DVD to the rescue
from:Cnet By Eliot Van Buskirk
Senior editor, CNET Reviews
(10/31/02)
There's no arguing that CD sales are down this year, but what no one can agree on is the underlying cause behind the slump. The RIAA points to Internet piracy, of course, citing studies that show CD purchases are lower among file sharers. (On the other hand, file-sharing companies deny this and point to studies that prove the opposite.) But a more measured analysis reveals a factor that's as simple as it is obvious: people are buying fewer CDs because they're buying more DVDs. At many large chains, DVDs can be purchased for $10 each--a pretty amazing value considering that a DVD contains a movie, a Dolby 5.1 soundtrack, and all kinds of extra features. Meanwhile, a $17.99 CD contains only about 50 minutes of stereo audio. DVDs are clearly a better deal.
RIAA head Hilary Rosen likely sees DVD as just another threat to the music industry's market share, like online music and other technologies that were not invented exclusively for the purpose of enriching record companies. But as I'll explain below, the DVD format holds the key to a thriving music market, which is ironic, considering that up to this point, DVD's effect on the CD has been negative.
Back in the day
When CDs were invented, there were no consumer-based CD-ROM drives, so manufacturers gave only cursory thought to protecting the content on the discs. As a result, pretty much every song committed to CD can now be found online if the person searching has lots of time and bandwidth. The record companies have been trying to reverse this trend for a few years without success--their only victories have been symbolic ones. And in some cases, their wins have even been detrimental to their cause, such as when they shut down companies that were willing to cooperate to some extent with copyright holders, sending users to networks that were harder to police.
I have a radical idea that could help the music industry take a much-needed leap into the future--if it has the courage. The record labels should cease trying to safeguard unprotected CDs and desist the fight against MP3 trading. The future of music retail lies in the home theater, and that's where the record companies need to double down. This became obvious to me as I listened to/watched the Super Furry Animals' Rings Around the World DVD. The disc features the same videos shown on the backdrop of the band's last tour, along with every track on the album in Dolby 5.1 surround sound. In addition, Rings Around the World contains 16 bonus remixes, as well as songs not on the current album. The price for this bevy of bodacious content? According to the DVD price-comparison service on CNET's own mySimon, it costs $21.28 new with shipping and handling. In contrast, the same songs on a CD runs from $12 to $17.
Music is already an increasingly visual medium, as is evidenced by the success of MTV's pay-per-view concerts and the pop stardom of teen siren Christina Aguilera. It makes sense for labels to continue this trend, offering DVDs with surround sound, live footage, videos, or even still images to display on televisions while home-theater systems belt out pristine, 24-bit, 96KHz digital audio.
Unlike CDs, the vast majority of DVDs already feature content protection (CSS or Macrovision) that cannot be disabled without the ripper committing a felony. But even if I were able to rip my Super Furry Animals DVD without getting arrested, where would I play it? You can't listen to 5.1 audio on a pair of headphones, and only Windows Media Player with a rare filter installed can play ripped 5.1 audio on a computer. Even if I shared the ripped audio files on a P2P network, almost no one would be able to download and play them successfully.
Sound advice
The record labels should continue to sell CDs the way that they sell other outdated formats, such as the cassette tape. But they should also lower their resistance to the sharing of MP3s and fight only illegitimate, for-profit piracy rings. The labels should also allow file-sharing networks to pay a nominal fee to copyright holders for the privilege of running P2P networks. Then, the companies should concentrate their efforts on DVD. No matter how good my Super Furry Animals MP3s are, I would still pay for a DVD that offers more, higher-quality content for my buck.
Hilary, if you are listening, please tell the labels to forget about protecting stereo CDs and MP3s and to start converting back catalogs and all new releases into digitally remastered DVDs. Tell them to film live concerts and record them in Dolby 5.1, Pro Logic II, DTS, or any other surround-sound format, then release them on DVD. Everyone wins: the artists, who would attract more fans and get a cool, new avenue of expression; the fans, who would get more and better content; and the labels, which would gain a powerful new revenue stream while saving all the money that they currently spend trying to stop people from listening to their music online.
Abbey Road Studios Brings DTS In-House
from:mi2n...
AGOURA HILLS, CA October 22, 2002 – October 22, 2002 – DTS (Digital Theater Systems, Inc.), the digital audio technology company dedicated to delivering the ultimate entertainment experience, announces that legendary Abbey Road Studios in London has purchased DTS hardware to expand its surround sound mastering capability. In response to the growing demand for multi-channel music, Abbey Road will incorporate DTS hardware to enable 5.1- and 6.1-channel surround sound mixes for CDs, DVD-Video and DVD-Audio.
The DTS equipment that Abbey Road is installing includes a DTS CAE-4 Encoder for mastering surround sound projects, and a DTS CAD-4 Decoder for monitoring. The new hardware allows the studio to continue offering clients top-quality surround sound encoding for all applications.
"DTS is a leader in multi-channel sound innovation, and Abbey Road Studios has been at the forefront of the recording industry since the 1930s," said Scott Esterson, Pro-Audio Sales Manager at DTS. "We look forward to supporting Abbey Road as they establish broader in-house services for music artists and record labels."
"We decided to invest in the system ourselves after experiencing a growth in multi-channel projects here," said Lucy Launder, Post Production Manager, Abbey Road Studios. "Rather than continuing to hire equipment, the installation of this hardware in our two surround mastering suites will help us maintain a quality service on a daily basis."
Consumers Shun Copy-Protected CDs
from
c worldScarlet Pruitt, IDG News Service
Friday, October 25, 2002
Study finds music fans support copying for personal use, backup.
Music companies thinking of distributing copy-protected CDs to protect their content from piracy will likely raise the ire of consumers while lowering their revenue, a new study warns.
According to a survey recently released by GartnerG2, the research service of Gartner/Dataquest, 77 percent of respondents thought they should be able to copy CDs for personal use in another device. Also, 60 percent said they should be able to give copies of CDs to members of their families.
Meanwhile, 82 percent of respondents said that they should be able to copy CDs for personal backup purposes.
Restricted Use
The results fly in the face of efforts by the music industry to gain tighter control over their content as they face the perilous, infinite possibilities for copying in the digital age. But while the ghost of such free file-sharing services as Napster still haunt the halls of Hollywood, Gartner discovered that consumers do not think copy-protected CDs are the answer.
The copy-protected CDs limit users options--preventing them from making a copy of the CD to play in their car, for example, as one could with a cassette tape. But they also limit their mobility. In some cases, the protected CDs cannot even be played in more than one of the consumer's CD players.
These restrictions are likely to frustrate users, possibly resulting in a decline in revenue for the record companies, the researcher said.
Warning Wanted
But while consumers are perturbed with this solution, the study found that 74 percent of those surveyed believed that if the music companies must distribute copy-protected CDs, they should contain warning labels.
GartnerG2 conducted the online study of 1005 U.S. adults, 18 years or older, and 1009 teens, ages 13 to 17, in July of 2002.
While the music industry has raised the issue of copy-protected CDs in recent months, few CDs have so far been released with the copy protections included. However, as the industry faces growing piracy thanks to consumers' added capability to make perfect digital copies of music by burning CDs, such measures could become more widespread.