Sony and Universal Prohibit Sharing Via Zune

ack154 writes "Engadget has a story about Sony and Universal Music apparently denying Zune owners the ability to 'squirt' songs by certain artists to other Zune users. That's right, if you've actually purchased songs from the Zune marketplace and happen to run into another Zune owner, you're prohibited from sharing certain songs. From the article: 'In a non-scientific sampling of popular artists by Zunerama and Zune Thoughts, it looks like it's roughly 40-50 percent of artists that fall under this prohibited banner, and the worst news is that there's no warning that a song might be unsharable until you actually try to send it and fail.'"

Re:Microsoft won't even follow it's own legalese a

[erostratus]

Which part of the license agreement do you feel Microsoft is violating?

Section 14 deals with DRM and essentially says you're bound to whatever restrictions Microsoft imposes.

Section 14.1 does not discuss sharing songs from Zune to Zune but rather limits how many of your personal computers can play the songs.

The last section explains how you can burn the purchased music.

Where's the violation?

Re:Like this matters

[alshithead]

What's really funny is that "squirt" has been used in multiple sci-fi's to ACTUALLY transmit data. I'm sure Heinlein used it and I'm also just as sure I've seen it used by other authors.

Re:One more reason to use AllofMP3.com

[idonthack]

You look like the perfect person to answer my question.

Why pay for music from allofmp3? It's (sort of) legal, but the artists still don't receive anything. Which means it's like buying from the RIAA, only cheaper. Which means it's like p2p, only more expensive.

Downloading from allofmp3 is about as "moral" as just straight downloading. What's the point in paying for it?

Re:One more reason to use AllofMP3.com

[IonOtter]

1. Faster than P2P: doesn't crap out when mom turns off the computer after Junior goes to school.

2. Kinda-sorta secure connection: nobody else snooping on your IP address.

3. Your choice of recording quality: no "fake" songs uploaded by the RIAA.

I'd buy THAT for a dollar!

Re:One more reason to use AllofMP3.com

[Teresita]

"Also, the artists *could* receive money, but the RIAA and associated member companies refuse to collect their royalties from the applicable Russian copyright organization that has been collecting them."

Maybe because the Russian "collections" agents have bigger baseball bats.

Of course they do

[Rix]

Almost all mp3 players on the market easily allow you to transfer music files onto and off of them. The only exceptions are the Zune and iPods.

Re:Apple bends the RIAA over, the RIAA bends MS ov

[BearRanger]

While you may be right about Microsoft's ultimate goal to indirectly hurt the iPod, this strategy is not without risk for the record labels.

An out of left field idea that has been voiced before, but is now actually closer to reality. Apple has settled their dispute with Apple Records. A recent Slashdot story mentions a British band that made the Top-40 with an online-only release of their single.

How many artists would jump at the chance to directly release their music on iTunes?

There's plenty of money to be made in the music business without excessively bleeding the artists or the consumers. A direct to iTunes model could be a catalyst to ultimately changing the way artists reach their listeners. It's also Steve Jobs' tactical nuclear weapon in his dealings with the record labels.

Re:How do you want to be abused today?

[Anonymous Coward]

Apple's phenomenal success with kinder gentler and more consistent DRM schemes has shown.

I'll give you consistent, Apple even put DRM on the songs the indi labels don't want drm on (check the same songs on emusic and itunes), but..

.. the MS based Music stores I've tried have has had less restrictive DRM than iTunes (more or less the same on cd burning, but they allow you to have more copies on more machines/devices of same song, legally - redownloads of songs because you lost it or want it on more than one machine, copy to more mp3players and from player to another machine, etc.).

That Apple has a image as more kind in this area, when the facts contradict it, is actually quite fascinating. A combination of genius marketing departement and the user friendliness of a closed (and well designed) system.

Re:Of course they do

[darien]

I think your brother must have had some clever software installed, because although you can simply drag files onto an iPod, they won't ordinarily be recognised as available songs and won't show up in your music library. You do need to import them with iTunes (or some third-party equivalent).

Re:Not exactly.

[topham]

That's actually a very funny argument as the fact is: Almost no funds collected as Royalties ever actually makes it to the artists, including those collected in North America for North American bands.

The levy collected on blank CD-R, memory cards, etc in Canada was not distributed to the artists, and only a portion of it went to the record labels as such. The rest of it? Disappeared in the accounting nightmare that is the recording industry; and do you have any idea what the Record labels did with the share they were given directly? Yep, swallowed it up in the accounting nightmare.

The artists get squat, even when everything is done on the up-and-up. So forget the issue of AoMP3 screwing the artists. They aren't. No more than anyone else is.

And they legally cannot pay the artists directly anyway, they have the pay the record labels.

Re:iPhone implied feature

[runlevel 5]

Actually, music purchased from the iTunes store is locked down about equally as bad as these files in the Zune. iTunes will ask your for the authorization password if you try to play someone's DRM'd music over the nextwork. No password, no music for you. Only non-DRM music (stuff ripped yourself or have otherwise "acquired") can be shared.

I'm pretty sure the Zune would let your share non-DRM'd mp3s as well.

Re:Not exactly.

[Cyberax]

Royalties are given to distribution agency (the same also one collects payments for mobile phone tunes and radio broadcasts). Artists are free to claim money from this non-profit agency.

To quote AoMP3 FAQ:

We pay Russian Licensing Societies 15% for all music. The Russian Licensing Societies will in turn pay the copyright owners, not necessarily the artists. Despite no legal requirement to do so, we are currently considering paying original performing artists 5%, regardless of who owns the copyright to the underlying work.

Can the copyright owners actually collect from Russian Licensing Societies like ROMS.

Yes. Similar to Music Licensing Societies in other countries (like ASCAP and BMI in the US), all a copyright owner needs to do is contact the Russian Licensing Societies (e.g., ROMS) and show proof that they own a copyrighted work; after which they can collect accumulated proceeds.