IH8DRM

No DRM
And why do I?

Simple. I don't like my computer telling me what I can or cannot do with something I have legally purchased.

I've been trying--not very hard, but trying nonetheless--to record all my vinyl to mp3. And when I say vinyl I'm including the tape used on my cassettes and 8-tracks. I also have a fully functional Marantz Quadrophonic 8-track player on which to play my aforementioned 8-track tapes.

So the other day I wanted to record my copy of Wishbone Ash's Live Dates lp. But I can't find it. So I found my cassette of the album, plugged it into the tape deck I have connected to my PC and fired up Audacity and left the room.

When I came back and checked the recording, all I had recorded was the loud squeal of a over-tensioned cassette.

So now I have a lost lp, a junk cassette, and no Wishbone Ash to listen to. If I buy the CD, it'll cost me $19, which is almost the same as downloading it from Yahoo or Wal-mart. If I try the Russian site, AllofMP3, it's less than $4. If I could find a friend and record their copy, it'd be free, but I'd probably be violating some clause of copyright law. The US music industry won't let me get to AllofMP3, 'cuz they say it violates their rights.

Well, what about my rights? Don't I have the right to listen to music I paid for?

Why can't I go into some music store, wave my faulty cassette in front of them and let me download the tracks as MP3s for free?

So, back to DRM. What DRM does is say, you legally purchased this song through this service and you can only play it back using this service a specified device. If I want to make a copy of it to play on my PC at work, I can't do that. Nor can I burn a copy to a CD to play in my car.

Now do you see why I hate Digital Rights Management?

Does anyone have a copy of Live Dates they'll let me borrow?


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