d00d! I can’t wait! I’m not going to buy a Zune tomorrow! I’m going to bed early tonight so that I can get up late tomorrow (and avoid going to stores altogether, so that I can be sure that I won’t buy a Zune). Are you not buying a Zune? We can start up a club of people who aren’t buying Zunes, because if you’re not buying a Zune – you’re not alone. I can’t wait to not buy my Zune. It’s going to be awesome. Or, not awesome?

I’m Not Buying a Zune!!!

I’m not the first (and I certainly won’t be the last) person to claim that DRM sucks. But DRM doesn’t stand for “Digital Rights Management.” No, it’s really an acronym for “Dramatic Resource Mangler.” Here’s the problem I’m now running into: I’ve currently got a subscription to Napster, a trial account with Rhapsody, and another trial account with MTV’s URGE. That’s three separate subscriptions I’ve got floating across all my systems. Now, I’ve already downloaded Pearl Jam’s new album through Napster. I can’t listen to it in either Rhapsody or URGE. I’ve paid for it already! So, let’s say I turn off Napster and switch to URGE. I’d have to download the album again. What’s more, Windows Media Player / Windows Explorer doesn’t tell me where the album came from – I have to guess. I have to play (by trial and error) to see which albums are supported by which service. THIS IS MADNESS! Why can’t the individual file detect which service I’m paying for and then adjust itself accordingly? Why must I maintain three DRM’ed versions of the same song?

Screw Napster. Screw Rhapsody. Screw URGE. I’ll pay for one of ‘em and then find the album in a non-DRM’ed WMA or MP3 format elsewhere. I’m trying to play by the rules here, folks. I’m trying to give them my money. They’re not making this easier – they’re making it infinitely more difficult. DRM can kiss my ass.

Why DRM Sucks

A few weeks ago, I got a note from a guy. At first, I thought it was junk – turned out to be a barenaked goldmine. Barenaked Ladies man, Stephen Page, has completed “The Vanity Project” and they’ve got the first single available on the site: That’s All, That’s All. Don’t ask me why they went with RealMedia (RAM, not MP3 or WMA).

The first release on FLAGSHIP will be the self-titled album from The Vanity Project, which features Barenaked Ladies’ lead singer Steven Page. The Vanity Project is a collaboration between Page and his frequent co-writing partner, Stephen Duffy, and is tentatively set for a late-June release. The album includes 12 songs, 11 of which are Page-Duffy compositions.

It’s worth a listen, and based on it – the album is a must-have for any dedicated BNL fan.

Barenaked Stephen