Would you knowingly buy a restricted-use (copy-protected) CD?

The record labels are becoming more brazen each passing week with new ways to restrict consumer use of purchased CDs. Does this inhibit your purchase of new music?

Would you knowingly buy a restricted-use (copy-protected) CD?
I'll never buy a restricted CD
82% (489 votes)
I might buy a restricted CD
12% (73 votes)
I don't care if it's restricted-use or not
6% (37 votes)
Total votes: 599

COMMENTS
Jeremy Close's picture

I'd have to test it in my own system first. If a given protection scheme is audible or if its performance in my player is in any way suspect I would boycott that protection scheme from then on.

tony esporma's picture

Hey, even the non copy protected CDs are a rip off. I recently wanted to buy the Zappa anthology, but then found out they want 20 bucks a pop. If I refuse to pay for a non protected CD of good music, why would I spring for protected CDs of crappy music. And what about the copy protected SACD's? Can I store them in my home LAN audio server? I give them one year at most before some one shows me how to "crack" them in a Linux box.

Jeff Blake's picture

I don`t like the idea of something I buy being restricted, but as long as my CD-R can dub in analog,I guess I could live with it, if there was no other choice.However, If the sound or ability to play on the machine of my choice was affected,I would return to the store and demand a refund. In fact, I`d probably be a real asshole about it.

William K .  Wilson's picture

No I wouldn't buy one, I do use them in my computer sometimes and I don't want to take the chance that it might impare the quality. I don't regularly copy my cd's but I have made some for use in my car and I think I should have that right.

Roger Rahal, Beirut, Lebanon's picture

Actually it happened to me once! Without knowing, I bought a restricted CD by a band called Aerogramme on the Scottish "Chemical underground" label. I immediately sent it back to the label after I found out that it doesn't even play on my Krell CD player!

WalkerTM's picture

I stopped buying CD's from major labels a long time ago already. Mostly due to the fact almost all of the recordings are often tired old drivel. It amuses me that they deem thier junk fit to be protected.

Steve's picture

If it weren't available in the SACD format I'd consider it, but it would have to be something I couldn't live without.

Dimitris Gogas's picture

I already feel bad forking out money for music I can have for free, but I prefer it to piracy. But paying for something of which I cannot make a legal copy for my car, or for my pc? Hell, why?

Michael Chernay's picture

I'll never buy a restricted disc as long as i have the choice. So much of my music listening is on the computer and in the car. And i like to make copies of cd's strictly for my car so that my cds stay in better condition for when im listenin at home.

beken's picture

I noted the term knowingly. Why would anybody buy something knowing that it might not be usable? If I buy a CD, it should play on any cd player. Mind you, the music's been so crappy of late, I've gone into combing garage sales for LPs and bought very little in the way of CDs lately. My advice to the record execs, better music and lower the price.

Klaus Armbruster's picture

I've never copied a CD and probably never will - but I am unwilling to accept stuff that impacts the sound quality. Bottom line is: since the industry fouls up CDs and completely screws up (again) with SACD, DVD, multichannel SACD, DVD-A etc., I've reduced my budget for 'Software' dramatically - and am spending the majority of it on Vinyl again. These fine marketing decisions of labels and front-end producers alike will hopefully come around and bite them where it really hurts !

Alok's picture

no!!!

JoeC's picture

CDs were a bad enough value before they came with all the restrictive baggage. I'm not going to pay CD prices to buy a CD that won't play in all the CDs in my house, car, and computer.

Dave's picture

Actually, just the threats of "protection" have brought my CD buying to a halt. None of this is going to help out the artists. If you want to help the artists, cut the salaries of the record company executives and quit picking on the guy who's paying the freight. We just want to be able to play what we paid for without being told how, when and on what we have to play it. All these schemes are just Divix all over.

C.  Tong's picture

I think the record companies is actually penalizing their customers by introducing such shameful scheme! These restricted-use disks should be clearly labeled.

Teresa's picture

I don't have to I buy SACDs, however they are Watermarked but it doesn't degrade the audio.

konstantinos's picture

as long as it does not interfere with the quality of the sound reproduced.

TGD's picture

because, I may not know about it, or because it is too important to miss.

PSP's picture

These greedy corporate types make me sick, they should get out of the music business and go sell soap!

Saeed Iqbal's picture

I don't do any home taping so "corruption" via copy-protection does not really matter to me so long as the use-restriction entails no audible degradation during playback. Having said that, I would also submit that copy-protection in an of itself is an insult - apparently my goal in life (and that of millions of other fellow music lovers) is to diddle the recording industry. If that were the case I, and the teeming multitudes like myself, would have stopped purchasing CDs years ago. As it happens, while I appreciate the internet's flexibility in allowing hassle-free sampling of new stuff, I still BUY roughly US$ 1K of music software a year! Now, why is that?

Daniel Emerson's picture

NEVER! I'd rather go without new music than let these weasels get their way. Given the choice, I'd go for vinyl anyway, rather than an obsolete format like CD.

BRUNO's picture

No commment.

Meertens's picture

Vote with your wallet! If we accept this, what will be the next step? A cd/ dvd that will only play a 10 times?

Jose M.  Gomez's picture

If you can't make backup copy of a cd why buy it.

Jim G.'s picture

There is NO WAY IN HELL that I would buy one of these things knowingly!!

lloyd smith's picture

I think its time the record labels were taken down a peg. General boycotting, even for a couple months will send a clear message.

BA's picture

Hell no I won't buy any restricted CDs-are you listening mr record man?

Graeme Nattress's picture

No way, never. If there's music that I want to buy, but it's protected, I'd much prefer to get a pirate copy without protection and write to the artist to explain why I won't be buying their music again. If you're a fan of a particular artist, there is a certain degree of trust on both parts. If you produce music, I trust you to work hard and make more music that I enjoy and put a high standard of work into it, just as you trust me not to buy a pirate copy, but a real one that will send money back to you. By copy protecting your CD, you are saying that you no longer trust me. I don't like that.

Mike Parenteau's picture

I don't like the principle of the record companies determining how I'm going to use their content after I've already paid for it.

Charles Colson's picture

I'd step on my grandmother before I would buy one.

Pages

X