly, Hersheys currently sells reduced carb Reeses and regular chocolate bars. With this anti-Carb mentality sweeping the nation, sugar has been taken out of gum and mints. Most of those have Aspartame in them instead. What is Aspartame, you ask? It is a sugar substitute which turns to formaldehyde at a certain temperature. Formaldehyde, for those who don't know, is used in embalming fluids and some fertilizers. Hmm....suddenly, sugar doesn't sound so bad! I was shocked to see Aspartame is an ingredient in Bubble Tape gum, which (as far as I know) is marketed to kids!

In the end, is it possible all these diet foods are just one way of selling you the same crap with no interest in your diet? I mean if you are seriously on a diet and trying to cut carbs and such, you shouldn't be eating candy and chips and drinking wine even if Dr. Atkins has smeared his name on it. I would think the idea is to get you into the habit of not eating these foods or reducing your intake altogether as a continuous healthy diet, not to feed you the same stuff so you are giving up nothing. Just remember when you keep that Diet Coke in the car in the summer heat, you may be dead from poisoning in a few days, but you will be well-preserved.