MP3 - Copy Protected CDs?

Copyright is the hottest topics today. Music labels are claiming to loose millions dollars a year from illegal duplication of their CDs. Matthias Immel, head of product coordination and new media BMG Germany said “music piracy caused 9.8 percent slump in sales during the first six months of 1999 over the same period in 1998”, these figures from the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry. But two music labels have taken steps to combat the illegal duplication of their CDs with Copy protected CDs.

What is Copy protected CDs? Copy protect CDs contain specials software that prevents data from the CD, music or otherwise from being digitally copied into computer files.

BMG Germany and Vivendi Universal’s Universal Music Group have started to issue CD’s with Copy protected software.

Vivendi Universal’s Universal Music Groups plans to issue copy protected CDs in October. Vivendi Vice Chairman Edgar Bronfman Jr said, “With the extent of piracy and the extent of CD (copying) that’s going on, we have no choice but to protect our artist and our rights holders.”

By the end of the first quarter of 2002 Universal is aiming to have the protection software on all its CDs.

Which means you will not be able to copy any Universal CD to MP3 player or be able to make a backup copy on CDR. Universal has not released any more news. There is no indication which CDs are protected or if the CD will contain any warning labels.

Universal labels include: Farmclub.com, Insterscope Geffen A&M, Island Def Jam Music Group, MCA Nashville, MCA Records, Motown Records, Mercury Nashville, Verve Music Group, Universal Classics, Universal Music Enterprises, Universal Records, Lost Highway.

The protect CDs are not all that cracked up to be, BMG Germany faced a back lash from consumers by the end of it’s first week of debut. Consumers complained that some of the copy protected CDs were unplayable.

“The consumers started getting back saying it doesn’t play on car CD players and several types of normal players,” said Matthias Immel, head of product coordination and new media BMG Germany. This problem was limited to the German market and BMG shipped additional CDs to stores to make for the blunder.

This blunder will not stop BMG from investigating; testing and issuing protected CDs in the future. But how will the consumer react, if they can’t transfer music to their MP3 players. Will sales of these actually rise? Record companies have to consider before issuing copy protected CDs.

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