Tuesday, September 05, 2006

Rip It Off unless you use windows?

The music sales website www.ripit.com.au has the advertising campaign ripit - don't rip it off. However the web site displays the below message when viewed on a Linux machine. The "step by step guide on how to enable Firefox" is really a guide on how to get IE code running in a tabbed window in Firefox (so you can get all the security problems that Firefox normally prevents).

Ripit has a big advertising campaign (TV and all the other places) with the slogan "ripit - don't rip it off", but it seems that this has the caveat that people who don't use Windows aren't wanted as customers. Are non-Windows users expected to "rip off" the music?

What are the options of buying music without dealing with the music cartel? I'm sick of all the things that they do, preventing free trade to articially inflate prices in some countries, ripping off the musicians, putting root-kits on CDs. Eventually the recording industry has to be destroyed. Most money from CD sales goes to the recording industry (not the musicians), the products provided to the customers are of low quality and customers are routinely treated like dirt, the recording industry does no good for society.

From now on I will not buy any CDs or DVDs of music from the recording industry cartel. I will only buy music from web sites that support standard Internet protocols. If a music company doesn't want to support Firefox then they don't want my money. For any music industry people who read this, don't get the idea that I'm unable to pay for music. I have a large collection of CDs (thousands of dollars worth) and was just starting to buy music DVDs when you finally offended me too much.

Thank You for visiting the Ripit Music Store

We have detected that the browser you are using is not compatible with the Music Store that you are attempting to access. This site has been designed to work with Internet Explorer Version 6 or above. Please launch the site in Microsoft Internet Explorer 6 or click here to download Microsoft Internet Explorer 6.
Also, music can only be downloaded via your Windows PC as this store is not compatible with Macintosh.
If you are using Mozilla Firefox, please click here to view the step by step guide on how to enable Firefox to surf the Soundbuzz Music Store

7 comments:

Anonymous said...

Try Warp Records' bleep.com as an example - Firefox-friendly, selling DRM-free MP3 files. Shame it's not Ogg, but Warp are the biggest record label in their niche, and they're attracting other bands' music (e.g. there's some Bjork and Coldplay in their collection, not just Aphex Twin remixes)

Anonymous said...

As far as i can see, Magnatune.com offers the best service. You can download 128kbit/s MP3s for free and then go on buying what you want. DRM-free MP3, Ogg Vorbis, FLAC or even Wav files. A PDF file which you can print out as CD cover is included. You are even encouraged to share your files three times. And you can re-download previously paid music, in case you have lost your "originals". Oh, and you can pick the price you pay. IIRC 50% of it goes directly to the artist.

Unknown said...

There's also emusic.com, who only sell mp3s; but annoyingly, you have to sign up before you can see what their collection is.

Anonymous said...

Your so right the people in the music industry are no good.

How it works is like this: Someone comes into your life and starts recording everything you say and sing, Of course they don't tell you and act like your best friend. They then send the recordings to a producer who tricks them up, while they contact the label and arrange a form of payment, Usually a million bucks an album. Of course you don't get anything and they make a point of pointing the art out to you when it's released in a way that doesn't implicate them to antagonise and torture you, They take your voice, your money and your art (photos and stuff) alter it and sell it without your permission or knowledge leaving you to wonder what the fuck happened. Welcome to the Music industry.

etbe said...

Artists only make a million dollars an album once they are well established. Most artists never become that famous and never get such income.

The royalties paid to the artist firstly have production expenses deducted, often such expenses exceed the royalties so the artist gets nothing and the record company gets it all.

Artists with #1 hits often need social security...

Anonymous said...

just tried ripit as I was given a $5 prepaid voucher when I bought something else. The site is a joke. It really does require IE (spoofing the user agent is no good). It's 2006 FFS, people should know how to program to standards by now.

Anonymous said...

I had to comment on this one, I just visited this site, first I tried ripit.com.au and I get a 404. So I'm thinking, does this site exist?, then I wonder oh no, it couldn't be possible, i type in 'www.ripit.com.au' and it loads, WTF who the **** doesn't redirect the base hostname to their web server these days?

anyway, im presented with that ridiculous message about how I have to use internet explorer because all their music uses DRM what the hell is that shit? why can't I just buy the god damn music and listen to it?

how can they expect to run a business this way.

I'm hanging out for the Australian version of amazon-mp3 it's DRM free, and HOPEFULLY you can access the same content as the US store.