Tilted Forum Project Discussion Community - View Single Post - Pressplay

nothingx · 07-26-2003, 03:57 PM

So I'm sure most of you have heard of Pressplay before... for those that haven't, it's a completely legal alternative to Kazza and other music sharing applications, the only catch is, you've got to pay for it. Anyway, they recently started a free 3-day trial period, and with all the lawsuits being filed, I decided to check it out for free. For what it's worth, here's what I think of it:

Firstly, I must say this is the fastest way to download music I've ever seen. Downloads are blazing, and I litterally cap my cable modem. Much faster downloads than I usually get with any of the poplular filesharing programs. I also like how the music can be streamed instead of downloading first. If you're not sure if you want to download something, just stream it to check it out.

Second, I like how easy the interface is to use. It seems to be built off the napster concept... very clean and simple. No ads whatsoever. Another cool feature about the interface is the recommended artist panel. When you search for a particular artist, it gives you a list of similar, or other recommended artists. It makes browsing through the music very quick and pretty fun.

Third, I like that they allow you unlimitted downloading. You can download as much as you want, for one price, unlike some of the other services out there. A subscription will only cost you $10 a month. This isn't terribly bad considering its probably less than you would pay for a single CD in a month.

Now, that I've said everything I like, here comes the stuff I didn't like....

1) All the music is Microsoft DRM protected. This is the worst part of all. All of the music you download can only be played with a Microsoft blessed player such as WMP or the Pressplay application. The licenses on the files prohibit you from burning them to CDs, or copying them to another computer. If you tried to copy them, they wouldn't play. Also, the licenses expire at the end of every month. If you are subscribed to the service, the licenses will be updated, but if not, you're stuck with a bunch of broken files. (BOO!)

2) Selection is limited. While they do have a good deal of music available, its not nearly as much as you would want. Most popular artists are on there, but I can think of at least 4 or 5 that I couldn't find.

3) All the music is Microsoft DRM protected! I know I already said this, but it's really freaking annoying and stupid. Here's the thing, the player has to decode the music files into an analog signal that the soundcard can play... when this happens, you can easily record the sound off the soundcard and repack it into an MP3. All it really does is make it a big pain in the ass to get your music onto your portable MP3 player or burn to CD. It's just stupid. It doesn't actually accomplish anything. All its done successfully is tricked the RIAA into thinking their music is safe.

Pressplay is a pretty cool concept that I think could be worth it, but it's just not ready yet. In order to get my money, they're going to have to offer me something better than Microsoft's DRM (like plain 'ol MP3) and they're gonna have to get more artists on board. Until they do, I'm sticking with my old ways of getting music, and I suggest you do too. I'll still keep my eye on Pressplay and others like it, cause once they start giving us, the consumers, what we want, then I'll consider going down the legal path. After all, I'm not out to rip anyone off, but I'm not about to pay money for crappy service.

07-26-2003, 03:57 PM	#1 (permalink)
nothingx undead Location: nihilistic freedom	Pressplay - Legal music downloading So I'm sure most of you have heard of Pressplay before... for those that haven't, it's a completely legal alternative to Kazza and other music sharing applications, the only catch is, you've got to pay for it. Anyway, they recently started a free 3-day trial period, and with all the lawsuits being filed, I decided to check it out for free. For what it's worth, here's what I think of it: Firstly, I must say this is the fastest way to download music I've ever seen. Downloads are blazing, and I litterally cap my cable modem. Much faster downloads than I usually get with any of the poplular filesharing programs. I also like how the music can be streamed instead of downloading first. If you're not sure if you want to download something, just stream it to check it out. Second, I like how easy the interface is to use. It seems to be built off the napster concept... very clean and simple. No ads whatsoever. Another cool feature about the interface is the recommended artist panel. When you search for a particular artist, it gives you a list of similar, or other recommended artists. It makes browsing through the music very quick and pretty fun. Third, I like that they allow you unlimitted downloading. You can download as much as you want, for one price, unlike some of the other services out there. A subscription will only cost you $10 a month. This isn't terribly bad considering its probably less than you would pay for a single CD in a month. Now, that I've said everything I like, here comes the stuff I didn't like.... 1) All the music is Microsoft DRM protected. This is the worst part of all. All of the music you download can only be played with a Microsoft blessed player such as WMP or the Pressplay application. The licenses on the files prohibit you from burning them to CDs, or copying them to another computer. If you tried to copy them, they wouldn't play. Also, the licenses expire at the end of every month. If you are subscribed to the service, the licenses will be updated, but if not, you're stuck with a bunch of broken files. (BOO!) 2) Selection is limited. While they do have a good deal of music available, its not nearly as much as you would want. Most popular artists are on there, but I can think of at least 4 or 5 that I couldn't find. 3) All the music is Microsoft DRM protected! I know I already said this, but it's really freaking annoying and stupid. Here's the thing, the player has to decode the music files into an analog signal that the soundcard can play... when this happens, you can easily record the sound off the soundcard and repack it into an MP3. All it really does is make it a big pain in the ass to get your music onto your portable MP3 player or burn to CD. It's just stupid. It doesn't actually accomplish anything. All its done successfully is tricked the RIAA into thinking their music is safe. Pressplay is a pretty cool concept that I think could be worth it, but it's just not ready yet. In order to get my money, they're going to have to offer me something better than Microsoft's DRM (like plain 'ol MP3) and they're gonna have to get more artists on board. Until they do, I'm sticking with my old ways of getting music, and I suggest you do too. I'll still keep my eye on Pressplay and others like it, cause once they start giving us, the consumers, what we want, then I'll consider going down the legal path. After all, I'm not out to rip anyone off, but I'm not about to pay money for crappy service.