I work with the web developer for digiRAMA, the NZ music download site. Yesterday he gave me free download voucher, so I thought I’d offer it to someone else since their songs are not compatible with my iPOD.
So, if you want a free download (worth $1.69 !!!), reply to this post with the song you want to download.
Poster with best taste in music wins.
I was at first elated to find a New Zealand-allowed pay-to-download music service, but my excitement was soon stamped on when I delved into the FAQ and learned the files from this site are cripped with Microsoft’s plays-for-sure DRM which ensures you can do less with the music than usual.
Very sad things appear in the FAQs for example:
[quote] Q: How many times can I burn my music to CD?
A: That depends on the License Conditions for each individual track.[/quote]
I like to make “throwaway” CDs for car trips all the time, and either leave them in the car to never listen to again or fob them off to my friends reccomending the songs. They tend to be “mix-tape” type mash-ups of whatever takes my fancy at the time. Can I use my favourite burning software to make quick albums including songs from here? Probably not.
Can I use my favourite music playing software to spin these tracks? Probably not. My DJ mixing software? Almost certainly not. I absolutely do not want to use Microsoft Windows Media Player or MusicMatch Jukebox to play music, especially music I have bought.
Hold that thought.
Anyone knows that if you want a copy of some music (and that’s what you’re buying here) you can get it pretty easily for free. And with that (free) copy, you can do anything you like with it. So why should a version I pay for do less than music I don’t? How can I legally and ethically obtain music I can use how I like? The music companies are making it extraordinarily hard.
That makes me wonder why Mike, who clearly enjoys music enough to have gone out and got himself an iPod, can’t play this stuff. Because it just so happens that Microsoft PlaysForSureTM DRM won’t work on Apple hardware because the two firms are competing. What does this have to do with Mike having one free download? Oh, nothing.
I use at least three computers to listen to music - my laptop which carries my favourites of the month, my desktop which is a hive of all the music I’ve ever got my hands on, and a number of computers at work where I listen with headphones. My girlfriend listens to the same music from the same desktop (but from another user account) and my flatmates listen to it over the network as well, kinda like lending CDs or having a stereo in the lounge.
[quote] Q: What if I’m upgrading my computer or re-installing my operating system?
A: If you need to reinstall your licenses on a new or reinstalled PC, please contact digiRAMA at support@digirama.co.nz[/quote]
What if they’re not in business any more? Too bad I guess.
What happens in 50 years when this music enters the public domain and can be copied and distributed freely (as per my social contract of law)? What if digiRAMA isn’t in business then? Why do I need digiRAMA to manage my music usage?
What if I dual-boot to Linux and try and get the music to play there? Same computer, same user…? My bet is that this is another world of pain.
[quote] Q: What sort of portable device do I need?
A: You need a PlaysForSure or WMA-compliant portable player that supports DRM. Click HERE for a list of supported devices.[/quote]
Playing this stuff is a secret, so I can’t make my own devices. That may sound supernerdy but it’s really not; it means that if anyone EVER wants to make a device I can use to play their music they have to get Microsoft’s permission and blessing. I’m left out of that.
On top of all this, why don’t I just re-record the music off its first playing and encode it how I want? Failing the capture of the bitstream to the sound card I can always loop my optical cable around the output to the input on my sound card and record it as an incoming stream (with no loss). So circumventing the DRM is menial and nothing more than annoying. It’d be easier to just grab a torrent of the album or pick it up off www.alltunes.com illegally.
I’m insulted and put off by DRM and I won’t buy any of it. Excluding Sony/BMG from my life since their DRM debacle has been easier than I’d imagined, and I won’t hesitate to add more companies to the boycott list if they treat me like a criminal. Ever noticed that pirated movies don’t have the “you wouldn’t steal a car” bullshit, but when you prove that you’ll pay for the privelige of being watched by security at the cinema, you do get to enjoy a few minutes of patronising finger-pointing?
I’m going to better digiRAMA’s offer by giving away five tracks to the first people that want 'em from amplifier.co.nz/ - who sell unencumbered NZ made MP3s often direct from the artists. Post here what you want and I’ll fling you $1.99 or the track (up to you). You’ll be able to do anything you want with the MP3, change computers, burn CDs, listen whenever you want. And they’ll play on your iPod or Zen or Zune or whatever too.
Better yet, head over to sites like archive.org/details/audio and just get music for free. There’s a great epic electronic piece by Module for free here:
archive.org/details/dreamsforthesleepless
Lots of interesting and enjoyable music from and for all ages.
No sale digiRAMA, I’ll keep my music thanks.
I just quit my job and my work gave me a 2GB iPod nano as a going away gift 
I just quit my job and my work gave me a 2GB iPod nano as a going away gift [/quote]
Does that mean we get you back?
Yes…
[i]"I'll be back!"[/i]
I’ve just had two weekends in a row where I had BOTH days. I did some armouring as well and knocked up a set of legs. I may even post some pictures!