As you probably already know, Sony BMG recently began selling CDs with "copy-protection" built in. I purchased the new Switchfoot album a while back, and was immediately intrigued to find more FBI, anti-piracy and "Sony System Requirements" information than actual cover artwork. Really guys, does the FBI logo need to be larger than a silver dollar?
Regardless, after my wife had already purchased and unpacked the CD I was alarmed to read on the case that the music on the CD was "not compatible" with iTunes (or anything else not made by Sony). If you stick the CD into your Windows PC, it installs Sony's own media player and DRM setup, crippling you from putting the music on anything but a Sony device. I know the iTunes DRM can be strict, but this is ridiculous.
Fortunately, all my music is on my Mac, and Sony's crippling DRM doesn't function outside of Windows—yet. To be honest, I was wondering if I could even play the CD in a traditional CD player that wasn't made by Sony. Is this really the best way to solve piracy?
To add insult to injury, I also own a Sony PSP. While the device is pretty slick, the software for syncing your photos, music, and video has always been worthless. Two days ago Sony releases their new Sony Media Software, aimed at making the PSP experience more like Apple's iTunes. Only Sony's asking $20 for the software (or $25 for the boxed version).
What in the heck? Not that $20 is a lot of money, but I dropped $300 on my PSP (like everyone else). Doesn't it seem like Sony could win friends and influence people by dropping its new software for no charge? Hate to break it to you Sony, but your Media Software isn't anything special—it's what should have been included with the PSP to begin with.
While Apple is making its technology easy to adopt, Sony is burning through my goodwill fast will with its many craptastic solutions.
John says
That's actually not even the half of it. If you'd put that CD in a Windows machine with autoplay active, you'd find yourself with something very much like a Sony rootkit on your machine, which
* Hijacks kernel APIs in order to hide certain files, directories, processes and registry keys.
* Has a race condition when unloading the driver which could potentially crash your machine.
* Uses a misleading description for the service that runs (Plug and Play Device Manager) in order to mislead users who see it in the Services MMC.
* Always takes 1-2% of the CPU in order to monitor certain files.
* Cannot be uninstalled through the normal Add/Remove Programs dialog
* Sets itself to be executed even in Safe Mode.
* Disables the CD drive if you delete the Sony drivers
Sony is an utterly schizophrenic company. They produce media devices like MP3 players and the PSP, which require free-flowing media to work well; but they also produce the media and want to lock it up tight. So both sides of their business suffer.
The moral of the story, if you ask me, is Don't buy Sony. And if you must buy something from a Sony label, but it from iTunes.
Jon says
With Sony, the current 'anti-piracy' efforts are actually an anti-Apple effort. If you look through the FAQ on those content-protected CDs, you will eventually find one entitled "Why Can't I Import this CD to my iPod?" Sony very graciously blames iTunes and Apple for not playing well with others, and provides a link to e-mail Apple to complain. Wait a minute, didn't iTunes just tell me that it couldn't import the file because it was locked and intentionally created for any type of conversion (M4A, AAC, MP3) to be disallowed? Remind me how that is Apple's fault?
What Sony is failing to mention is that it is not playing well with others: It has refused to license it catalogue to Apple for the iTunes stores in Japan and Australia. No biggie, right, how big can that catalogue be? Well, if you just pull up Sony Music's home page, you will see quickly they represent many of today's top artists, including Switchfoot, Jessica Simpson, System of a Downm Shakira, Franz Ferdinand, Aerosmith, Destiny's Child, and Fiona Apple, just to name the first few you'll see listed.
That is an enormous catalogue of artists, which millions of people cannot buy online in Japan and Australia in any form that will sync to their iPods.
Still wonder whether Sony is just spitting in the general direction of Apple? When iTunes Japan opened without the enormous collection of Sony's music catalogue, it sold 1 million songs in the first week. Sony's online music store in Japan, the largest in the country before iTunes, averages 450,000 per month. This has not helped the relationship between Apple and Sony, and this is about to create a problem for the consumer: The current licensing agreement by which Sony's catalogue is song on the U.S. iTunes store terminates at the end of 2005. If Sony decides to play hardball in the U.S., as it has already shown it is willing to do in Japan and Aussieland, then millions of iPod users (who are not Mac-owners) will not be able to load Sony-produced music onto their iPods, or legally download it either.
In fact, for Windows users, the only way around the protection is to use the media player Sony's content-protected CDs automatically install to burn a copy of the CD, then put that new, quality-diminished CD back into your CD drive, and import the newly burned CD into iTunes. And while this might be a no-brainer to some, I have run into a number of people who have bought the new content-protected CDs and where not aware that this option was available. In fact, Sony's CDs and their own website tell you that there is no possible way to import to iTunes/iPod, and only divulge this back-end method of importing if they are e-mailed.
This article gives an excellent look into the problems with the labels at the moment, the true greed that is coming out, and a forecast of the storm that is brewing, which may eventually lead to a decimating of the U.S. iTunes catalogue.
Thijs van der Vossen says
Only one thing to do; take that PSP back for a refund while you can.;-)
Brian says
Josh, Switchfoot is distancing themselves from Sony's shenanigans. John, Sony says that uninstalling the rootkit is as easy as pie if you contact customer support, but whatever this simple process may be, it isn't covered at the Sony site which answers questions regarding their copy-protected products. Jon, it looks as if Apple has become the last bastion against anti-consumerism! For now.
Josh Williams says
Too late... I've long since past my refund ability. Besides, I've got it all modded up with a NES emulator and my wife plays Super Mario all the time.
That should tell you something... The PSP gets used more for NES mods now than PSP games. Come on Sony, let's get with the program.
John Marstall says
Just a guess, but based on the intricacy of what's installed I suspect that Sony's "easy" uninstall method fails to weed out every component of their little malware experiment. The whole thing really stinks.
I don't actually mind DRM which prevents gross, systematic piracy -- like the way iTunes only lets you burn a certain playlist so many times if it has iTMS music in it. I've never run up against those restrictions and really don't expect to.
But a CD which takes over my computer and prevents me from doing such basic things as importing the music and putting it onto my music player of choice... grr, that just makes me angry.
John smash!
Phil Balchin says
I had this copy protect problem with a CD bought off amazon, can't remember if it was a Sony, but its the same story. I live the in th uk, and to get a CD with FBI logos all over it seems a bit wrong, about 3500 miles wrong. Any way, poped the CD into my PC, doesn't play in iTunes or Windows Media Player, so, i was forced to use their crappy player, I'm not kidding, i took a while to even find the play button! Anyway, their software does let you create a copy for your computer, but only windows media with encryption, and ONLY for your computer. It even allows you to create a copy CD, but again, it also adds their software to it so you basically got an exact copy of the CD that won't play without using their player!
The Solution:
Not that i wanted to do this, but it was the only way i could play the music that i had bought, onto my player. Imagine that!
Using a Creative sound blaster card, I copied the audio stream as it passed through the card onto my computer as wav files, took a while as it did it in real time, but it was the only way.
What really anoys me is that it is quite easy to get around the copy protection. If i can figure it out, then i'm pretty sure the organised crime gangs in indoniesia can figure it out as well. All the Copy protection does is annoy the average listener, . . . The Customer, no the thief? no wait, the theives are the customers? so, Sony is trying to stop its customers from buying thier products, because, well, they'll share it with everyone, so the only way to stop sharing, is to make sure that no-one buys it in the first place, ah, i might onto something here. So, if the customers aren't allowed to buy the music, then i guess the organsised crime gangs will have to buy the music so they have something to copy? of cause, crime has to pay, so the crime gangs will sell their copies to the customers, because the record company has banned them from buying music?
John Marstall says
That's true, Phil. The organized pirates will just exploit the analog hole. Once they have the audio stream, it's all downhill from there. This does nothing to discourage real piracy, and serves only to invade customers' computers and put their personal information at risk.
Phoenix Website Designer says
I had ane problem like you.It's not fun.
Ryan says
Yeah i have the new switchfoot cd nothing is sound too. Nothing works to get around it ive tried everything to get it onto my ipod including cdex but that just creates static on the music file ripped. I will be buying any other cd from itunes that is sony copyrighted. wasnt to fond of sony anyway.
Dan says
I own a PSP, and I hate all the security Sony has tried to put on it. Personally, I am surprised that there isn't a blocking program installed on all the UMD's just to be sure no one can copy them. I strongly support the homebrew side of this fight against Sony, too bad there aren't more Dark Alex's running around out there!
Dan says
I own a PSP, and I hate all the security Sony has tried to put on it. Personally, I am surprised that there isn't a blocking program installed on all the UMD's just to be sure no one can copy them. I strongly support the homebrew side of this fight against Sony, too bad there aren't more Dark Alex's running around out there!