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Topic: Online music legal status (Read 4282 times) previous topic - next topic
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Online music legal status

Hello,

I may be interested in online music but I am not able to really know what I get for my money... First, this may be different from one vendor to another, then we could take iTunes for instance.

My first question is do we buy or do we rent music? (for sure, if we rent music I am not interested, not at this price).

If we assume that we actually buy music, then is it possible to re-sell or give such as we do with CDs? Also in certain countries (in France e.g.), when you have acquired some music, you have acquired the use rights (for what is called the "family circle" - don't know if this word for word translation fits). Then I may acquire a "licence" through an iTunes download and then rip an uncompressed version from a friend's CD to do whatever I want with the song. Is that correct?

My last question (relevant only if my analysis above is correct) is how can we keep the "immaterial" acquired licences? I'd like to be able to keep them for years, as I keep CDs at home and related invoices elsewhere.

Thanks a lot.

Online music legal status

Reply #2 –
This stays totally fuzzy for me. We still do not know whether we own the right or not for private usage (I mean unrestricted) on the downloaded music.

It seems that online music is only 30% cheaper but is not - by far - worth the price...

Online music legal status

Reply #3 –
Quote
This stays totally fuzzy for me. We still do not know whether we own the right or not for private usage (I mean unrestricted) on the downloaded music.

[a href="index.php?act=findpost&pid=272384"][{POST_SNAPBACK}][/a]


you can authorize and listen to your music purchases on five computers at a time. Once you buy the music it is yours forever, unlike the subscription services.

Online music legal status

Reply #4 –
you need to read the terms and conditions of every site you use, but its safe to say that if it mentions drm, encryption, licences, keys, authorisation to play etc then you will have more restrictions, and hassles than buying a CD.
even more disturbing is that they can change the way their service works at any time.

genrally music you buy is for personal, non comercial use and not to be distrubuted

anyway this kinda turned into a rant but check out this new site below, it looks interesting and is a good comparison against itunes

http://www.mp3tunes.com/news.php

Online music legal status

Reply #5 –
But then can I get an uncompressed copy from somewhere else since I can consider I have paid for the private usage rights (in other words I then own a legal license on the song whatever the support is).

The point is that I sent e-mails and none of the providers wanted to answer.

Online music legal status

Reply #6 –
Quote
The point is that I sent e-mails and none of the providers wanted to answer.
[a href="index.php?act=findpost&pid=272527"][{POST_SNAPBACK}][/a]


So you can asume that you cannot trust them, even if after much fighting they give you the okay.

With DRM and encryption you will always be in an ambigious situation when it comes to your use-rights. Short version of the story: buy only unrestricted copies - DRM isn't worth the trouble. At least not for personal-use...... the "subscription"-thingie where you get access to a "library" for a monthly fee may be useful for i.e. pubs, etc.

- Lyx
I am arrogant and I can afford it because I deliver.

Online music legal status

Reply #7 –
Yes, this makes sense.

I just hope they won't publish only protected CDs...

Online music legal status

Reply #8 –
Quote
But then can I get an uncompressed copy from somewhere else since I can consider I have paid for the private usage rights (in other words I then own a legal license on the song whatever the support is).


Of course not; you buy that particular song, not the actual rights to the song.. When I buy a CD I don't really own more than that CD 

Quote
The point is that I sent e-mails and none of the providers wanted to answer.


umm... yeah good point! 
 

Online music legal status

Reply #9 –
I wouldn't say that you own the music...it's more like something in between...if I buy a CD, I can burn it as often as I want and I can listen to it on every computer in the world. I can even sell the CD if I don't like it anymore...all that doesn't apply for online music. It won't expire or something, but you can't do as much as you can do with a CD. Also, the quality is not as good as on a CD.

If you own a portable player you can choose whatever format, bitrate and setting you want to rip your CD's (unless it's copy-protected). Online stores will make this decision for you, which is a huge problem. If you own an iPod, you can't buy stuff from stores that sell music in *.wma. So you'd have to buy stuff from iTunes for instance. The problem with iTunes music is, that it will only play on iPods...so if you decide to buy something else than an iPod in 10 years, you won't be able to play your music on that device...
--alt-presets are there for a reason! These other switches DO NOT work better than it, trust me on this.
LAME + Joint Stereo doesn't destroy 'Stereo'