Songs in my iTunes Library lasting exactly 2 minutes and 42 seconds:
Macworld UK is reporting that:
At issue is Apple’s insistence that artists allow fans to buy individual tracks unbundled. Radiohead object to this, as the band wants to sell its albums as they were meant to be heard – complete.
In accordance with their wishes, I hope you will join me in my solemn oath to uphold Radiohead’s wishes that their songs be allowed the artistic integrity that they deserve:
1. I pledge to boycott listening to Radiohead’s music on the radio or purchasing singles, since it is so important to listen to their songs in the appropriate context. To help others enjoy this music, I will call in and request radio stations not to play Radiohead’s singles.
2. I also pledge to only ever listen to the album in one sitting, without pausing, rewinding or skipping from track to track, as the artists intended. Otherwise, I’d just be ruining this amazing music, none of which any of us have heard.
3. I will write to Radiohead to ask them to please release the CD as one single track to encourage this kind of behavior. If they could rig it so that it won’t allow pausing, rewinding or fast-forwarding, that would be great as well.
4. Since allowing people to rip the album will give them even more control, I will ask them to include software on the disk to prevent that sort of whole-sale destruction of the integrity of their album. If they could make said software install itself into a hidden area on any computer that it is inserted into, that would be ideal.
5. I will also ask Radiohead if they would never play any songs off of their albums live unless they intend to play them in the order that they are on the album, and with the same exact transitions.
This is, after all, serious music.
Or these jumped-up nitwits could get over themselves and stop trying to control how people enjoy their music and just appreciate the fact that they have a huge following of rabid fans who will buy any damn fool thing they produce, no matter how indulgent or pretentious. Also, they should realize that allowing people to purchase a sample song off of their album without purchasing the entire album will generate them more sales, not less.
Steve Jobs just posted the most plain-spoken, honest, open and accurate essay on music and DRM in the history of the Internet. Really. The head of the biggest seller of DRM’d music just laid it all out on the table in a way that no journalist, netizen or corporate drone ever could. Wow.