Universal Music Group today released the first copy-protected
music CD in the US, according to a report by news site
SiliconValley.com. The move follows similar attempts by BMG and
Sony to do the same in Europe.
Universal is the biggest of the major record labels and its move
is widely seen as a commercial risk. Its CD of “Fast & Furious
– More Music” will not play on some CD players, Macintosh
computers, DVD players or CD-enabled games consoles. The record
company's aim is to stop the CD being “ripped” with a PC to convert
tracks to MP3 format.
According to SiliconValley.com, all of Universal’s CDs will be
copy protected by mid-2002. BMG’s attempt to release Natalie
Imbruglia’s “White Lilies Island” in Europe with copy protection
resulted in replacement CDs being offered following complaints from
consumers that the discs would not play. Sony tried the same with
some copies of Michael Jackson’s single “You Rock My World” but
limited its release to a few experimental copies.
