CDs that can only be burnt for 3 times....

So, Sony-BGM decided to be a little smart and released CDs that can only be burnt 3 times.

Hmm, sounds like those songs which you obtain on Napster which can only be transferred over 4 computers....

Oh well.

Firstly, these CDs are much more expensive to manufacture, and hence, will be of a higher price. So, from a CD which only costs $18 or so to buy, to one which costs $22 thanks to that nonsensical feature, who's going to lose out?

Ultimately, the music industry themselves.

Sooner or later, there will be ways to crack the CD, which is happening for most of the PC games with protection. Hackers, along with the never-stopping technology, will find a way to get rid of such obstacles which, to them, is nothing but a mere challenge which they will undertake. It's like the PSP, where Sony has insisted that games cannot be played from the memory stick. A few months later, and whoa, you can play it. Although Sony did release a patch, which will be required to play newer games, it does show how powerful the hackers are.

In fact, this technology, if what I read is correct, will be rather ineffective. The reason is because it only PREVENTS burning songs onto a CD. Erm, heard of BitTorrent? All you need to do is to zip all the songs into one folder, then send it over to your friend. Who the heck uses CDs these days anyway? Everyone is using the MP3 format, whether it is for their players, or for their handphones. More over, not every single song on a CD is nice, and hence, friends can simply send songs which are popular or those which their friends want over the Internet, using Mediums such as HTTP servers, Instant messangers (MSN..ICQ...) or even hosting their own servers using Apache or something.

So really, why does Sony-BGM continue to fight against piracy? It's definately one way to lose customers, as they continue to sell CDs are pretty high prices, made higher by the new protection. They tried to sell music Online, but thanks to all the restrictions, such as not allowing local credit cards, or the fact that it does not work with certain MP3 players, has made a black mark on those who produce the CDs. Their failed efforts to prevent piracy has irked many people, resulting in many using illegal methods to obtain their songs. Authories, such as IRAA or whatever their names are, caused a scare quite a while back (forcing a 12 year old girl to pay 3k or something), but people don't really care about them after realising what their rights are, what these authories can, or cannot do.

In fact, I have yet to really think of a really effective solution to combat piracy. Catching the thieves will result in more being created. It's like those jihadists in Iraq. Everytime the US captures or kills one, ten more signs up to fight against the US. In fact, some pirates and hackers actually become famous via these illegal trading. Groups such as HOOLUM and RELOADED are actually infamous for being able to release cracked versions of the games, with CD keys when required, quickly, sometimes as quick as a full day before the game is supposed to come out.

Perhaps the record labels should simply backoff and shut up...LoL. I really have no idea how they are going to effectively combat these pirates. Using technology against them is definately NOT the way to go. Maybe a total ban on CDs of sorts? I mean, things such as releasing their music via internet only? Then again, they will definately lose out on customers who relys heavily on CDs...

Oh well. They are fighting a losing war....maybe they should just do damage control....