Sony ditches copy-control CDs

Seems Sony is going through something of a change of heart recently: following its decision to support MP3 in its audio players comes news that, in Japan at least, Sony Music Entertainment is ditching copy-control CDs from November. They claim the reason is "an increase in awareness by music consumers", which we assume is supposed to mean that they've succeeded in educating everyone that copying CDs is a bad thing. Dare we suggest that the truth is simply that they're starting to see the light?

[Kile @ Dec 19th 2005 2:23AM]

Maybe they mean that consumers were aware how seriously borked copy controlled CDs were and are staying away from them in droves.

[Abe @ Dec 19th 2005 2:23AM]

Maybe they'll just skip the formalities and start pumping out their CDs encoded only in ATRAC. You know they want to.

[kimster @ Dec 19th 2005 2:23AM]

Trying to copy control CD's is such a stupid and wasted effort. If you have the ability to listen to the CD on a CD player, then you can always hook up the CD player to a soundcard and record the CD into MP3 music tracks. "Oh but that's an 'inferior' analog recording!" Do you really think you'll notice the difference at 128Kbps? There will always be copies of music floating around, what Sony and the other media giants need to do is work with this fact and make music more easily/affordably accessible.

[Nigel Pond @ Dec 19th 2005 2:23AM]

The real reason behind this is the fact that many players had compatibility problems with these "CDs" -- no one has really focussed on the fact that these are not really CDs at all as they do not comply with the Red Book CD spec (written by Sony and Philips) which exists to ensure that CDs play on all CD players. If a disc does not comply with the Red Book specs, it cannot be a "CD".

[Nate @ Dec 19th 2005 2:23AM]

Maybe someone tried to rip a Sony copy-controlled CD to a Sony Network Walkman and discovered it didn't work. Can't have that, now.

[Sandy Noyes @ Dec 19th 2005 2:23AM]

What has been overlooked is that SONY is willing to change, for whatever reason. That is a huge step for this proud company. I am grateful for it and hope that my MD player will soon be able to play MP3's. I would even buy a new 1gb player.

[mbs @ Dec 19th 2005 2:23AM]

It's good that they changed back. It will be very hard to regain the trust of those European CD buyers that have been boycotting CD stores for three years now.

Personally I'm fed up with checking CD cases for tiny copy protection messages that I have stopped visiting local CD stores here in Europe.

Unless Sony puts big stickers on those CD cases it claims to be DRM-free I will not buy another of their CDs.

[the absurdist @ Dec 19th 2005 2:23AM]

Thank goodness and good riddance. I was so tired of having to cross the border to buy the non copy protected version of the exact same cd. The cd's that I would have otherwise impulse purchased, I just didn't bother because of the copy protection.

[Andie @ Dec 19th 2005 2:23AM]

I just bought a 2-disc set at an anime con here in Texas, and found the copy control label after I bought it. It's very sickening that I can't even make mp3s out of it for my mp3 player. I have my whole collection on that thing, since I mostly listen to my music on it. Not everyone carries a bulky cd player everywhere, and I don't think Sony has really gotten the message yet.