If you love me set me free: Valentine’s Day DRM-free mix
It’s that special time of year again, when we let the ones we love know how we feel about them. Here at ORG towers, we’d like to dedicate this Valentine’s Day to the recording industry. They may not always get it right, but good relationships are about listening, and about giving credit where it’s due. So we’d like to use today to thank the recording industry for listening to their customers over the past year and dropping restrictive DRMs.
Back in the analogue age, a starry-eyed lover would sit up all night making a compilation tape for his one true heart. The ORG email lists have been busy resurrecting this tradition over the past week (thanks, guys!), and the result is this - the ORG Valentine’s Day love mix. Each one has been suggested by an ORG supporter - and each one has a link to where to download the track DRM-free. Easy listening indeed.
Open Rights Group Valentine’s Day love mix
- Gary Numan and the Tubeway Army, Me! I disconnect from you
Available from amazon.com at $0.99- Clor, Dangerzone
Available from iTunes Plus* at £0.79- Chris Rainier & De Wet Van Der Spuy, You’re A Distant Voice On The Radio
Available from bleep.com at £0.99- Datblygu, Y Teimlad (”The Feeling”)
Available from amazon.com at $0.99- Cinematic Orchestra, All That You Give
Available from play.com for £0.70- James, Laid
Available from amazon.com at $0.89- Jeffrey Lewis, Don’t Let the Record Label Take You Out To Lunch
Available from Playlouder and eMusic as part of a monthly subscription deal- Kraftwerk, Computer Love
Available from amazon.com for $0.99- Joy Division, Love will tear us apart
Available from amazon.com at $0.99- Dionne Warwick, You’re Gonna Need Me
Available from iTunes Plus* for £0.79- Reel Big Fish, Sell Out
Available from amazon.com at $0.99- Ulrich Schnauss, Clear Day
Available from bleep.com at £0.99- Queen, Who wants to live forever?
Available from amazon.com at $0.99*Note that to get the tracks we’ve suggested from iTunes Plus DRM-free, you’ll need to have an updated version of iTunes
Finally, a note of warning to UK residents - do not try making this compilation at home. Why? Because despite the fact these tracks are DRM-free, creating the compilation on a USB stick or CD would be in breach of the civil provisions of UK copyright law. If you’re interested in seeing this law changed, you’re in luck - the UK Intellectual Property Office are consulting on changing the law on “format shifting” right now. Help us respond here. And Happy Valentines Day.
February 14th, 2008 at 12:39 pm
Imagine that I wanted to get these tracks (and we’ll ignore how there’s no iTunes on Linux for now); I can’t get the Amazon ones, ‘cos I’m not in America (and so don’t have a US billing address). That rules out 7 of the 12 tracks.
February 14th, 2008 at 1:00 pm
Stuart - that sucks
I didn’t realise you needed a US billing address for amazon.com downloads. Just goes to show that even the best Valentine’s Day intentions often fail.
Looks like play.com might be an answer for the Gary Numan, Kraftwerk and Queen tracks: http://www.play.com
February 14th, 2008 at 1:10 pm
Great to see that Cinematic Orchestra track there! Fontella Bass has a truly amazing voice, and it’s a lovely, lovely tune. And it’s on one of my favourite labels (Ninja Tune, home of the excellent DJ Food and lots of other wonderful people).
The issue of what’s available where, DRM-free, seems to be changing by the day. Perhaps post any major developments on availability as they occur?
March 10th, 2008 at 5:11 pm
Anything from the record label ‘Sympathy for the Record Industry’. Although, other than the dangerously hip name, they don’t seem to be offering a great deal in terms of DRM free or other subversive distribution. Ah well.
F