Artist=Criminal
From Slashdot: joining ranks with the Dave Matthews Band, another group of dangerous rock and rollers have broken the law. A band called Switchfoot has posted instructions on how to bypass the copy protection on their own CD. This is a Sony release, and the copy protection is another SunnComm specialty, easily defeated in any number of ways. Sony of course owns the copyright on the music, so Switchfoot has violated the DMCA by disseminating information on how to pirate someone else’s content. It would be hilarious if Sony sued their own band, but I think they’re probably just going to get yelled at.
In their post, the band apologizes to their fans and and explains that there’s really not much they can do about it. They’re right. Much as I wish it were true, music generally does not sell itself. I think we’re still in the zone where labels are necessary evils (but, like, really evil evils). The person who figures out why all this internetism still hasn’t gotten us to the place where artists can get heard, sold and still make a living without selling their souls to a retarded middleman is going to make a billion dollars.
Comments
CuriousMind says
The funniest thing about Switchfoot's post is that the forum on which they posted it is itself hosted by Sony!
JoCo says
Yes, I believe what they have done can be described as "shitting where you eat." Not even monkeys do that...
superjerk says
Regardless of all the hullabaloo and fallout, I still doubt that any of the media is going to bother to point out the fact that switchfoot does, in fact, kinda suck. There's a perverse nobility in selling out...to make a living, to make a difference, to make a billion dollars and buy a giraffe farm. But there's really nothing noble about sounding like everything else on the radio these days. But then, how much can you reasonably expect from a band whose "big break" was playing soundtrack for a Mandy Moore movie....no matter how much they sound like Sting and The Police.
Mythgarr says
So JC - what do you suppose you're going to do when somebody wises up and decides to slashdot your site? =)
JoCo says
I've never heard Switchfoot, so I can neither confirm nor deny their suckage (also, I don't want to spoil the chance that someday they might invite me to visit their giraffe farm).
Mythgarr: I am not afraid (though Hostbaby might be). Bring it!
jp3z says
Switchfoot is quite generic; perhaps they're purposely trying to generate some contreversy to make themselves stand out? If so, that's quite a clever tactic...
Andrew T. Coleman says
Don't bring The Police into this. My favorite band before JoCo.