[access-uk] Re: My experiences with legal download services
- From: "Justin R" <mypc128@xxxxxxxxxxxx>
- To: <access-uk@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Sun, 30 May 2004 17:23:17 +0100
>"Andrew Hodgson" >
>Subject: [access-uk] Re: My experiences with legal download services
> Hi all,
>
> I should have said actually that for every =A31 you >spend with them, =
> Oxfam get 10p out of this.
>
> Hope this helps,
unfortunately no, lol. it's as clear as mud to me personally <grin>. seems
this credit system takes a lot of getting use to. Mind you, i suppose the
website have some kind of key list to follow the credit system with? to
know how much what credit is worth?
I wonder if all online download mp3 stores employ this method. think I might
have a look when I get some time.
Justin
Andrew.=20
>
> > -----Original Message-----
> > From: access-uk-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx=20
> > [mailto:access-uk-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf Of Ray's Home
> > Sent: 30 May 2004 03:14
> > To: access-uk@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
> > Subject: [access-uk] Re: My experiences with legal download services
> >=20
> > Thanks Andrew for a very thorough and informative article on=20
> > the Oxfam way
> > of doing business.
> >=20
> > The credits thing is a real put-off for me. I'd much rather=20
> > pay straight
> > cash and know what the percentage is that I'm paying over=20
> > that goes to
> > Exfam. You have told me enough to know its not for me. And=20
> > the varying
> > degrees to which you are allowed to burn music to CD would be=20
> > a turn-off to
> > me as well.
> >=20
> > Its an iteresting idea though, and much more preferable to=20
> > Charity Muggers
> > on the streets getting people to sign up without telling them=20
> > that, very
> > often, the first year's donation goes to the fund raiser. I=20
> > for one though
> > would not mind RNIB and others going this route with an=20
> > accessible website
> > and a trasparent business like way of trading and fund raising.
> >=20
> > Before I stray off topic even more, cheers.
> >=20
> > From Ray.
> >=20
> > ----- Original Message -----=20
> > From: "Andrew Hodgson" <andrew@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
> > To: <access-uk@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
> > Sent: Saturday, May 29, 2004 10:56 PM
> > Subject: [access-uk] My experiences with legal download services
> >=20
> >=20
> > > Hi all,
> > >
> > > I decided today, since I got a free gift voucher from a=20
> > friend who has =3D
> > > an Oxfam magazine, to try out their www.bignoisemusic.com=20
> > legal download =3D
> > > service.
> > >
> > > On the whole, the website is accessible, with the odd pop=20
> > up menu at the =3D
> > > top of the screen, but nothing that can't be got round=20
> > without using the =3D
> > > JFW cursor or whatever.
> > >
> > > You start by creating an account, and loading the account up with =
> =3D
> > > credits. Of course, you can only buy these in packets, and=20
> > as the free =3D
> > > gift was only for the =3DA32 offer, I had to buy some more in=20
> > order to =3D
> > > download full albums, which was what I wanted to do. In=20
> > the end, I =3D
> > > decided to buy =3DA320 worth of credits, because I wanted to=20
> > see if I =3D
> > > could download two albums from it, as my sister wanted a=20
> > live Coldplay =3D
> > > exclusive. This gave me just over 2000 credits, the object=20
> > of this =3D
> > > probably is to make you go out and buy more credits,=20
> > because you have =3D
> > > credits left over from buying a few albums/tracks. The=20
> > more credits you =3D
> > > buy in a package like this, the more you get. For example,=20
> > if you buy a =3D
> > > =3DA32 credit pack, you get 200 credits, (i.e, 100 credits=20
> > being =3DA31). =3D
> > > If you buy =3DA310 worth of credits, you get slightly more than 1000 =
> =3D
> > > credits. Of course you can only buy the credits in these=20
> > packs. I =3D
> > > really hate the idea of these credits, as you don't really=20
> > know where =3D
> > > you stand, which is what I feel is the intent of this system.
> > >
> > > You can either download a track, download an album, or=20
> > stream a track. =3D
> > > You can also stream a 30 second demo of any track on the=20
> > system. To =3D
> > > stream a full track it costs 1 credit, and to download a=20
> > track it costs =3D
> > > I think around 100 credits.
> > >
> > > You can search either by artist, genre or by a specific=20
> > track. You can =3D
> > > also pick from the exclusives that are listed on the front=20
> > page. This =3D
> > > is all very easy. Once you get to an album/track listing,=20
> > you can as I =3D
> > > said either download the full album, an individual track or=20
> > stream it. =3D
> > > On my 64k ISDN connection, I streamed a 30 second demo of a=20
> > track, but =3D
> > > it got streamed at broadband rates (not sure what the=20
> > quality was), and =3D
> > > thus it was awful this end. The streamer isn't grate=20
> > either, being done =3D
> > > within IE itself. I didn't therefor bother any more with=20
> > the streaming =3D
> > > capabilities.
> > >
> > > I then went to download a full album. I choose ``Earth=20
> > Moving'', by =3D
> > > Mike Oldfield. I didn't expect much from this album, after=20
> > all, I had =3D
> > > been sherking buying it for a long while, because I have=20
> > some of the =3D
> > > singles from that period, and they are truly awful. Lets=20
> > just say I =3D
> > > wasn't disapointed with the results.
> > >
> > > Anyway, this album cost just over 700 credits, (i.e, =3DA37),=20
> > which isn't =3D
> > > really any cheaper than buying it from Amazon in my view. =20
> > I choose to =3D
> > > download the album in its entirity, and it went away and gave me a =
> =3D
> > > standard download box.
> > >
> > > The surprise here was that it gave me one file to download,=20
> > with all the =3D
> > > tracks put into one file, approx 38 mb. While this doesn't=20
> > seem to be =3D
> > > compressed, it was very convenient having it all in the one=20
> > file like =3D
> > > this, especially as I am on effectively dialup. I could go=20
> > and leave it =3D
> > > for a while, whilst doing something else, without having to=20
> > check on =3D
> > > which tracks have downloaded etc.
> > >
> > > On running this file, I got Windows Media Player, which had=20
> > to be set =3D
> > > up, as I hadn't used it on this system before, which then=20
> > extracted the =3D
> > > .wma files from the archive. I could then go and play the=20
> > album in the =3D
> > > playlist of Windows Media player, but I came out of this=20
> > and attempted =3D
> > > to play using Winamp.
> > >
> > > The process went ok, except for at the point when I had to=20
> > enter my user =3D
> > > details, it threw me out giving me a ``media player not=20
> > supported'' =3D
> > > message.
> > >
> > > Anyway, back in Media player, I got the same prompts for =3D
> > > username/password, and it got the license for me fine. I=20
> > can now play =3D
> > > the files, and I get the artwork etc for the CD. Of=20
> > course, the usual =3D
> > > accessability issues with WMP still stand, and I was really=20
> > annoyed that =3D
> > > I could not use Winamp.
> > >
> > > In order to get these files to MP3, I had to burn them onto=20
> > CD as WMA =3D
> > > files converted to an audio CD, then use my MP3 ripper to=20
> > get them back =3D
> > > to MP3. I am really not sure whether I lost any quality in=20
> > doing this.
> > >
> > > I was able to get the files onto my Creative jukebox=20
> > player, but the =3D
> > > players have to support DRM (i.e, be ``secure players'', my=20
> > phone or the =3D
> > > Bookport not being one of these. Of course, also, the=20
> > files are in WMA =3D
> > > format, so the player must support these.
> > >
> > > Looking further at the site, it appears that you also have=20
> > to be careful =3D
> > > with the rights that a specific publisher gives you (i.e, I=20
> > looked at =3D
> > > another album that I was interested in), but it only said I=20
> > could keep =3D
> > > the music tracks for a ``limited period''. Another album I=20
> > saw wouldn't =3D
> > > give me rights to burn onto CD or transfer to an audio=20
> > player. The FAQ =3D
> > > also mentions you may have trouble if you don't back up the=20
> > Windows =3D
> > > licenses you are given, some publishers allow the licenses to be =3D
> > > re-granted if the system goes belly up, some don't.
> > >
> > > All in all, it was an interesting experience, but I think I=20
> > will stick =3D
> > > to regular CDs after this, even though I am donating to=20
> > Oxfam while =3D
> > > feeding my music habbit!!
> > >
> > > Andrew.
> > >
> > >
> >=20
> >=20
> >=20
> >=20
>
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