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(I thought this germain to the digital realm so I copied the LD list on this reply, hope not too OT) Well, Jeff.. It means setting up a web site, marketing your product - and giving away free samples at a lower sample rate than a CD.. That's a good start... 22k MP3's sound good enough to give people a taste of the music's flavor.. (Think about it - that's radio quality, not CD quality.. People have been taping off the radio since personal recorders came about - did it hinder tapes from being bought?! I argue it advanced their distribution by creating a needy market..) Now, say you sell the CD's (44k) on your site, and stream the 22k MP3's as samples. If you market well you can make a living off of the digital front. It won't stop people from making real MP3's from your CD's, but it will at least give them an avenue to purchase your work. You guys (i've been in music 27 years, programming for 20) are just starting to feel the burn that software programmers have been feeling forever. People have been copying and distributing pirated copies of software since it was possible to duplicate. Does this mean that software companies went out of business? No! - it means they had to change their 1:1 product:money ratio mentality. Now companies offer crippled versions of software (IE: lower sample rates) Free trials of their software, that expire (not yet implemented for music). And simply GIVING away the software, (MP3 Shoutcast / RADIO / etc.) knowing full well that 80% of the copies that are on the market are going to be pirated, but the fact that their product is being distributed, talked about, and wanted by those who are in the know means that those who can't/won't copy/steal will get caught up in the frenzy and BUY a copy. These companies SUBSIST on the other 20% of the populace who buy the product, causing income to actually be generated by a pirate distribution methodology. These are the companies that will survive in the future. Nothing is stacked against anybody.. The biggest hurdle in any artistic race is to be the one with the biggest audience, right? The bigger the audience, the bigger the revenue - no matter WHAT.. If you get caught thinking that the only way to survive is to sell each and every CD you press for $10.00, then you've lost the game already. Giving away art is the best way to get it heard. Once you're heard, you're known. Once you're known, you're gigging. Once you're gigging, you're generating REAL revenue based on REAL effort, not a snapshot of art (CD's), which is always pale in comparison to the true stage of the artform. Now imagine that your MP3's are distributed (pirated) across the world, and millions of people (who you think unfortunate because they didn't pay for the initial recording) liked your work. Now some of these people WILL pay to go see your gig. WILL pay to buy your t-shirts.. WILL pay to get a copy of the limited edition release with your signiature, and have a much higher probability of buying your next CD to own a real copy etc etc etc... We can't allow ourselves to be boxed in by the feeding frenzy of the modern capitalist world. We must allow music to flow freely, and as the artist who is creating these ever changing realms of music and altering the mood and minds of the listeners - we must not throw spite at those who can't afford to buy. We must focus on those who CAN. That's just my .02 on the matter.. (please keep the flames private) Ken -----Original Message----- From: Jeff Yost <yostie@ezworks.net> To: Ken M <wgold@mecasw.com> Date: Tuesday, April 18, 2000 8:06 PM Subject: Re: protective encoding... >Hi Ken- > So what does this do to those of us who would like to make a living by >selling our creations via digital media? > > Other people seem to be able to make a living by practicing their >trades, why is it the artistic folks always have so much stacked against >them...? > >jeff > > >Ken Melms wrote: >> >> You can't. >> The fact is - once something is played on a computer, the person playing it >> can simply setup a sound recorder to dump it back to a .wav file, and then >> encode it again to MP3 without the protection blocks. Anything that >> advertises as a "copy protection" scheme for MP3's is preying on the >> uninformed. >> >> Welcome to the powerful world of FREE FLOWING information. People have to >> get over the thought of personal ownership of data, and begin doing the work >> to copyright and legally protect the ideas, not the media it's printed on. >> >> K >> >> -----Original Message----- >> From: Jeff Yost <yostie@ezworks.net> >> To: jeff_yost@musician.org <jeff_yost@musician.org> >> Date: Sunday, April 16, 2000 3:43 PM >> Subject: protective encoding... >> >> >I hope this isn't too off topic, but I am curious if anyone may know >the >> >best (and most economical) route to take to get one's MP3s encoded with >> >copy protection. >> > >> >(Please cc me or write my personal e-mail) >> > >> >thank you, >> >jeff yost >> >yostie@ezworks.net >> >