Disc Duplication Business

Samsung BD-UP5000, its all about the chip (SoC)...

2007-09-07T05:47:00.000-05:00

Dual formatted units from Samsung took a step
forward yesterday when they selected
Broadcom SoC Technology for the processor.

Broadcom & Qualcom have been in a bitter court
battle of late over licensing agreements and
monopoly charges. The news comes with
chicken or the egg question? Judge rules Broadcom
can move ahead with their claim, Samsung commits
to buy the chip.

But lets add little drama, as I said before, Sony and
Toshiba square off with aligning their partnerships
based on "title" formats. Two Japanese companies
fighting for "land", then Korea shows up with its
manufacturing capabilities an steals the prize.
{never under estimate the deep rooted conflict
between these two nations people} Blu-Ray
Association comes out early this week with a
flame-waver "format war will end in 18 months".

Too some this means hurray a winner. I ask OK,
where's the new next format:
Sunplus unveils new generation DVD player platform

related: Qualcom - when Lawyer quits....

LegalZoom.com - Affordable Copy Rights

2007-09-05T15:32:00.000-05:00

Legal Services advertising has finally hit a new level.
Even this morning I was hit with a 30 sec TV spot,
that unlike others, made sense enough for me to
visit the site.

Copy Rights is continually brought up in numerous
chat rooms, blogs, forums or any place where the
subject of piracy enters. And like most entries
seldom is there a solid answer from a Lawyer.

LegalZoom.com is the first place I found that
addresses these questions and applies "Legal"
guidance. How, What When an Why.

The kicker - $149.00. Believe me I was
shocked to read that part. Online Self Help
Legal Services is not new, however I would question
if the others actually have financial backing.

This falls in line with our current polices of
protecting original works from pirates. And
yes we see them on a daily basis.

Mind you, Lawyers in general do like this
approach, Cookie cutters. Welcome to the
real-world, $149.00 is something I can spend
too protect my original work.

------

Do you have copies of your medical records?

2007-09-04T12:19:00.000-05:00

A growing series of developments within the
medical community is the digitization of records

Like all areas, changing from "paper" to digital
is something that's easier said than done. There
is not a office or clinic anyone can visit an
not see waves of file folders, indexed, numbered,
etc..

This article points out a number of advancements
that should, could and are possible. But where
it stops short is the actual interaction with the
patients.

Most are totally unaware that you can request and
receive a copy of your records. As pointed out,
some Medical centers even have the network set-up
for individual access.

Companies like Codonics have taken the
lead role in bringing technology to
all levels of radiology/diagnostic depts.

These units actually are just a step-up from
an ink-jet based duplicator. The opportunity
we see is supplying pre-labled medical grade
media. Cost savings on ink cartridges ($40
a crack), an less time processing should only
be seen as an advantage to growing centers.

If the centers are creating disc for referring
doctors, they should be able to provide you one.

Phase 2 - 8cm Blu-Ray disc from TDK (Imation)

2007-08-31T07:39:00.000-05:00

Blu-Ray Association is starting to flex some muscle
in other areas of recordable media that HD DVD
will scramble to convert. Through an RSS feed
received this morning (CDFreaks.com), Imation
announced release of TDK brand 8cm recordable
Blu-ray Discs.

[For those not keeping up with consolidation
in media manufactures Imation Corp. (NYSE:IMN)
closed acquisition of TDK brand in July.]

The focus is camcorder users. Postings from
the Blu-Ray Association (as far back as 05')
explains camcorder manufactures are switching
to Blu-ray with product release sometime in 08'
{typically Mar/Apr - when your finally caught up
paying for Christmas or income tax return shows}.
The home entertainment center is now the
battle ground, with the wanna-be directors
having access 1080i HD video.

These advancements are nice, an only proves
the battle for format supremacy will continue
well into 08' and 09'.

Buffalo enters dual drive arena...

2007-08-28T07:49:00.000-05:00

As reported in Gadets, Buffalo Technology has
brought to market a dual HD DVD/Blu Ray
combo unit.

This external unit is now testing the Japanese
market with plans for a end of year release
in US. With a projected price point below
$500 attention has now turned to Samsung
and HP developments which will add fuel
to putting an end to this controversy.

Each technology brings to market benefits
everyone take pleasure in. Consumers
purchasing this avenue can again send
a strong message to future ideas. We
want advanced features.

Glad too read my thinking is not far off.....

2007-08-27T11:55:00.000-05:00

Even Video Business.com is looking into Wal Mart and
how the predicted $200 player will influence the market.

The safe-guard at this point, revolves around compliance
issues. We're not sure exactly what that entails but the
connection between China's play for a new DVD
format and their capacity to manufacture goods not
only in volume but cost sensitive, lends the mind
too Open Source thinking.

Following hardward is the standard path. This
new format could be instantly established. Like
all recorders firmware is used to update the units.
Though many still don't use it until something goes
wrong, this method of control or change makes
sense when items are already in place.

We all can agree in a supply driven economy
price will always be the leading factor. At
present movie houses understand their profit
margins based on current volumn sales. What
their not sure of , if they lowered prices would
there be an increase. An if so how much?

The point here is whether a new format
will have any meaning.

Samsung - Where's the Dual HD DVD/Blu Ray unit?

2007-08-22T20:03:00.000-05:00

We can tell summer is over, spin-doctors are primed
and ready. With a kick-off of starting a new job or
having a new budget released, our Pros of vibe just
needing something to do.

After we basically thought, dreamed, prayed, blogged
and posted every vile notice from "I hate you..." to
"don't care.." this HD DVD - Blu-Ray battle will
just not go away.

Testing the waters of feed back or should we say
- looking for the response they want to hear - numbers
of actual sales per format in comparison to the total #
of DVDs sold so far, only measured 2%. With no
surprise Blu Ray was ahead. Not that more titles were
available had anything to do with numbers. HD DVD
side needed to shake things up. Standing on the
platform "we are a better technology" just doesn't
fire up the crowds anymore.

Paramount and Dream Works cut a deal,
Michael Bay (Transformers) first post a rant, then
retracts for a more subtle approach. [personally I
believe like most, directors sitting in the wings for
part 2 had alot to do with this switch] you know
Toshiba sweetened that pot before cooking.

Army's are gathering the troops, Generals have
conveyed a message of victory is within their
grasp, $200 players will open the bottle neck.

What victory? Conquering the consumer by
telling us what is a deal or better yet, throwing
out all rules of profit and put a price point even
Wal Mart would be proud of. Let's just make
a mockery of those that purchased a new format
within the last 6 months seeing the same item
drop like the value of a dollar.

I want to know where the dual unit (HD DVD/Blu Ray)
Samsung and even Ricoh were talking about as
early as April of this year. The market is just
about prime, consumers love choice and getting
one unit that puts "I don't care about format..."
as a tag line, come on....

This is business war. Here's a grenade China,
considering you could flood the American market
with just about anything, what a bang up time
for you too step forward and show the Japanese
your in every home. Of course their strut would
be "you still would need our titles.." [trust me
Japanese companies don't cut deals without
some assurances of ownership] Really, your
price is too high and by the way they have
not caught all the pirates, its the wild-west
baby this could be fun.....

Pro Pack - just a better solution for your CD/DVD Project

2007-08-10T13:32:00.000-05:00

PRO Pack
our most popular project
Addressing the growing
cost of shipping or
distributing your project.
Unlike the jewel case, there
is nothing to break. More
cost effect than a clam-shell,
less total weight shipping, but more important no need of an
additional "Mailing" carton.

250pcs $525.00

Full color cardboard sleeve gives great presents to the
contents your delivering. Those of you heading on the
road shortly for seminars/trade shows needing to save
space should bring this option up to your marketing
dept. Never see them carry anything.

Yes, we do support a wide array of packaging
solutions. But always comes down to cost and
where you can get the most for your dollar with
out creating additional costs, which is always
overlooked.

Are approach here is find solutions, not just
taking requests.

AVVO.com - need a lawyer for content protection

2007-08-07T13:33:00.000-05:00

Disc Duplication has come under fire lately with the
explosion of Pirates an the out-right stealing of content.

The more established providers have taken the next
step by introducing a Intellectual Property Rights (I.P.R.)form.
This basically puts the burden of proof back on the author.
Which begs the question - do I need a lawyer?
If so where/how to look for one?

Sure enough there are numerous sources you can use
in obtaining contacts for such service. But what about
getting some additional information to help you evaluate
who is good or available to address your needs?

Welcome to AVVO.com. From the northwest corner
comes a new service or with hesitation "rating" portal.
Here not only are basic credentials listed but (too the
dismay of many attorneys) the ugly side if any.

Our involvement with a local Bar Association, an noted
blogger Mazyar Hedayat, Esq,

AVVO.com comes to us normal people courtesy of
forward thinking individuals who's success is well
noted: Expedia.com, Classmates Online, Zillow.com,
Netflix, Hotels.com. Making it easier for consumers
to navigate a particular market for services/goods.

Artists generally work with a natural gene: EGO.
Well rest assured folks you have met your match - Lawyers.
The hail storm that started in Seattle has criss-crossed
this country with lighting speed. The concept consumer's
could comment on one's ability which could effect a "rating"
of a fellow peer or more to the point influence you, the
cavalry circled the wagons.

Avvos recent blog postings point out the growth there
site is achieving. Along with the "acceptance" among
users in adding positive comments about there legal
representation. Which runs contrary to held fears which the
legal bloggers have expressed. This revolutionary concept
needs our support.

The commentary attacking AVVO.com bordered
on the concept "consumers don't know any better".
well if that's the case, we should embrace the service.
Regardless, AVVO's team is pressing forward, get
this MARK BRITTON is a lawyer.

Mr Smith didn't go to Washington, he's in Seattle.

Disc Duplication - Retail

2007-07-20T08:56:00.000-05:00

The Disc Duplication business has now entered the third phase of its sector - Retail.

This concept first surfaced in Texas, which basically
attempted to mirror the success local "print shops"
were having extending their offerings too disc.
We have also witnessed the changing of guard
in on-line disc offerings, the players have taken
new positions.

Compuexpert - once claimed to be the largest distributor
of media. Successful online site w/shopping cart. Went
through separating larger buyers an gave them direct
contact an first dibs on inventory. Established an affiliate
program to grow the small market interest an create
brand awareness.

Everything was riding high until that one fine day
when disc manufactures decided it was time too
push "inventory levels" - minimum buy orders.
Which was fine for the manufacture, until they
went looking for a wholesale distributor. Since
most of the players like ourselves came from
computer component distribution - stocking
high levels of inventory an slowing turn times
is not a scenario that needs repeating.

Enter Retail - consignment of large inventory.
Retail chains were waiting they had the experience.
Next thing you knew there was not one place
you could go an NOT buy blank media. Great
for consumer, especially when the price war started.
Consignment is the key for Retail, you don't pay
your vendor on what the product showed up at,
you pay 90 days out on what was sold.
Exp: starts a 0.85, 2 months later price adjustment,
now 0.55, Retailer puts pressure on vendor because
inventory is taking up "valuable" space, rebate
pricing starts, finally product moves at 0.25.
Guess who ate the 0.60 it sure enough was
not the manufacture.......

Retail again has become the battle ground for discs.
This time on the duplication service side. Try as
you may, from sticking labels on disc's, to buying
additional unforeseen ribbons and ink cells, to
the time wasted. There will be a magic number
that wakes people up to "why am I doing this?"
generally its 250pcs, then you look for someone
else to do this.

Retail has the one element consumers love, they will
soon enough based their ideas on PRICE period.
Don't get me wrong, this is good for clients however
it also has the concept why should anyone spend
for better looking product.

At this point the graphic artists making a living
designing labels and inserts begins too loose his
mind, they do care about how the color green looks.
Especially when it involves a branding process or
corporate logo, purchasing they only focus on
cost vs budget constraints.

Hopefully this segmentation of the market can only
development this channel. Each level has it's
respected customer, an consolidation begins. The
small shops that once had a niche idea now has
competition, in fact LOCAL. What this brings
forth is a basic business rule, to survive you must
be moving forward with growth. Chicagoland
alone has seen a tremendous growth is these
shops, maybe to much.

In our view, its a good thing. Awareness is key.
Those of us in the business look to the many large
organizations that got caught up in bringing this
production process in house, "We can do it ourselves.."
you just created a cost bleeder. Some just have
to go through it, saying they were wrong is just not
in the cards, now they have some simple approach
to resolving it. If not down the street, your office
supply outlet or even your copy center (Kinkos) can help.
Who we have not heard from is the one chain that
started this AlphaGraphics, they have an entire division
devoted to this.

By the way - Compuexpert - distributor of video games

To show my cynical side, we co-edit another blog:
bankruptcy blog. some of these people are headed

Pirates more important than Bank Robbers?

2007-06-18T06:56:00.000-05:00

Like most travelers of cyber space, click-through has a
way of not just getting your attention, it puts you on
the same path as others...follow this cup of coffee....

CDFreaks.com starts this journey when a forum
question was posed about protecting against piracy.
Which too me made perfect sense, a complete site
devoted to ripping, burning, copying with all the lastest
tools, software and work-arounds. A simple school
program, make some disc's sell for profit. This really
caught my eye a principle which Discovery Channel
made a series, protect your house hire a burgler.

Initial response, is the content actually yours to protect?
Which is proper, I just find it funny that the forum went
dead silent. The moderator had to step in an re-direct
the point on topic. "This is not a legal forum ...", think
about that a moment we'll come back too that.

The link suggested - Ken Fischers post @ ARS Technology:
NBC/Universal general counsel Rick Cotton suggests that
society wastes entirely too much money policing crimes
like burglary, fraud, and bank-robbing when it should be
doing something about piracy instead.

And of course this leads to - Paul Sweeting @ ContentAgenda
The Motion Picture Assn. of America(MPAA) is joining
forces with the U.S. Chamber of Commerce

which ends up at the Chambers: Global Anti-Counterfeiting
and Piracy Initiative (CACP)

ARS Technology atleast points out it's agenda prior to making
observational commentary, which is honorable enough, not
taking either side but presenting the issue for your personal
input. Content Agenda (part of the Reed Elsevier Inc.)
could not pass up an opportunity in promoting the fact
MPAA shared a stage with National Assn.of Manufacturers
and the pharmaceuticals industry unveiling a program
too realign federal law enforcement. You did read that
correct, re-align Federal Law Enforcement.
[US Chamber of Commerce - second attempt to
actually grab some issue for National Exposer.
Coalition against wasteful Lawsuits is still
floating around].

I was doing ok with juggling both sides: protecting
copyrights vs fair use But when you throw together
Capitalist who's pursuit of gain has the potential of
relegating the safety and security of its citizens, rearing
the ugly head property before people, I have to pull
the emergency cord.

The mere notice a coalition has the potential of
directing the public's Law Enforcement priorities is
not new. Bringing forth this concept can be "bought",
should also bring about the real nature of this coalition
- Greed.

History has a way of sometimes loosing facts, but lets
try an fill in some blanks. Authorities or governing
body(s) were basically pillaging a country or people
for its riches. Pirates were born from the same seed
of greed they just spotted a quicker way. An when
they (pirates) became organized the real excitement
started. But let's not get too carried away with the
fantasy, pirates Ara came to an end when the
merchant ships were no-longer carrying the riches,
the well went dry.

Here's a thought, 70% of all pirated material
comes though our own borders on containers
shipped from China.

Law Practice Management

Perspective: Piracy in China is smart, hilarious, critics say - CNET News.c

2007-06-06T11:14:00.001-05:00

CNET News.com's Michael Kanellos finds that software pirates are getting better at marketing and aiming for a classier clientele. We all understand the "implied" value Asian market holds, but all knew this when the Western States opened up and the "Wild West" was born. Why not look in our own yard? Disregarding the "Copy Rights" of others only devalues the laws of a country. We cannot expect others too follow if we fail too lead. This should also be considered when organizations (RIAA) over extend this right by "using" a legal system to gain advantage against its citizens.....

read more | digg story

RUBn'SMELL PRINTED DISCS!

2007-06-01T11:00:00.000-05:00

CD Digital Card is now offering “scented inks” for
CD & DVD printed artwork, allowing marketing and
advertising professionals the ability to take your
upcoming disc marketing project to the next level.

Integrating scent into a CD or DVD increases consumer
awareness of a particular product and stimulates purchase
activity by incorporating “smell” into the marketing piece.
Rub’nSmell disc printing increases the impact, recall, value
and effectiveness of any marketing effort. The scented
varnish is transparent and remains dormant until the printed
surface is rubbed and it actually lasts for years in printed
form. The smell dissipates after a few seconds but can
be re-activated by rubbing the surface again
(similar to a “scratch n sniff” sticker).

Now this begs the questions: What scent do you use?

Attorneys marketing legal service..................

Exercise equipment..............

Fishing accessories..............

Religious readings.........

WHAT WILL PORN INDUSTRY DO WITH THIS ONE!!!!

Digg readership DOUBLES from HD DVD fiasco -- reaches world's top 40 sites

2007-05-09T08:23:00.001-05:00

Internet traffic to Digg.com was doubled by the firestorm of controversy surrounding the release of an HD DVD decryption code, according to a monitoring service. The furore appears to have temporarily boosted the social networking site into the world's top 40 most visited websites. Competing websites, such as Slashdot and Reddit, also benefited.

read more | digg story

After a bizillion visits: Sorry, won't do it again. but you have to admire the marketing effort here. Stick your head in the fire just long enough......

Digital Rights Management - Practice Management Blog

Pirated Movies at Circuit City (The Source)

2007-05-07T08:49:00.001-05:00

Why does everyone sound "shocked". Retailers sell in volumn with little or no regard too some prodical. Movie houses release thousands of copies so this vehical can generate money. So if they(MHs) turn just a little too the left and more product is sold without investing any more money, why not? Creating a data base of such just to promote, cost is theissue. My question - does every chain of Retailers from this point forward address it or hope it goes away.

read more | digg story

Why posting the HD-DVD key could land websites in big trouble

2007-05-03T07:14:00.001-05:00

EFF attorney Fred Von Lohmann explains the legal arguments AACS would make regarding the posting of the key. Just shows how the DMCA can be, they probably have a case against Digg and any other site that published the code. But we knew this was coming... Lexis-Nexis is having a seminar to increase the legal pool.....

DIGITAL CONTENT RIGHTS MANAGEMENT
Protecting Your Rights in Selling and Buying Digital Content
7 June 2007 9.00 am - 5.30 pm
Prince Hotel, Kuala Lumpur

Practice Management Blog - Bankruptcy Blog
Law Practice Committee

read more | digg story

Trenchant live @ VEISHEA

2007-04-25T16:42:00.001-05:00

Des Moines, Iowa band TrenchanT playing VEISHEA 2007 at ISU. Round 1 of Battle of the Bands. Phixx, the lead singer, is little known, but he originally came up with the technical specs for what would later become the iPod and sold the rights to Apple for $1,000 as part of his college engineering co-op at Iowa State. Wonder how many other $1,000 ideas are sitting on the table.

read more | digg story

CIRC test: Does your Duplicator even know what it is?

2007-04-18T17:50:00.000-05:00

Before we begin production of any initial order (and to assure that your disc meets the highest quality standards) we conduct a CIRC test beforehand. This tests for data errors that ALL DISCS HAVE Yes your disc, our discs, in fact EVERY disc you have ever burned or purchased in retail HAS DATA ERRORS! Yes from your trusty old Beatles CD, to your latest and greatest Star Wars DVD, they ALL have data errors. THE KEY to high quality standards is to assure that the master has a VERY LOW amount of errors in the first place! If your master failed the CIRC test, then we are simply letting you know beforehand, so corrective steps can be taken to assure that your final discs are indeed top notch.

But I played the master and it was perfect how can it have errors?

Great question the truth is your player has firmware built into the drive itself, one of the primary jobs of the drive firmware is to detect these errors and COMPENSATE for them during the READ. In other words, the drive itself detects the errors and "fixes" them for you automatically for a flawless playback - THIS is why you never heard the error in the first place! The problem with these errors (when they are severe or alarmingly too high) is that they can result in playback problems for the final discs and/or even affect the longevity of the final discs! Here is a real world example: Lets say you bought your Beatles CD years ago and now the CD itself looks like you drug it behind your car (numerous physical scratches, finger smudges, etc.. ) but it still plays perfectly!! WHY?? Yes each finger smudge, physical surface scratch, etc.. DOES increase the error count of the data - but because the CD had a LOW amount of errors to begin with, (back when it was brand new) these extra errors are still within your player's ability to detect and correctŠ for a flawless playback! LIKEWISE: you may purchased or burned a disc that looks practically brand new (maybe only tiny baby scratches, finger smudges, etc) and even though the disc looks great its still skips or won't play properly!! WHY?? Most likely the CD had a HIGH LEVEL OF ERRORS to begin with, so much so that even one little "baby scratch" or extra "finger smudge" was the straw that broke the camel's back resulting in a playback problem! This scenario stresses WHY conducting a CIRC test beforehand is so important Sadly many companies skip the crucial step and/or could care less about the master quality -- OUCH!! Rest assured DISCMASTERS care's deeply about ALL of our customers and we conduct this test to assure that your disc master quality is indeed world class! (i.e. that's one of the reason's why we're called Disc MASTERS ahhh! ;-)

O.K. so what's my solution how do we address this problem?
Even Better question DISCMASTERS gives you the option of sending us a new replacement master (no charge of course) or if you prefer, we can attempt to correct the problem for you (additional $45 fee would then apply). If you do decide to send us a new master, we suggest using a top name brand disc and burning your master at 4x to 8x speed for CD or 1x to 4x speed for DVD -- no faster or slower if at all possible too fast of a burn (or even too slow) can result in higher CIRC error rates)

For the technically minded and non-believers (there's always a few in every crowd):
Simply go to any search engine (Google, Yahoo, MSN, etc.. ) and type in "CIRC error" ( or even the worst error of all -- the dreaded "E-32 error" ) and you can learn volumes on the subject!! OR CALL US toll free 1-888-430-DISC (we're always happy to help) DISCMASTERS we're all about YOU!

note: Ez Duplication - marketing arm of Discmasters, mention this blog to receive special
discounted pricing to Preferred Customers.

Has does your duplicator answer questions??

2007-04-11T15:40:00.000-05:00

Sometimes these conversations need to
be passed along...

Client:
What type of DVD will you be using? I normally use DVD-R
because they're more compatible with older DVD players.
Response:
As for playback compatibility I can tell you that all DVDs
are indeed digitally verified against the master DVD you
provided to us last week. As such the DVDs are an exact
digital match to your original DVD. If a particular player
has a problem with YOUR MASTER DVD, then yes the
DUPLICATED DVD (being an exact match) will behave
identically. If you want to assure yourself of 100% DVD
compatibility, then we would need a DLT master from
you (instead of the DVDR you supplied).

To be clear, you requested duplication of your supplied
master (which was a DVDR) and NO DVD-R media is
100% compatible in the marketplace! To make matters
worse, Recordable media can have mixed results during
playback depending on the particular drive, firmware
version, make and model.

Also you should know that YOUR SUPPLIED MASTER
does play fine in our newer systems here at DISCMASTERS,
but your DVD MASTER does NOT play fine in our Sony 7000
(Sony's old top of the line player)...but this is fairly typical for
DVDR masters, which is further evidenced by the fact that
the newer players worked fine with your Master. Obviously
your DVD Master did not break on the 7000 and then
magically fix itself on a different player, and the data on your
master must therefore be in tact, otherwise NONE would play!
Again, DVDR media is NOT 100% compatible, and neither
is your supplied master for duplication.

To put you at ease... I suggest you bring your DVD player
(the one you tested/mentioned) with you when you pick these
up I'd be happy to demonstrate that the DVD copies are
indeed an exact duplicate of your original DVD and play
accordingly.

Woman, 102, becomes oldest golfer to make a hole-in-one

2007-04-11T10:10:00.001-05:00

Elsie McLean, 102, became the oldest golfer ever to make a hole-in-one on a regulation course. She used a driver on a par 3 hole to break the age record of 101 set by Harold Stilson in 2001 at Deerfield Country Club in Florida.When is the Annual DCBA Golf Outing? Who's heading the committee?

read more | digg story

EMI will give Who's music away????

2007-04-03T16:45:00.000-05:00

Reviewing the numerous headlines: EMI drops DRM...
it begs too question when does the other shoe drop?

Non-DRM songs cost more ($1.29), but provide the higher
quality of content. Did they take a page from the Telcom
industry when they first announced: "Your phone calls are free!"

As anticipated numerous sites host a wide array of feedback.
Good, who cares, what's the point, an even a suggestion the
next step would be adding a surcharge to your cable bill to
encourage downloads. Through it all (2) things stand out:

1) Apple Corp which owns Beatles,
does not sign on too this.
2) EMI statement, we listen to
our consumers requests.

It maybe early, an I'm just guessing, if I signed on with
EMI as an artist am I just wavering my Right(s) to have
DRM on my content to protect it from piracy? Does
my percentage change depending upon which format
they download? Just cannot help too think the newest
databases or P2Ps will now explode with content, to
the point artist(s) are now going to concentrate on the
business vs music. Release a couple songs then go
so far as too making a CD only available at LIVE
Concerts, $12.00 a CD still has good profit.

EMI listens their customers at the expense of the artist.
Too listen to them they believe $0.99 is to much.
More downloads means consumers will be
wanting large capacity players which is really what
Apple is looking for. Again at the expense of the artist.

David Bowie, Elvis Costello, Korn an let's not forget
the greatest Rock Band Rolling Stones, why have we
not heard from them. I'm sure Nashville is on the
phone, the Colonel rolled over in his grave hearing
just the possibility Elvis is FREE......oh that's right
EMI will only do that with lesser talent,
calling it market exposer...

RIAA Backs Down After Receiving Stern Letter from Defendant's Lawyer

2007-03-28T11:59:00.001-05:00

In SONY BMG v. Merchant, in California, the defendant's lawyer wrote the RIAA a rather stern letter recounting how weak the RIAA's evidence is, referring to the deposition of the RIAA's expert witness, and threatening a malicious prosecution lawsuit. The very same day the RIAA put its tail between its legs and dropped the case.

read more | digg story

DRM - Musicians have Rights.

2007-03-22T05:47:00.000-05:00

Digitial Rights Management (DRM) has received a lot
of attention as of recently due in fact too Apple an
Steve Jobs making noteworthly comments DRM
should be dropped altogether.

Reviewing the numerous sites/blogs/wires with reaction
generates the feeling something is lost in the process.
Where did the concept that all music should be FREE
come from?

iTunes takes the lead, frankly because no-one else
actually can. The concept is simple - single source
to support one player. Then the world cries foul.
Why, because they believe companies services
are suppose to serve their needs, please.

Apple as a company is only protecting their valued
market share which includes NOT supporting or
giving value to competitors. The double-edged
sword of having an iPod becomes blurred when
a purchase from iTunes is limited in use. As a
consumer I made that choice PRIOR.

A European source started broadcasting 70% of their
customer service calls we're related too DRM issues.
Actually, the streams sold would ONLY work on iPods.
The source was quick to blame DRM issues, not a hint
of self-responsibility, by the end of the day reports had
twisted this to read source drops DRM from music files.
Then stated MP3 files grew 40% over the last 2 months,
how do you evaluate growth on something that is FREE
an no value except to the user.

The same people crying fool over iTunes were sitting on the
sidelines yesterday when MIT dropped SAE because of
DRM issues. Simply put, SAE maintains one the worlds
largest FREE data-bases for engineers, SAE hijacked the
DRM principals, claiming ownership too the files, submitted
FREEly by users. Obviously, an ill-fated attempt to create
subscriptions which creates PROFIT is the purpose of
any service.

DRM is suppose to protect the rights of the author or
creator of the content. The author/creator now has the
option to decide how they want said content distributed.
If profit is the motivating factor we must respect that choice
and choose whether to participate or not.

Apple has created the business model most Top
companies are jealous of, service without supporting
3rd party intervention. {Duplication manufactures
attempt this same effort by selling "aurthorized" media}
The simple answer - you want quality you have to pay.
In any other business, content distributed is controlled
by Copy Right laws. DRM is the basic tool that enforces
this process. Too separate musicians from this process
is just plain wrong. They have a right too make a living
from their hard work. Music is a lighting rod, no other
business sector on this plant would survive if the
same principles applied to musicians were adopted.

Adobe - Creative Suite 3

2007-03-06T08:49:00.000-06:00

The release date of the entire Creative Suite 3 has now been confirmed.

Adobe will have a global launch of their graphics package on March 27 at an event in New York and it will be webcast live. The software company has even mentioned that this special event will be "the largest software release in Adobe's 25-year history."

Upon release, Adobe will be offering a whole line of distinct bundles that will include various combinations of the specific software in their CS3 package. And, with Adobe's acquiring of Macromedia back in 2005, what we can expect in this third-gen CS is the replacement of GoLive and Image Ready by Dreamweaver CS3 and Fireworks CS3, respectively.

Digital Rights - its more than just Music

2007-03-06T04:44:00.000-06:00

Digital Rights Management (DRM) for the most part has been on peoples radar with regards to copying or burning disc’s for personal use, Fair Use Act. In previous posts we brought too light Norway’s address to Apple/Steve Jobs “make your material from iTunes cross platform compatible…..” Jobs reply - DRM is the issue forced upon us by the record companies, we should drop DRM all together…..

In the interest of fair play, Macrovision Corporation develops digital rights management and software licensing technologies to combat widespread casual digital piracy while offering solutions that enable control of digital content and software. They recently posted an open letter to Mr Jobs on their site addressing this issue (Read More )