New MediaCloQ 5.0 protection for audio CDs

I don't know what they've got up their sleeves, but forging a pact with the 'devil' (Microsoft) and music monolith (BMG) can't bode very well. On the surface it would seem simple enough though. I buy a music cd. Supposedly, I can either duplicate it outright (Disc Copy) or rip it into .wavs and compress it into either .mp3 or .ogg or whatever. This will still be possible with my legitamately purchased new MediaCloQ 5.0 disc, right? So, why can't I *loan* the disc to you, and *you* do the same? At the very least we would both be able to *play* the disc on our standalone cd & dvd players. (Right?) So, the only thing I can see, *PC-wise*, is that some insideous "license" or serial number or other silly thing will have to reside on my (and your) hard disc in order for us to play, or rip, or clone, the disc. (Come to think of it, on the surface, that wouldn't seem to be a major problem either.) Once I got wave files from the tracks, I would waste no time into compressing them into .ogg, and then there would be *nothing* SunnComm could do about it. Ever. I suspect there may be a lot of hopeful hand-waving by SunnComm right now. And I think people will put up with only SO MUCH nonsense - if it becomes too dificult or convoluted to use the music cds in a general way, folks just won't buy them at all. I hope BMG will have the common courtesy to label their buggy discs as such, and not screw the customer. And whether the patents on red-book have expired or not, I hope Philips gets right-on-their-case. Interesting times ahead...... - K.A. -

One Thing that the record companies dont seem to realise is that anything that can be _heard_ can be ripped/burnt/encoded. If i can play a MediaCloQ 5.0 protected CD in my DVD player, then i can surely plug my MD into the optical out of the DVD player and have a perfect 1:1 (or close enought to) copy. Same goes for PC's. Plug digital/optical out into the optical/digital port of your sound card...and voila! another 1:1 copy. I guess the point of this is....you will _never_ be able to protect music from being copied. I know that if _I_ download a track from the net or borrow a CD from a friend, then I will go buy the CD. When listening to music becomes too hard, its time for a rethink, eh? -Gurgg

Agreed. You should *never* have to 'struggle' to listen or use in other simple ways, that which you have already paid for. These damn fools are shooting themselves in the foot. I'm almost tempted to go out and try to find a copy-protected music cd (any format scheme, Suncomm's or anyone else's) regardless of who the artist is, just to see what I can and cannot do with it. I would, of course, post a full report here in A/D. But I think the criminals (those who issue copy protected cds are criminals) make it a point NOT to label their discs as such, so you won't know you're screwed until after the fact. (And gurgg, not all music collecters have digital music-out dvd players). Whatever the criminals are doing, it's probably illegal if *you* or *I* were to do it - but *they* have so much financial clout, they can get away with it. -- K.A. --

True, not all music collectors have digital out, but the people that the music companies are targeting would most likely have the equipment to record (whether digital or analog) the music of acceptable quality. I still believe that if i buy a CD, i should be able to listen to it on my MD. I don't believe in illegal distribution of music, but if i'm going to prosecuted for listening to the music that *i* bought, then there is definately something wrong...

No one's going to prosecute you for listening to your music --- (???) --- the music companies just want to *control* HOW you listen to your music. (and when, and if, and for how long, and on what machine(s).......) KA

But as a side note - if they want to control how i listen to my music by making it illegal for me to listen to music on my MD, then surely this is a form of prosecution?

I don't know if they can actually make it *illegal* for you to transfer music tracks to MD (although you never know with that bunch), but you can be damned sure they'd like to make it as difficult as possible for you to do so. And if they *did* make it "illegal" (not that I give a sh## because I'd copy over the tracks *anyway*), then that's not a form of prosecution, that's a form of 'boning you up the a....". When they send 2 guys in suits to your door to impound your home stereo/computer equipment and present you with a subpoena, now *that's* prosecution. If you ever stumble across a music cd that you can't copy to MD, and you suspect that the disc is an unmarked 'Copy Protected' one, please let us know, ok? I'm certain Philips (joint red-book music developer)would like to know about your experiences. (and me too) - Thanks. -- Mike --

I have a CD+G (karaoke) disk that says it has MediaCloQ on it so I cannot make a backup copy. It is so easy to scratch a disk so I like to use the backup only especially if I having company over to use these. I am not sure if this is the same kind of MediaCloQ that you were discussing here but it sounds the same. What program can I use to over come this problem of making a back up?? I have contacted the company of this disk and they told me that there is no way of doing it. They said if something happens this disk I would have to go buy another one, there is nothing they can do. Can someone help???