Coldplay's new CD has rules: No MP3s, no DVD players, no car stereos

BoingBoing ^ | 30 December 2005 | Cory Doctorow

[ShadowAce]

Coldplay's new CD has rules: No MP3s, no DVD players, no car stereos

Coldplay's new CD comes with an insert that discloses all the rules enforced by the DRM they included on the disc. Of course, these rules are only visible after you've paid for the CD and brought it home, and as the disc's rules say, "Except for manufacturing problems, we do not accept product exchange, return or refund," so if you don't like the rules, that's tough.

What are the other rules? Here are some gems: "This CD can't be burnt onto a CD or hard disc, nor can it be converted to an MP3" and "This CD may not play in DVD players, car stereos, portable players, game players, all PCs and Macintosh PCs." Best of all, the insert explains that this is all "in order for you to enjoy a high quality music experience." Now, that's quality.

I wonder how Coldplay feels about their fans getting all these rules set down for them by the music label? I wonder if most fans who read these rules will be wise enough to blame corporate, or whether they'll just decide to dig up a band whose label treats them like customers, not crooks? It's amazing how the labels always seem to come up with new ways of screwing artists: if they're not cheating them out of royalties, they're systematically alienating their fan-base.

Link

(via Digg)

[Stentor]

Who called this kind of crap "The illusion of central Position"?

[P-Marlowe]

A message for coldplay:

If I can hear it, I can copy it.

[Extremely Extreme Extremist]

"Except for manufacturing problems, we do not accept product exchange, return or refund," so if you don't like the rules, that's tough.

You can exchange CDs - tell the employee that the CD is defective and you want to exchange it for another artist at the same or greater price.

You just can't outright return opened CDs (or DVDs) per copyright laws.

[Windcatcher]

Don't you get it? You're supposed to buy CD's, not listen to them!

/sarc

[T. Buzzard Trueblood]

Coldplay are a bunch of fags.

[TomGuy]

"Except for manufacturing problems, we do not accept product exchange, return or refund,"

Similar to most software. Their end-user agreement is usually inside the document cover. But, once you open the shrink-wrapped box to get to the document, the place of purchase won't take the product back.

[Revolting cat!]

Is Coldplay the only play in town? Nowadays, with bands a dime a dozen, I can't see why fans would have any reasons to be loyal to one or another band.

[MikefromOhio]

I don't understand WHY they can't be played in Car stereos?

That doesn't make a lot of sense to me.....

[FreedomNeocon]

ROTFL... and just watch.

Some of the 'hacker types' take these kinds of things as a dare.

The whole damn thing will be ripped and online by the end of the day.

Meanwhile any 'legit' customers will have to jump through hoops to use the product the paid for.

Its like the 'cd check' in PC games... games that force you to have the CD in the drive to play the game. 99.999% of people who download games can get cracks to beat it with zero problem (check sites like http://www.gamecopyworld.com 1day after game release for how hard it is)... while you have thousdands of people who bought the game from EB, having to rummage through jewel cases to find the CD to a game they haven't played in a month.

Stupid.. just typically, and bureaucratically stupid.

[Drew68]

Of course, these rules are only visible after you've paid for the CD and brought it home, and as the disc's rules say, "Except for manufacturing problems, we do not accept product exchange, return or refund," so if you don't like the rules, that's tough.

I'd demand a refund and if the music store refused, I'd leave the disc on the counter and tell them that they will never see my money again, ever. And turn around and walk away without the disc. The $14-18 bucks they refused to refund has now cost them hundreds in future sales.

[FreedomNeocon]

Because the DRM protection requires your 'player' have a speical chip in to decode the protection and let you play the disk.

So much 'hardware' is out there that doesn't fit the bill, (ie old car cd players can't play 'burned' cds) that most SMART people avoid throwing the baby out with the bathwater like they did here.

Even for software this is soon... even MS didn't go that far on the PC yet... never thought RIAA would be so retahdid.

[Proud_USA_Republican]

His wife will blame the low sales numbers on the war-mongering, meat eating, capitalistic, not all raised in Manhattan private schools, americans.

[Boundless]

Dissected by Groklaw at:
More DRM Follies - The Coldplay Edition, Monday 01:14 PM
http://www.groklaw.net/article.php?story=20060102131449899

And satirized at:
ColdPizza, a parody by Scott Lazar, 07:04 PM
http://www.groklaw.net/article.php?story=20060104161112858

[KarlInOhio]

I don't understand WHY they can't be played in Car stereos?

The CD is probably violating Philips "Red Book" CD Digital Audio standard. They might be intentionally introducing too many errors in the data or making the disc less reflective than it is supposed to be.

[Trampled by Lambs]

I'd bet my paycheck that someone will have converted the songs to MP3 within days. heck, I could probably do it myself - except I wouldn't bother with this boring band anyway.

[MikefromOhio]

yeah

not that I listen to ColdPlay anyway...

I wonder if my car stereo has the juice...

It's only been in my car for 3 months....

[A Texan]

I am thinking you are correct. I have a burned copy of X/Y in the CD player in my car, it works fine.

[mthom]

Thats it this is the final straw. Im not going to buy Coldplays cd. Its a shame too I really wanted 72 minutes of whiny vocals and sleep inducing instrumental backing topped with a buttload of self importance.

[Calvinist_Dark_Lord]

Wonder how long it's gonna take before some 13 year old kid hacks this nonsense?

[Boundless]

> Coldplay's new CD ...

Reportedly the CD Digital Audio [CD-DA] logo is entirely
absent from the packaging of these products.

The CD-DA logo is supposed ensure compliance with the
"Red Book" CD audio standard, and ensure playability on
compliant (i.e. standard) CD players.

These things are arguably NOT "CD"s.
Caveat emptor.