Sony is taking the route I (and I’m sure, hundreds of others) have been pushing for: offer the consumer a reward, or compensation, for going legit. But they still don’t get it right. Reuters reports that Sony Music will introduce new CD technology in Germany that prevents users from copying songs to file-sharing sites, but allows them to make copies for their personal use. The important bit is the extras they offer on the CD: Naturally Seven’s new German CD will have a “second session.” The disc can be played on almost any device conventionally, and also contains a compressed digital copy of the music that can be quickly copied onto any computer. The CDs also allow users to connect to Web sites with exclusive features such as bonus songs and concert tickets. The features are only available if you have the original CD.
Sadly, however, Sony still don’t get it, thinking we all live in a world that looks like a Sony ad: The digital files will only play on Sony-licensed digital music players. And to copy the music to the Sony portable player, the technology requires an extra step to copy the files to a separate program to transfer the music to the portable player.
When will they learn?
Somewhat bizarrely, the piece quotes Sony Music Chief Technology Officer Phil Wiser as saying, “All copy-protections can be hacked. But if give people what they are asking for in terms of value, they won’t go out and steal it. It’s called trusting the consumer.”