Frankenbox 2.3: The ReDesign

So, it looks like my Sony Mainframe is back to normal. I reinstalled my printer, scanner, SB Audigy 2 ZS Platinum soundcard, as well as MS Office and Adobe Creative Suite 2, updated everything, and set up Media Center again without a single flaw. I just need to go through now and weed out unneeded software such as AOL and the Netscape ISP crap that came with the computer, and then I can install the remainder of the software that I use all the time--25+ audio programs, etc.--and we should be back up to snuff.

Normally, I'm the type of person who likes to streamline his software experience as much as possible, getting rid of anything I don't use much. But...I just realized something: I don't have the fucking TIME anymore to constantly weed out stuff. There are some software packages (like Google Desktop) that I'm just not putting back on this machine because I use them so rarely, but...there's a lot of media stuff already installed on this machine that, even if I don't use it at all, isn't eating up memory or really don't much of anything. I have 100gb of HD space to kill--soon to be 300gb when I add two more 100gb SATA drives to the RAID. I might as well just leave that shite around until I need it.

Still, there is some stuff, like AOL and whatnot, that I have absolutely no use for whatsoever, so that stuff goes as usual. But anything dealing with media editing....Hell, I technically paid for it, so I might as well just keep it. *shrug*

I actually spent some time today tweaking my soundcard's many EQ and Dolby Surround functions to make it sound REALLY freakin' great now. I can't wait to get all my music back. To avoid another $1900+ dollars of recovery, I'm going to back it up five times in five separate locations, and play the shit CONSTANTLY to make it damnwell earn back the cost of recovery. My Comateens mp3s BETTER STILL BE THERE, or I will just say fuck it and become a serial killer at last.

I picked up something really cool for the machine at Staples yesterday, however: an 800dpi wireless mouse to help out with graphic design and stuff (the pointing resolution of this thing is really impressive), and an AuraVision eluminX keyboard. It's black with glowing blue keys. I didn't so much pick it up for looks as for sheer functionality--my house is so dark, I actually need the keys lit so I can see the fuckers. Still, it DOES look really cool, too. I see they come in different colors, too: I'm leaning toward picking up an extra one in glowing RED eventually, too, just to have a cool-ass backup. Most places online sell them for, like, $70...but I paid $25 and found another place online that sells them for that, too. $25 is NOT a bad price for glow-in-the-dark keys.

Now, I need to finish grading and take a bath. Then sleep. Yay.

Sony's DRM Rootkit, Big Music, and why I refuse to buy Major Label CDs

Recently, the news has been seething with information concerning Sony's ridiculous DRM "rootkit" that more or less infects Windows (and now, apparently, Mac OS) computers and basically take control of certain functions on your machine to handle certain "protected" content. If you want all the details, you need merely Google the subject or consult The Register or CNet's New.com for the complete scoop, as it is far too complex to cover here.

Suffice to say, though, this little revelation has only compounded my growing hatred for the music "industry." It's bad enough that many online music stores riddle their mp3s with DRM schemes that more or less chain those purchased files to one or more specific computers and, in many cases, disallow you to properly back up the files to, say, CD-R because that breaks the DRM. It's also bad enough that many DRM schemes can be changed "on the fly" to further restrict the usage of already-purchased materials (Apple's iTunes Music Store did just this a little while ago when it agreed to further limit the number of times one can purchase ITMS playlists to CDs, whether those files were purchased before the new limit went into effect or not). Now Sony is, in effect, infecting certain CDs covered by their "copy protection" scheme with what amounts to a hacker's backdoor tool to let them reach into your machine, in effect, and fiddle around with things. Wow. That scheme isn't so much an implementation of Digital Rights Management as it is a blatant breach of an individual's digital security.

Now, you all know my feelings when it comes to shunning the iTunes Music Store and other such outlets for DRM-encrusted mp3s. The reason I do this is simply because these outlets' DRM schemes completely violate the basic legal principle of fair use and restrict my right to, say, resell or give away do with my purchased material as I so please--a concept known as "first sale" rights, as defined in current copyright law. For instance, I've bought a LOT of CDs in the past--and still do. Once I've paid for those CDs, I now own them, and can supposedly do what I want with them, including making a backup copy, ripping them to mp3s so I can store them and listen to them on my computer (and car stereo or iPod or what-have-you), and giving them away to friends or trading them in at the Exchange. You can't do anything like that with DRMed digital files. That really bugs me.

So, what to do? All the big music labels these days are pushing for greater and greater restrictions--hell, Sony is going so far as to publish CDs with built-in trojans, for all intents and purposes, to compromise your own computer's security. Brilliant. Why would ANYone with an interest in consumer's rights bother to give these companies money? And you know it's got to be bad when these various labels' own artists--like the Dave Matthews Band, and Firehouse--have posted instructions on their own websites informing fans how to get around this crap so you can enjoy their music in any way you like!

The best way to fight these measures is to simply boycott companies and individual CD releases that pull this kind of copy-protection bullshit--which would prettymuch be any "major label" like Sony, Virgin, and so forth. If you knowingly pay for a CD that is laced with software that refuses to let you play it in your computer, say, or rip the contents to mp3 to put on your iPod, then you deserve what you get. But how do you even KNOW? Some of these CDs are barely labelled with the necessary information to tell you what you're getting into! Fortunately, the net is here to help. Here's a list of so-called "corrupt" CDs prepared by the Campaign for Digital Rights and another to let you know what CDs out there have copy-protection schemes that could potentially damage your computer or simply restrict your rights to do with purchased material what you will.

Now, I've seen a few CDs I've purchased on those lists. That scared me. Who knows what malicious software I may have inadvertently installed on my computer just by ripping the goddamned things? I wasn't aware at the time that some of these CDs were "copy-protected," mainly because there are NO INDICATIONS on them that they are copy-protected. I didn't have trouble ripping them, but I assume that's because the handful of copy-protected CDs I own are all fairly old and utilize older, outdated protection schemes that only work when, say, one is trying to duplicate a protected CD in Nero or another disk-duplicating package.

Nonetheless, to protect myself as a consumer, from this day forth, I patently refuse to give any of my money to major labels that in any way employ these kind of devious tricks. Fuck them. I'm aware that not every major-label release is cluttered up with copy-protection schemes at present, but...how can I be sure? Never trust a Big Name Company, people. It's bad enough that Xerox laser printers print weird tracking codes on every sheet of paper that comes through them--who knows WHAT kind of bullshit some of the Big Media companies are willing to try behind consumers' backs?

Now, I'm not about to get all self-righteous and talk shit on people who still want to buy major-label CDs--but please, people, be aware of what you might be setting yourself up for. You, as a consumer in the United States, have a right to know these things, and you should all be educated consumers and check stuff out before you start handing your money over to big businesses.

Feel free to consult

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And while I'm at it--Why Artists Signed to Big Label Contracts Deserve What's Coming To Them

Most of the bands that I really like release stuff on indie labels like, say, Saddle Creek and Schematic. These kind of labels are generally known to treat their artists pretty fairly--they are businesses, of course, so they can be expected to take a hefty chunk from sales to keep themselves running...yet, at the same time, many indie labels do their best to support their artists properly and ensure that the artists, too, profit in some way from their work.

Which is why even when friends give me copies of CDs on indie labels or let me rip CDs, or I find some samples online to download and listen to (usually via music blogs like Fluxblog and Music For Robots), I always try my best to find CDs by these folks and pick them up because, honestly, if I like an artist's work enough, I feel they (and, to a lesser degree, the labels that have made their work and/or live shows available) deserve the money. I also feel pretty good about purchasing indie-label CDs because I can: 1) be sure they're not going to be saddled with DRM bullshit; and 2) be sure that the artists themselves are pretty likely to earn a fair royalty from my purchase.

You don't get that with Major Label purchases.

Is there anyone writing music today who DOES NOT know how fucked they will be if they sign a contract with a big label like, say, Sony or Arista? If you don't know, then take a few moments and do a little web-research. Here, I'll make it easy for folks--this is a nice article by Steve Albini (of Big Black, if you don't know) about how Major Labels rape their artists. If you sign with a Major Label, you are going to be treated as a disposable commodity--a marketing opportunity--and nothing else. The big labels don't give a flying fuck about how much your music means to you: they only care about whether or not your music is going to sell and earn them money. YOU, the artist, will be lucky if they are willing to give you %15 of sales--and that will come only after you tour for your corporate masters, give up your right to your own creations to your corporate masters, and so forth.

Now I want to get something VERY FUCKING STRAIGHT HERE: I am not a "Rip the System" punk always out to piss in the eye of The Man or Big Business. Any corporation can damn well do as it pleases--I don't care. I support capitalism in its rawest form and that means, as far as I'm concerned, Major Labels can run their businesses any way they like and fuck their artists any way they like. It is Not My Problem. If you, as an artist, sign with a big-time major label, you get what is coming to you--period.

I'm sort-of a musical artist. Kind of. And I know a LOT of people who are, as well. My concern is first and foremost for artists--you put your blood, sweat, and tears into creating something, so you deserve to profit from it accordingly, right? And you deserve your right to own your productions. BE SMART. Know what you're getting into. Know what you're agreeing to when signing a contract. Do what is best for you as an artist, not what is best for your "career" in music or whatever--but be aware: if sign on the dotted line with some big-time company who promises you wine, women, and a billion dollars in royalties because you're the next Aerosmith or the next Fiona Apple, YOU'D BETTER BE WILLING TO FACE WHAT YOU'RE AGREEING TO.

In the past, a lot of artists--good, otherwise well-informed people like you and I--got screwed by recording contracts because...well, let's face it: in years past, there was information Out There about the dark side of big-label recording contracts, but it wasn't often that easy to get to. Now, all you need is Google. It's only smart to know what you're getting into. To read between the lines and know what you're signing up to do. If you are ignorant in the world today, you will suffer. Period. (I know...my ignorance has caused me to suffer some MAJOR setbacks over the years--which is why I do my best to stay informed now.)

Which is why I do not feel bad ONE FUCKING BIT for big-label artists whose record sales suffer, say, because of people downloading their albums rather than buying them. Those artists aren't losing money because of those torrents Out There on the net--the companies that own those artists are losing money. Maybe a single dime per record is making it into the artists' pockets. Downloading music isn't taking the bread from those artists--the contracts they willingly signed with the labels are.

Here's an example. Over a year ago, I found a bunchof tracks by The Killers on the net. I downloaded them and absolutely loved them--so I ran out the next day and picked up their CD. I also went on Amazon.com and ordered all their import singles and the UK edition of Hot Fuss just because it had one different track on it. I love the band. Out of the $50 collectively I spent on their CDs, probably $2.50 made it into the band's pockets. Now, later on, when I saw them live, I bought a t-shirt and some other stuff, knowing full well that the band itself makes a lot more from tour sales than from anything else. I love the Killers. I believe wholeheartedly that they deserve my money.

But I'm never buying another one of their CDs directly (though I will buy them used, provided they are DRMed to hell and back), because I refuse to support large companies that will take so much from their artists and then have the gall to sell me CDs riddled with security-breaching software. Fuck that. It's just not for me. If others still want to do so, fine--more power to them. But I don't want to do so. The end.

Do I feel sorry for artists that get signed to big-label contracts and then get screwed? Of course. But, hey...them's the breaks, people--you signed the goddamned contract, not me.