What is Digg?357 Comments
- enantiodromia, on 09/27/2008, -4/+690wow, who would have guessed a clean MP3 would be better in the long run than some DRMd file?
uh, everybody? - p3ngwin, on 09/27/2008, -7/+340another thing i hate is the little known and appreciated fact of the CPU processing involved in decoding DRM material on music layers, about 25% of your music player's CPU time is doing hard work decoding the security.
imagine if you could have a 25% better battery life and a cheaper player because it didn't need to have a 25% better CPU, or that 25% invested in better music quality from better encoded music in the 1st place. - insllvn, on 09/27/2008, -21/+284"Important Information About Your Digital Music Purchases
We hope you are enjoying the increased music quality/bitrate and the improved usability of Walmart's MP3 music downloads. We began offering MP3s in August 2007 and have offered only DRM (digital rights management) -free MP3s since February 2008. As the final stage of our transition to a full DRM-free MP3 download store, Walmart will be shutting down our digital rights management system that supports protected songs and albums purchased from our site.
If you have purchased protected WMA music files from our site prior to Feb 2008, we strongly recommend that you back up your songs by burning them to a recordable audio CD. By backing up your songs, you will be able to access them from any personal computer. This change does not impact songs or albums purchased after Feb 2008, as those are DRM-free.
Beginning October 9, we will no longer be able to assist with digital rights management issues for protected WMA files purchased from Walmart.com. If you do not back up your files before this date, you will no longer be able to transfer your songs to other computers or access your songs after changing or reinstalling your operating system or in the event of a system crash. Your music and video collections will still play on the originally authorized computer.
Thank you for using Walmart.com for music downloads. We are working hard to make our store better than ever and easier to use.
Walmart Music Team"
This is why I should always RTFA. It seems to me that despite all the sensationalism here, Wal*Mart is not only doing what we ask (selling DRM free MP3's) but also informing those affected by the shutdown of how to keep their music and to free it from the DRM. The arcane and highly technical methodology seems to be burning them to an audio CD and ripping the CD (correct me if I am wrong that this will solve the problem) onto another PC, or hypothetically the same PC. I was more than willing to assume the worst of DRM and Wal*Mart, but they seem to be doing things right. There is no need to be fanatical.
Still, I stand by ***** THE RIAA! - insllvn, on 09/27/2008, -5/+231So, having already bought the music from Wal*Mart, and now faced with the fact that it will no longer work, would it constitute fair use to download an unencumbered copy from a P2P network? Our hypothetical consumer has already paid Wal*Mart and the recording industry. I know how I see it, but would any lawyers like to step up to the plate and tell us how the law would see it?
Also, ***** THE RIAA, whose backwards policies and greedy ***** are really what is responsible for this travesty. - Bacontastic, on 09/27/2008, -22/+203Dear Wal*Mart:
Suck a bag of dicks
Love, internet. - LucasVB, on 09/27/2008, -3/+114No. There's no WTF here. There's no damn excuse. DRM hurts the customer, and this has always been true. This is the kind of dumb risk you take when you support a failed business model that's doomed from day one.
So you get NOTHING! You LOSE! Good DAY, sir! - dirtmonkey, on 09/27/2008, -6/+102wtf
- bradleyland, on 09/27/2008, -5/+91Except for the fact that when you re-rip the song to MP3, you're slaughtering the quality. When you burn a WMA file to CD, you do not restore the quality of the file, you simply expand the already depreciated file in to a full-size PCM audio stream. When you rip back to MP3, you introduce new artifacts. The only way you can ever access your music at the quality it was when you purchased it would be to play the CD you burned.
That is not "doing things right". Doing it right would be to either credit users for their purchase, or offer DRM removal for the songs they bought. - Foenetik, on 09/27/2008, -6/+80I can't really feel sorry for anyone who buys their online music from wal-mart.
- TBombadil, on 09/27/2008, -5/+78hahahahaha MUSIC FROM WALMART!? AAHAHHHAHAHAHHAH GG
- Yankees368, on 09/27/2008, -1/+66And they wonder why no one wants to buy music anymore....
- conversekid, on 09/27/2008, -6/+62This is why buying music online is worse than P2P.
***** the RIAA. - TheInformer, on 09/27/2008, -0/+55Did you ever unlock her DRM?
- aeiou, on 09/27/2008, -0/+45Actually, I'm no lawyer, but I think there is a clause in the DMCA that if a copy protection scheme is no longer in use you are allowed to break the copy protection.
- alyssariffic, on 09/27/2008, -3/+47I think the type of person who buys DRM'd music from WalMart probably isn't the type of person who would know how to back the music up on CD and convert that to MP3 so they can access it after Oct 9.
- KMartSheriff, on 09/27/2008, -0/+42I wasn't aware it took that much processing power to decode DRM'd mp3s. Good thing I don't bother with them.
- blacktriangle, on 09/27/2008, -1/+42Did you scan her for viruses?
- glenSM, on 09/27/2008, -2/+39EVERYONE I suggest downloading all your music for free, then donating to the artists directly if that is possible. CUT out the middleman! ***** UNFAIR BUSINESS PRACTICES and THE RIAA.
- combatchuck, on 09/27/2008, -0/+36Isn't that clause in every TOS and EULA ever written?
- commenter01, on 09/27/2008, -0/+34Hugest WTF ever---> "If you have purchased protected WMA music files from our site prior to Feb 2008, we strongly recommend that you back up your songs by burning them to a recordable audio CD."
Oh really? And what if I want to listen to it on my portable music player. Do i have to rip them again, ending up with ***** sound due to recompression? ***** you, walmart, and ***** you DRM. - t3st3r, on 09/27/2008, -3/+36Sometimes even more than 25%, depends on encryption. And DRM actually never stops those against which it was designed: PIRATES. Have you even seen pirated content with DRM, ever? DRM is about fooling, restricting and pissing off those users who want to be fair and lawful. Then, when you tired from being fooled and suck for your own moneys, you're getting called "pirate" and then racket from RIAA bastards could apply. Probably they're even interested in DRM and piracy so there is always someone who can be racketed or sued so RIAA could gain some moneys. Not by producing something useful but rather using usual racket instead. IMHO really it is RIAA and similar nothing-producing companies who are real criminals. Racketeers should be JAILED!
- inactive, on 09/27/2008, -0/+33DRM is a scam. 0 benefits to ANYBODY - DRM isn't going to stop someone from successfully pirating something.
- KMartSheriff, on 09/27/2008, -1/+34Was she 80 years old?
- FearFactory, on 09/27/2008, -3/+36people actually bought digital music from Walmart?!?!!!??!??!!?
- btschul, on 09/27/2008, -1/+33It's as if they WANT you to pirate your music.
- EarlOfLade, on 09/27/2008, -1/+32Here is the translation from Google Lawyer Speak Translator:
"Thank you for bending over and dropping you pants! Please continue to keep a firm grip around your ankles until we are done!" - whahaa, on 09/27/2008, -2/+28was she a low priced whore?
- UnaClocker, on 09/27/2008, -0/+26Heck yeah.. Fair game, if not fair use!
- EntropyFan, on 09/27/2008, -0/+25It doesn't seem to bother those that fawn over iTunes.
It is going to be hilarious when, eventually, Apple stops activating iTunes DRM'd crap. - Armor1901, on 09/27/2008, -1/+25"As the final stage of our transition to a full DRM-free MP3 download store, Walmart will be shutting down our digital rights management system that supports protected songs and albums purchased from our site."
Better late than never, although it sucks for the guys that bought music prior to 2-2008. - Nerys, on 09/27/2008, -1/+25No the RIGHT thing to do would be to allow everyone to REDOWNLOAD all there WMA crap in DRM free mp3. THAT would be the right thing to do.
- greevar, on 09/27/2008, -1/+25Go with a loss-less format. I know it's not the solution you're looking for, but I tried. Also:
***** the M-P-double-A!
***** the R-I-double-A!
***** the suits from the BSA!
And ***** them all for the DMCA! - TheInformer, on 09/27/2008, -2/+25I wonder if customers could bring up a class action lawsuit on this.
- AmazingSteve, on 09/27/2008, -1/+24What insanity is this? Ford's closing it's doors so we're going to disable your car at midnight. The contractor that built your house went ***** up, a demolition crew will be by in the morning to level your house. Same thing no? What's needed is a MASSIVE class action suit against the RIAA, I'm not talking a few thousand people, I'm talking about millions of people dragging these ***** into court to put this whole thing to rest once and for all.
- Shaman760, on 09/27/2008, -1/+24ALL YOUR MP3 ARE BELONG TO US
- Canonet, on 09/27/2008, -7/+28I'm not American, but in the short time that i've been reading Digg!, i've come to realise that Wal Mart, Target & Best buy are a ***** shambles. Why do people persist with these places?
I know there is the old argument of 'It's cheap'. But if someone offered to punch me in the balls for free, i wouldn't accept it.
Can you not burn the DRM music to a CD, then just rip it to your hard drive? That's what i have done with the few albums i've been forced to purchase from iTunes. Is the Wal Mart DRM different? I can't imagine it being more advanced. - whahaa, on 09/27/2008, -2/+23i said good DAY!
hahahaha, suckers. - Roy911, on 09/27/2008, -0/+21Am I the only one who actually looked for the Google Lawyer Speak Translator after reading this?
- roxgod666, on 09/27/2008, -1/+21no really? I thought that article was about bacon cheeseburgers
- bejayel, on 09/27/2008, -0/+20I honestly thought it had more to do with the fact that most new *popular* music is absolute garbage. In the last year i have downloaded 7 new songs.SEVEN. DRM isnt the only culprit here.
- EarlOfLade, on 09/27/2008, -0/+19IANALBIPOOD... (I Am Not A Lawyer But I Play One On Digg)
Would this not constitute a breach of contract or did the slimy WalMart lawyers put in a 1 point fine print in the contract saying they can do whatever they like and if you don't like it, screw you? - Narcowski, on 09/27/2008, -0/+19Yes.
- TheXuu, on 09/27/2008, -0/+18if they change to mp3 .. why not allow those who bought the drm download the mp3's free?
- colincornaby, on 09/27/2008, -0/+18To be fair, the reason they are shutting down the DRM server is because they moved to MP3. But it would be nice if they sent their customers MP3 versions of their tracks instead of cutting off the WMA versions.
- mickstephenson, on 09/27/2008, -0/+17Alan's trial is on 8th of October, I'll be attending, I think he has a good chance of getting off if the judge has any sense of justice.
- potterboy, on 09/27/2008, -4/+21Well I guess they owe me a copy of the Polar Express soundtrack.
- barryiggins, on 09/27/2008, -0/+16If they DRM'd my sweatpants too, I'm gonna be pissed...
- DionRodrigues, on 09/27/2008, -14/+30My whore of an ex-girlfriend works at Wal Mart.
- barryiggins, on 09/27/2008, -1/+17***** that. It's Wal-Mart's responsibility to deal with the old audio. The consumer already made the purchase
- blacktriangle, on 09/27/2008, -0/+15Did she have 'Everyday Low Prices'?
-
Show 51 - 100 of 360 discussions
Browsing Digg on your phone just got easier with our enhancements to the 
© Digg Inc. 2009
— Content created and posted by Digg users is