to be or not to be... pissed?
2003-11-10 05:17:45
here is a little interesting story for you all. i went to the record store today to check out sarah mclachlan's latest album, "afterglow". the record label is nettwerk. generally i buy music from the internet, but since this album received such pathetic reviews pretty much everywhere, i decided to go to my local HMV and give it a listen at the store before deciding whether to buy it. the first thing that struck me is quite a lengthy paragraph on the back of the product. it said: "this cd contains software from bandlink and suncomm mediamax. blah blah blah you need this and that pc, player. bandlink brings artists and fans together, gives you access to exclusive content, blah blah blah... this cd may not play on all computers or cd players. the manufacturer of this cd or the record label will not be held liable for any damage that may occur to your equipment as a result of playing this cd." well, that's very comforting i must say. now, AFAIR, suncomm mediamax is a copy control system (similar to cactus data shield). however, on the sarah mclachlan's album, this is not specified. the average person out there does not know that he or she are in fact buying a corrupt product. at least EMI music has the decency to clearly mark their latest releases "copy-controlled". nettwerk does no such thing. it is not stated anywhere that this cd is copy-controlled. it is only "implied" after you read the fine print, which most people would probably not be able to figure out. i guess the "the manufacturer of this cd or the record label will not be held liable for any damage that may occur to your equipment as a result of playing this cd" part is a response to some hardware manufacturers voiding warranties if you play non-standard discs in their drives. according to the extensive database at ukcdr.org, this is not the first copy-protected title released by nettwerk. when some people contacted nettwerk about difficulties playing their cds, they received an angry and rude reply from nettwerk. so here we see the same trend again. record labels resorting to cheating the consumer, lying to the consumer, and selling the consumer a corrupt product. when will record companies start to think? when will they stop with the sleazy tactics, cheating the very people who keep them in business? oh and btw, for anyone considering to buy the new sarah mclachlan - save your money. with the exception of two tracks, it's pretty crappy. this album is nowhere near sarah's previous albums in terms of quality.