Richard Branson, Ben harper & Copy Controlled tech

[womps]

I have a little story to tell and I am wondering if anyone here has experienced similar problems.

I decided I was going to buy me a CD or 2 today, so I set off in my beautiful blue kombi-mobile to find what i was looking for.

My prime target was Ben harper's new disc 'Diamonds on the Inside' which I found at Sanity for a small sum of $19.99. No qualms there. I also stumbled across Pacifier's disc for a tiny discount and The Waifs 'Lighthouse' EP.

I make my purchse and looking fwd to popping these 3 discs into my snazzy 3-disc changer i head home. Upon arrival I started with the Waifs, as it's only an EP - get that out of the way. Move on to Pacifier cos I been wanting that for a while. So far everything is fine n' freakin' dandy-like.

The disc now changes to Ben harper. There's a sticker on the casing advising that the album has Copy Controlled technology to prevent consumers making (legal) digital copies. ie" mp3ing or burning. Wonderful idea this technology - "let's infringe on people's rights, and make some money while we're at it." Thing is, the cd doesn't play! My ordinary, run-of-the-mill, no-frills AKAI machine that is less than 3 years old does not recognise little Ben. disgruntled but not to be outdone, I decide to try the disc in my PC - as it gets used as a stereo more often than my stereo itself! The disclaimer on the cover clearly notes that it should work in 'CD players, DVD players and PCs with OS Windows, Pentium 2, 233 mhz, 64mb RAM or higher. while i'm no technocrat, i'm certain my 18 month old PC has those minimum requirements, yet still no play!
to quote syd barret "what's the, uh... deal?"

i was under the impression that major labels brought in such wanker technology to halt the sharing - and thus increase profits. well, as i do not listen to radio i downloaded (illegally) the first 2 singles from Ben's album. deciding i like what i hear, i make a conscious decision to spend money on ol' Ben. as it turns out, i'm going to have to return my purchase, so Ben, Sanity and EMI/Virgin all miss out on a sale.... yeah way to go bozos....

[womps]

my letter:


To whom it may concern,

We are writing to express our total dissatisfaction in the above technology and it’s application to the above album.

After purchasing the album from a local Sanity Music Store, we were surprised to discover that due to the Copy Controlled technology we are unable to play the CD either in our stereo (a 3 year-old AKAI) or our PC (18 month old, exceeds stated specifications).

We feel that in an attempt to curb illegal file-sharing and multiple digital copying, Virgin/EMIs introduction of Copy Controlled technology has inadvertently limited their market potential, as a section of the market have been excluded simply by their choice in CD-playing equipment.

The CD has now been returned to the store of purchase, resulting in a lost sale for the label, the store, and the artist. The question now arises: “how are we to support your label and artists if we are unable to purchase Copy Controlled releases?”

Yours in disappointment,





Cc: Sanity HQ, www.benharper.net, ARIA, ACCC, and various message boards

[Writhe]

a mate of mine had the same problem with that cd too

and had to return it... yet another sale they miss out on

[herstrut]

weird - mine seems to be playing fine wherever i put it. although sometimes on my work comp it does these funny jumps and skips...

[womps]

adding to the bloody ridiculousness of the situation, upon returning the cd i was prompted for my personal details (ie: name, address, Phone number...). it was a new girl that was serving me (i felt sorry for her...) and she needed assistance in doing a refund. her boss was standing behind her so i directed my opposition to giving such details to a major company such as Sanity. I was promptly advised that it was conditional of receiving a refund, that it was the law. i asked who would receive my information and she told me that it would only go to Sanity HQ and that no-one could access the records. i asked to view their Privacy Policy... of course they didn't have one....
so the bosslady conceded that i could just give my name and not worry about the rest.... and she then toddled off elsewhere to give someone else a hard time. the new girl asked my name and i said Ben Harper (chortle, chortle).... she gave the the refund and then the boss said i needed to sign the receipt..... bloody hell..... Orwell's Big Brother has come to a Sanity store near you!
i 'asterixed' the receipt, took my 20 bucks and - reminded why i don't normally shop at Sanity - vowed to support the little guy across the mall more often.... besides i am on his loyalty scheme... free cd after every 10.

[Writhe]

way to go!

im currently in one of those kicks where you complain to every major corporation that is doing something wrong

[thesoundmonitor]

y'all remember this little story? consumer vs corporation?

well.... a few weeks back i received out of the blue an em,ail from EMI/Virgin offering to replace the dud cd i had purchased and returned.

surprise, surprise! today, after 9 mths (i coulda had another child in that time!) i get a brand spankin, non-copy-controlled, digipak version of Ben Harper's diamonds on the inside.

and my bloody goodness gracious me! it works like a trooper!

[Writhe]

i find this story highly satisfing...

to see a major corp end up fucking themselves in the arse while trying to be too greedy