My Morning Jacket

-------------------

You can uninstall the content protection software at:
http://www.sunncomm.com/support/tools/uninstall3.asp

One method by which you can bypass the "Mediamax" program in Windows is to hold the Shift key down when putting the CD into the CD Drive on your computer.  Once the CD has stopped spinning, take your finger off the Shift key, open up Itunes, and Z should appear, with a complete track listing.  At this point, there should be no problem importing the songs to iTunes.

-------------------

Please use this topic only to help out people having problems playing Z on their Computer/iPod.

Anyone get this to work? Doesn't work for me!
I can't even get the disc to play. This is after already playing the Elizabethtown EP.(Which won't play now either)
 I keep getting a Mediamax error:
" An error ocurred while verifying the license database"
mediamax error 00000419:000B

Contacted Sunncom and Sony tech support. Just got canned responses about getting back to me which hasn't happened.

try this:
http://www.cs.princeton.edu/~jhalderm/cd3/

there's a lot of info but just scroll down to item 3
I know this worked for other people.

yeah item three is pretty much your best bet that the cd will work and your computer won't be infested with sunncomm software errors etc

Thanks Guys
Listening to it right now.

I had looked at that site last week. When I tried to stop the driver I got the message "The system encountered the following error while attempting to stop the service: The request control is not valid for this service."
 So I just disabled the service rebooted and fired up Windows Media Player 10.
 Now
 Can I make a copy?
 What happens next time I insert the disc in my computer?

Answering my own questions... I ripped with Windows Media Player then used Roxio
Easy Media Player to make a cd without the copy protection.

If you insert the cd without holding down the shift key the protection software gets reloaded.

Don't know if the U.K. release is without the copyright code type stuff things or what? but mine imported to itunes first go, no problems, no warnings or messages at all.
Just waiting for it to finish then me and my headphones gonna take a walk.......................

What exactly does the copy protection do?

I loaded Z into iTunes without any problems and it copied into my library, again with no problems. However, when I tried to play it, there was clicking and skipping on every track. Is it the Copy Protection doing this? Or is it iTunes/my computer? I imported 2 other albums at the same time with no problems at all.

Thanks for any help provided...

casey, if MMJ were an indie band then you might not have ever heard of them. And if you had never heard of them then you would not have the desire to put their music on your i-pod.

why does everyone want everything right now?

As previously mentioned this link worked for me.

http://www.cs.princeton.edu/~jhalderm/cd3/

In addition, I had to do one more step that wasn't discussed.

When your modifying the SbcpHid driver properties, under the general tab, I had to disable the device.  After the restart I was able to rip the cd from windows media player.  I used winamp (i avoid itunes) to play the files and load into the ipod without any problems.

http://p2pnet.net/story/6808

Yep - don't blame the band...it's Big biz vs. Big biz..



Part III

As odd as the story is so far, its about to get a whole lot weirder: It turns out that all Engadget (quoting Variety) notes that this DRM is not at all about making the CD immune to piracy. Instead, its part of a pissing contest between Sony and Apple: Variety writes that "the new copy protection scheme — which makes it difficult to rip CDs and listen to them with an iPod — is designed to put pressure on Apple to open the iPod to other music services, rather than making it dependent on the iTunes Music Store for downloads."

You mean to tell me that this isn't even about P2P and unauthorized downloading? How annoying is that? Sony has their panties in a bunch cause Apple has been kicking their arses all over the innovation and digital music schoolyard? So the mature response from a major global conmsumer electronics corporation is to take their ball and go home?

DRM is now being used as a competitive economic weapon -- not as an anti-piracy tool.

I have a Creative Nomad Jukebox:  Zen Xtra (that's a mouthful...) and I had no problems ripping the cd to MP3 files at all.  Not sure why, though.

I retract my former statement, anyone who can find a way to get it onto my mp3 player, email me.

Hi, I am new around here, just bought my first MMJ CD today and of course ran into this problem just like everyone else. But I had ok luck after a bit of experimenting.

Give it a shot with a program called Exact Audio Copy. Its an audio extraction program that a lot of traders use to copy discs. Once you make the files you can then import them into Itunes.

I tried disabling the protection software via the given method where you go into the drivers and turn it off, but I still got all the popping and noise when I ripped in Itunes, but when I used EAC it was perfect.

Hope this helps some of you.

The philisophical debates aside (I'm very anti Sony and their whining and anti-Apple crusade) the basic workarounds described early on in this thread are just for the Windows users and as I just learned, doesn't impact Mac users like it does for Windows users.  

In the Princeton article the Revisions section has a note about a previous technical oversight that might be another good point:

• If the user has ever accepted the SunnComm end user license agreement (by clicking Accept when the license is displayed), the MediaMax driver does not become deactivated when the computer is rebooted, as I had stated. Rather, it reloads every time unless the user takes steps to disable it.

don't accept the license agreement that pops up! It will make the workaround easier.

There is one more option if you have a Windows system.  Go straight to the iTunes Music Store and purchase the album there for $10.00.  
(ed./lta)

jd, the bands have no control over these things. We talked to the boys after the Nashville show and they weren't happy about it either.

Why are you pissed at them and what do you suppose they do? Perhaps you should be pissed at everyone else who doesn't buy CD's and rips and burns instead.

lets take this to the exponential level!  maybe you should stand up to big business and topple the fascist regime that rules this country!  you be CEO of sony, and fix all this shit.  thanks.

revolution begins in the basement.  

hey Laurie (the Artist), the reason they have no write-up on how to get around the program is that Macs don't run .exe prgrams. Mac programs are .dmg, and all the discs are loaded with is a Windows-based program. When you put the disc in a mac, there's absolutely nothing to have to toy with, it just plays.

Thanks Tom! Now that I'm sober, maybe I'll actually try that.
I'll see how the playback is.   Gracias.


*returns later* -- Everyone just go run out and buy a Mac.

It loaded beautifully and the playback so far is just perfect. Thanks again, Tom.  So it is the specific iTunes for WINDOWS that is the issue and does explain why no "fix" for Mac.  So I was right to point out that fix distinction for Windows at least.  Yea.  Happiness.  

It was interesting to see when I popped in the disc that a second Z icon appeared and it was the part that contains all that evil additional programming and such that infests innocent and unsuspecting Windows users.

Have I mentioned y'all should be rushing out to buy a Mac?

Ta!

well, it's not iTunes in particular. What it is, is that the programmers added in some software on the disc. PC's run software before music, so it runs the software, you have to agree to a liscensing thing, and then it forces you to upload a player. The CD will then only play through this player, and does not allow you to make copies into iTunes.

Sucks, eh?

I think the way around this is to simply turn off auto-run before you put the CD in for the first time, and it will not run that software, and if you want to open it in iTunes, you've got no opposition.

And whoever is pissed at the band for this, don't be. They're just as pissed at Sony as you are at them, because they did NOT want this to happen.

i just bought two copies...the CD and on iTunes...don't mind supporting the boys any way i can!

Quotewell, it's not iTunes in particular. What it is, is that the programmers added in some software on the disc. PC's run software before music, so it runs the software, you have to agree to a liscensing thing, and then it forces you to upload a player. The CD will then only play through this player, and does not allow you to make copies into iTunes.

Sucks, eh?

I think the way around this is to simply turn off auto-run before you put the CD in for the first time, and it will not run that software, and if you want to open it in iTunes, you've got no opposition.

And whoever is pissed at the band for this, don't be. They're just as pissed at Sony as you are at them, because they did NOT want this to happen.

Yea - it's clear that the problem isn't with iTunes but with the other programming and how it will not work with iTunes/iPod directly (in a Windows specifically).  One reason I saw the Halderman reference about NOT accepting that software licensing agreement  and how he describes disabling that too.

I was just freaked and figured any iTunes platform wouldn't work. So glad you told me I could just play it.  I downloaded it from iTunes as well over the weekend and I'm ok with that.  It supports the band. Plus you get a digital booklet too.

 :D
Hey Y'all,

First off, let's face it:  This is NOT the band's fault.... This is Sony and MSFT trying to piss on Apple because they don't like the fact that Apple has kicked their booties so incredibly hard.

Second, onto my workaround....Here's what I did:

1. Bought the disc at full retail price like the good copyright upholder that I am.

2. Went home to exercise my hard-earned, Congress-given HARA space-shifting rights with iTunes.

3.  Struggled for over an hour on my Win2000 machine....Tried the shift key thing with iTunes and that doesn't work, folks.  So then I thought, "Well, okay, I'll relent and rip this thing to WMP, then burn to a disk, then rip to iTunes.  Only problem was, after holding down the shift key (still preventing the malware install) and then ripping to WMP, it still didn't work!  Shocking!!!  Didn't work because, apparently, you have to have a newish plug-in from MSFT called DirectX to make WMP 9 work....I didn't bother looking for that additional piece of likely-malware.  

4.  Instead, in desperation, I went to my other computer, which has WinXP and WMP 10 (pre-installed, so I'm already surely being spied on by every major corporation there, regardless).  I held down the shift key again so that the malware---and just as importantly, the dreaded license contract----wouldn't launch.

5. Then I launched WMP 10, set the ripping preference to WMA lossless (the highest quality) and ripped the disc to my hard drive.  Amazingly, that worked perfectly.  Then I burned the lossless copy to a CDR, which also worked perfectly.

6. Finally, I took the CDR back to my other computer, fired up iTunes, and ripped it into my music collection without a hitch.

The moral of the story (besides how utterly lame Sony is being with this), is that it looks like you need to have WinXP and WMP 10 in order to properly rip the disc (lossless), then burn it, then you can rip it in iTunes at whatever quality you want.  The other moral of the story is that, No, my first flat-screen TV will NOT be a Sony now!

Very silly episode in the music wars, and a very lame waste of time....Only silver lining was that the CDR came in handy by distracting me from the fact that my life is slipping away, moment by moment, as I sat in heavy traffic on the freeway last week!

I sucessfully imported Z into my itunes by playing it on a CD player, running the signal into an amplifier and sending the output to a CD burner.  This makes it analog and you have to tell itunes the name of each track later, but it works.

Quote:D
Hey Y'all,

First off, let's face it:  This is NOT the band's fault.... This is Sony and MSFT trying to piss on Apple because they don't like the fact that Apple has kicked their booties so incredibly hard.

I wish some of the folks who came on here and aired their complaints towards the band would come back and let us know if they still feel that way after all the band has tried to do  to explain and help, as well as all the other great efforts we've had here.  The bands are rarely to blame these days when things like this happen, and it drives me crazy because people don't realize the bands' small parts in the big game, but because it's "their" product and their name, that's who gets jumped on.  People need to read up and educate themselves on what goes on behind the scenes, who's pulling the strings, then decide who's really doing harm to whom.  Maybe some things would change for the artists' as well as the consumers' benefits.

Just my two pennies :-)

Laurie

http://www.eff.org/deeplinks/archives/004144.php

Are You Infected by Sony-BMG's Rootkit?
November 09, 2005
As we've mentioned before, Sony-BMG has been using copy-protection technology called XCP in its recent CDs. You insert your CD into your Windows PC, click "agree" in the pop up window, and the CD automatically installs software that uses rootkit techniques to cloak itself from you. Sony-BMG has released a "patch" that supposedly "uncloaks" the XCP software, but it creates new problems.

But how do you know whether you've been infected? It turns out Sony-BMG has deployed XCP on a number of titles, in variety of musical genres, on several of its wholly-owned labels.

EFF has confirmed the presence of XCP on the following titles (each has a data session, easily read on a Macintosh, that includes a file called "VERSION.DAT" that announces what version of XCP it is using). If you have one of these CDs, and you have a Windows PC (Macs are totally immune, as usual), you may have caught the XCP bug.

Trey Anastasio, Shine (Columbia)
Celine Dion, On ne Change Pas (Epic)
Neil Diamond, 12 Songs (Columbia)
Our Lady Peace, Healthy in Paranoid Times (Columbia)
Chris Botti, To Love Again (Columbia)
Van Zant, Get Right with the Man (Columbia)
Switchfoot, Nothing is Sound (Columbia)
The Coral, The Invisible Invasion (Columbia)
Acceptance, Phantoms (Columbia)
Susie Suh, Susie Suh (Epic)
Amerie, Touch (Columbia)
Life of Agony, Broken Valley (Epic)
Horace Silver Quintet, Silver's Blue (Epic Legacy)
Gerry Mulligan, Jeru (Columbia Legacy)
Dexter Gordon, Manhattan Symphonie (Columbia Legacy)
The Bad Plus, Suspicious Activity (Columbia)
The Dead 60s, The Dead 60s (Epic)
Dion, The Essential Dion (Columbia Legacy)
Natasha Bedingfield, Unwritten (Epic)
Ricky Martin, Life (Columbia) (labeled as XCP, but, oddly, our disc had no protection)

Several other Sony-BMG CDs are protected with a different copy-protection technology, sourced from SunnComm, including:

My Morning Jacket, Z
Santana, All That I Am
Sarah McLachlan, Bloom Remix Album

This is not a complete list. So how do you recognize other XCP-laden CDs in the wild?

Tip-off #1: on the front of the CD, at the left-most edge, in the transparent "spine", you'll see "CONTENT PROTECTED" along with the IFPI copy-protection logo. A few photos make this clearer.



Tip-off #2: on the back of the CD, on the bottom or right side, there will be a "Compatible with" disclosure box. Along with compatibility information, the box also includes a URL where you can get help. The URL has a telltale admission buried in it: cp.sonybmg.com/xcp. That lets you know that XCP is on this disc (discs protected with SunnComm have a different URL that includes "sunncomm").



If you haven't been infected yet, to protect yourself from XCP in the future, disable "autorun" on your Windows PC. Once you have done so, however, these CDs may not be accessible under Windows unless you have specialized ripping software installed; these CDs are encoded in a way that intentionally confuses standard Windows CD drivers. For a smarter audio grabber for Windows, you may want to consider using Exact Audio Copy, which reportedly can read these CDs if you have turned off autorun and avoided infection by XCP.



Posted by Fred von Lohmann at 12:43 AM | Permalink | Technorati

Quote
Ricky Martin, Life (Columbia) (labeled as XCP, but, oddly, our disc had no protection)

Phew, just safe!

Anyone want to point me in the direction of the best way to Import Z to iTunes minus the distrotion?


thanks.

QuoteMy My Morning Jacket CD called Z will not play on my I-Tunes, therefore, I cannot put it on my I-Pod.

Any suggestions?

no, nothing at all.  wait, if jim reads this, he'll personally come and piss in your cornflakes in the morning to stick it to you even more.  he's all about fucking people over and pissing people off as much as possible.

Hi Y'all,

Let's all take a deep breath and realize that there are 3 really important points here to understand before getting too upset about this:

1.  There's been a lot of serious dis-info about the DRM that Sony used on Z....It's important to understand that the really nasty DRM that the media is talking about is _not_ on the Z disc, but instead on several other Sony-published CDs.  The DRM on the Z disc is much less invasive (even if you do install it) and MUCH easier to avoid installing in the first place.

2.  The Suncomm DRM on the Z disc is actually a _breeze_ to get around once you know what to do.  Per my previous post (page 3 of this thread) all you need to do is hold down your shift key when loading the disc (to prevent the license and Suncomm install from popping up), then rip the disc lossless (perfect quality) to an updated version of Windows Media 9 or 10, then burn a CDR and rip back to iTunes.  Although this does take several minutes longer than just ripping straight to iTunes, it's really not such a monster imposition that people should be freaking out so hugely about it----especially once you know what to do, thanks to posts like this one.

3.  Keep in mind that what's really going on here is that Sony is just trying to put pressure on Steve Jobs because he has kicked Sony's (and MSFT's) poopers so incredibly hard in the jukebox and portable player markets...and they just can't stand the fact that they don't own the Windows-based markets for these offerings.....so they're trying to prevent Sony-published music from being easily ripped to iTunes.  Of course, this is totally stupid and only serves to alienate music fans.  

So, given that this "problem" is really drop-dead easy to get around, and given that we fans are just pawns in Sony's fight against Apple, I think we should all just sit back, relax a little bit, have a couple of beers, and spend the extra ~8 minutes to burn the disc from Windows Media and then rip to iTunes.  And then put it behind us and focus on enjoying the music.

Cheers, and see you all at the SF Fillmore show to-nite!!!

no sorry, youre wrong.  jim & the gang want to dominate the charts, sell more albums and all that good stuff.  part of the plan is to destroy as many computer across the country as possible.  remember, this copy protetion is all their fault.

chuy - thanks

its a bit more reassuring to realize Z is a less invasive DRM

i ripped using EAC then converted to MP3, but i still think i didnt do the part in the beginning correctly with the shift key so im wondering whether or not i need to do anything

anyway, i hope sony takes continuous flack for this

Good post Chuy.

 But... how do you remove the Sunncom player and any other files it may have placed on your computer?

This worked for me:  I have an old pc with Windows 98 and Adaptec Easy CD creator 4.

1. Started easy cd creator 4

2. Insert Z cd while holding shift key, waited for cd to stop spinning

3. Selected audio tracks in Easy CD and under track tab selected extract to file (I had it create mp3's).

4. I was then able to put on jump drive and put on new pc and import into itunes and burn cd.

5. Listening to it right now.

I finally bought Z today (11/15...money has been tight).  After seeing over at Pitchfork the article regarding this mess, I came here and read all about it.

But not before uploading the tracks into iTunes the old fashioned way, just importing in iTunes, without agreeing to any stipulation that popped up on my computer when I loaded the disc.  So this raises some questions:

Because I was able to do this in iTunes without making an agreement, was the Sunncomm software not installed on my computer?  Have the "infected" discs been replaced on store shelves with "uninfected" versions?  I hope so, though the "compatible with" and Sunncomm web address are still printed on the back cover of my cd.

What happens for those of us (if I'm included) that unknowingly installed the Sunncomm "spyware?"  How can we get rid of it?

no rootkit here

www.jetaudio.com does the trick.  download the player.  piece of cake.

well i know this is crazy, and i'm loved by many people for this...  (So many guys at my school wanted it on their iPods so i burned it for them) mine said it was copy protected on the case  and it worked fine i ripped it onto iTunes immediately and made backups--strange huh?

For those of you poor people that bought the Sony DRM'ed CD here is a roundup of most of the news on it.

http://www.boingboing.net/2005/11/15/sony_begins_to_recal.html

http://www.boingboing.net/2005/11/15/sonys_spyware_remove.html

http://www.boingboing.net/2005/11/15/sony_infects_more_th.html

http://www.boingboing.net/2005/11/15/latest_sony_news_100.html

Don't forget that Sony's handy uninstaller actually creates more security holes then their rootkit created in the first place. Can you say 'Boycott Sony' for shady business practices?

you can also find useful information over at
www.dslreports.com

go to the forums section or click on any story about this...

QuoteFor those of you poor people that bought the Sony DRM'ed CD here is a roundup of most of the news on it.

http://www.boingboing.net/2005/11/15/sony_begins_to_recal.html

http://www.boingboing.net/2005/11/15/sonys_spyware_remove.html

http://www.boingboing.net/2005/11/15/sony_infects_more_th.html

http://www.boingboing.net/2005/11/15/latest_sony_news_100.html

Don't forget that Sony's handy uninstaller actually creates more security holes then their rootkit created in the first place. Can you say 'Boycott Sony' for shady business practices?

wow, there is someone on this board that is cool enough to know about boingboing.net. amazing.

http://tinyurl.com/77m3z

November 16, 2005
CD's Recalled for Posing Risk to PC's
By TOM ZELLER Jr.

The global music giant Sony BMG yesterday announced plans to recall millions of CD's by at least 20 artists - from the crooners CelineDion and Neil Diamond to the country-rock act Van Zant - because they
contain copy restriction software that poses risks to the computers of consumers.

The move, more commonly associated with collapsing baby strollers,
exploding batteries, or cars with faulty brakes, is expected to cost
the company tens of millions of dollars. Sony BMG said that all CD's
containing the software would be removed from retail outlets and that
exchanges would be offered to consumers who had bought any of them.

A toll-free number and e-mail message inquiry system will also be set
up on the Sony BMG Web site, sonybmg.com.

"We deeply regret any inconvenience this may cause our customers," the
company said in a letter that it said it would post on its Web site,
"and are committed to making this situation right." Neither
representatives of Sony BMG nor the British company First 4 Internet,
which developed the copy protection software, would comment further.

Sony BMG estimated last week that about five million discs - some 49
different titles - had been shipped with the problematic software, and
about two million had been sold.

..... more at http://tinyurl.com/77m3z

QuoteATO Information regarding Copy-Protected CDs and your iPod:
http://www.atorecords.com/?title=news+and+press&mdid=532

-------------------

One method by which you can bypass the "Mediamax" program in Windows is to hold the Shift key down when putting the CD into the CD Drive on your computer.  Once the CD has stopped spinning, take your finger off the Shift key, open up Itunes, and Z should appear, with a complete track listing.  At this point, there should be no problem importing the songs to iTunes.

-------------------

Please use this topic only to help out people having problems playing Z on their Computer/iPod. There are other threads to discuss the rights and wrongs of the copy-protection. Thanks.

So, if i understood this right.
It is only in the computer I can't play the CD, or it's just an iTunes thing? I don't think I'm really get this... ???

Quotetry this:
http://www.cs.princeton.edu/~jhalderm/cd3/

there's a lot of info but just scroll down to item 3
I know this worked for other people.

This worked for me.  Now I can FINALLY listen to Z in my iPod. Thanks guys.  
 ;D

As a token of the band's good will, I think they should post the mp3 files in this forum so the music listeners who have been searching for a way to listen to these files without their privacy being trampled on can have an easier way to get their fix.

What would be more productive, turning potential fans away from your music by discouraging listeners with this anti-piracy format, or taking a small hit on cd sales with widespread 'free music' but gaining many more fans (and future ticket sales) in the long run?

This is the problem with it all today. The corporations see money that can be controlled being lost, and they'll do anything they can to stop it. "Who cares if they can't play it on their Ipod" Right? If they had any clue about consumerism they wouldn't be focused on minimalizing listening. They should try to maximize usage. It's a win-win.

P.S. You wanna fix it? vote dem in '08 (or at least anything but republican)

QuoteAs a token of the band's good will, I think they should post the mp3 files in this forum so the music listeners who have been searching for a way to listen to these files without their privacy being trampled on can have an easier way to get their fix.  

That is quite possibly the dumbest fucking thing that I have ever read.

Let's say that someone heard some good things about the band and decides to check out their website before buying the CD. If they DID put the files on the website for just anyone to download, that would defeat the purpose of having a record.
You're saying put them on the forum or somewhere easily accessible because YOU can't get it to work in your PC?!?!?! What about the people that I mentioned above? They just happen to stumble across the whole album for free? Wow, Sounds like a great plan! (Not!)

I don't think their label would appreciate that too much. I'm sure the band doesn't make much off the sales (that's why they tour and sell merch like most bands do to make money). The band have stated that they don't like the situation with the CDs, but doing something like you suggested just to spite the company would be a breach of contract, I'm sure.
Yeah, Sony fucked up. Big time. That can't be denied, but they're not just gonna let the band post all of the mp3s on their website because you got your panties in a wad.

I know it didn't just affect you, but bitching about it here doesn't really do you any good.

That's the most I've said about this subject. I don't even know why I read this fucking thread in the first place.

God damn it.

Shit, I need to get in on that. Where do I sign up?

 ;D

http://club.cdfreaks.com/showthread.php?t=154811

Here is a link for removing the SunnComm copy protection software from your computer.
In yesterdays USA Today there was an article that claimed SunnComm had posted an uninstall program themselves, but I couldn't find it on their website.

[glb]Bilbo [/glb], thank you so much for the link you provided and the very simple instructions. I was not able to listen to Z on my I-tunes b/c of the MediMax that I downloaded when I first played Z.

However, after following the instructions on the link you provided, I was able to put Z on my I-Tunes, thus enabling me to put Z on my I-Pod, thus making me just a tad bit happier.

Thanks again Bilbo, you're my new hero!  ;D

Oh yeah, FUCK sony music and corporated greed.

This is the way to do it. Works all the time:
First download the CD through Windows media Player.
Then, Using Windows Media Player only, you can then burn the songs to a CD.  Please note that in order to burn the files, you need to upgrade to or already have Windows Media Player 9 or greater.
Once the CD has been burned, place the copied CD back into your computer and open iTunes. iTunes can now rip the songs as you would a normal CD.  
Believe me. I've tried everything, and this comes from the bozos at SunComm technologies.

Ok,
I was trying to follow the instructions to remove the suncomm stuff, i went to program files and there was no suncomm folder, i went to my device manager and could not find the driver they had me look for (unfortuantely, i had already accidnetly loaded the enhanced cd so i was allowing them to have their crap on my comp)
since i could not find that stuff, i tried the windows media cure, windows media burned it and burned it onto the cd messed up, copy-protected as well
nothing seems to be working for me andi require some help, how do i get the suncomm stuff off my computer

Ok, nevermind, I managed tog et the windows media technique tow ork and got it onto my ipod, but i still want to make sure i have gotten all the suncomm trash and drivers off my comp, any advice? i cant find the folders to delete (hopefully this means they just arent on my computer somehow)

why cant MMJ do a free download of the album in MP3 after entering the albums serial code on their website.  Wilco did this on Yankee Hotel with great success.  1 Z serial code= 10 high quality MP3s.  just a thought.

First of all, it's not up to the band. It's up to their label. So there's that.

Second, it would need to be some sort of code that would be inside the CD package and not readily available on the outside of the artwork. It would also have to be something that would only work once. 'Cause if it wasn't, the first person to buy one of those discs would go home and post the code somewhere on the net for everyone else to find.

I realize that this is Sony's doing and not the band but I wanted to add my two cents.  Some background - I'm a computer geek with ties to the music industry at the indie level.  I've personally helped to finance an artist's first album.  I've built web pages for several other artists.  I provide tech support for a small record label and a small artist publicity company  I love music and I want to support the artists and the other folks who support the artists.  I own somewhere in the neighborhood of 500 CDs.

That said the music industry as a whole is broken.  How many of you were exposed to MMJ through the traditional outlets like a radio station?  Maybe if you're lucky enough to have a KCRW type station in your town you heard them on the radio, but chances are your stuck with a slew of Clear Channel stations playing an endless rotation of the same 40 Pop song that every other station is playing.  Maybe someone played you a song, maybe they made you an (illegal) mix cd or tape.  Maybe you downloaded an MP3 legally or illegally.  Me?  I illegally downloaded an album and I listened to it again and again.  MMJ was added to my list of bands that warrant a purchase.  Bands that I would prefer to support by attending a show as I know from working in the industry that very little of the $12-$18 you spend on a CD gets back to the band.

I read about the new album online - it's getting great reviews.  I went to Amazon to purchase it and was stopped cold by the copy protection warning.  The band lost a sale as a result of the label.  They will still get my business in the form of a ticket sale the next time they come to town but I will not buy an album with DRM software on it.  I expect to be able to play a song on my Linux computer, my Windows computer, my old DVD player and my car CD player and yes my IPod.  I want to be able to share music with like minded folk so that bands like MMJ get the exposure they deserve via mix CD's or a single MP3.

I won't download the new album.  I probably won't even hear it at this point.  I encourage the band and the fans to continue to go after Sony and any other label that employs DRM (especially in the dangerous manner in which Sony has recently on other albums).  

I've tried several options from this site on how to get Z to play on my computer and none of them have worked.

i tried control panel>system>device manager>

but from that point there is no "show hidden devices" or "devices by connection"

when i insert Z, I see no driver called sbcphid.

What should I do?

I also tried holding shift down and opening itunes.  itunes allows the cd to open but plays with crackling in the music

http://www.eff.org/IP/DRM/Sony-BMG/mediamaxfaq.php

SunnComm MediaMax Security Vulnerability FAQ

I was able to get the music on my computer as an MP3 by using system restore to get to the point before I ever inserted a SunComm disc into my computer.

Then I inserted Z, holding the shift key down. . . no autoplay.

I opened Windows Media Player 10 and ripped the CD into WMA format at 160k. I then burned this to a CD-R.

Then took disc out, closed Windows Media and opened Musicmatch. I put in the new CD-R, told CDDB to look for Z and tagged the cuts and then ripped to  128k MP3.

Both the CD-R and the MP3 play without distortion.

I think the key is to get the computer to a point before you ever had Suncomm load its dirty little files

JT

The 'ol SHIFT key trick worked for me!  RAWK!

Sunncomm and Sony are not going to rectify the situation because they are scumbags.  I cannot get any of the methods in this forum to work.  Once I get it on my Ipod it's all skippy.  

I feel that the band should offer an exchange program of some sort where unhappy customers can send in the disc and get a replacement without the Sunncomm bullshit on it.  It may cost some money, but it would get all of us to quit complaining and wasting our time trying to make the thing work.

i think the band should create clones of themselves.  these clones would be extra intelligent and never would choose sony or any other bullshit corporation as their record label, hence this copy write protection would never end up on their cds.

of course these clones would be invincible in every way as well immortal, if you will.  this also solves the problems of the cancelled european tour.  the perfect replica clones come over because they can never get sick.

this is the perfect solution to everything.

just imagine, these clones could tour non stop, year round.  every city would be hit, every continent too.  thered be no complaining about the band never coming to your neck of the woods, and wed be sure to get those 3 and 4 hour sets like we dream about.

Hey, now...  ATO is a subsidiary of SONY.  It's a little different.
SONY is responsible for this huge fuck up.  They didn't ask, they just did, and nobody's happy about it.  We already know that.

If anybody needs to do a recall and exchange for non-detrimental products, plus give fantastic gift certificates and possibly free iPods, it's SONY.  

Plus, ratsprayer, that's brings up strange moral issues.  Like, let's say you're a clone.  A perfect clone.  You've got to be considered a human being, right?  So you can't work yourself harder than a real human because you'll get sick.  Just like we've seen in recent days.   :-/

Is it really right to make the clones tour nonstop?  

I think you know the answer to that.  

;)

the clones would be programmed to not get sick at all, thats one of their many benefits.  humans arent perfect, so these clones would be über-human.  

of course, this just writes itself as one of those strange twilight zone episodes where the clones might eventually rebel and do strange things, maybe gwen stefani covers?

anyway people, it would be nothing but interesting.

Umm, I hate to burst your bubble, but it doesn't seem very likely that they can make perfect replicas of humans who would be disease and illness free.  I mean, that just doesn't seem like a possibiltity.  I'm sorry to single you out and shoot your theory down, but, you know, it's just not realistic, ratsprayer.  I mean, come ON.

:)

QuoteUmm, I hate to burst your bubble, but it doesn't seem very likely that they can make perfect replicas of humans who would be disease and illness free.  I mean, that just doesn't seem like a possibiltity.  I'm sorry to single you out and shoot your theory down, but, you know, it's just not realistic, ratsprayer.  I mean, come ON.

:)

all right fine!  free mp3s of the album it is.  having clones would just double the number of people to blame for this mess anyway.  

QuoteBought the terrific Z and installed the hideous SONY software on my pc. The computer collapsed after a few days. Just a coincidence? Is a cd worth $1,500?

pc for ya....go mac.

http://media.www.dailyiowan.com/media/paper599/news/2005/12/15/Metro/No.Protection.From.Fans.Wrath-1128432.shtml?sourcedomain=www.dailyiowan.com&MIIHost=media.collegepublisher.com

No protection from fans' wrath
By: Charlie Moran - The Daily Iowan
Issue date: 12/15/05 Section: Metro
Article Tools: Page 1 of 1

My Morning Jacket's newest album, Z, has become a lightning rod for fans, but not because it marks a casual withdrawal from the alt-country stage or because Radiohead's producer may have cut back on singer Jim James' distinctive reverb.

Since its October release, the band has received a flood of complaints from fans because - as are dozens of other new releases this year - Z is copy-protected. Software loaded on the disc limits users from burning more than three copies, playing the songs in iTunes, or, most grievously, transferring them to an iPod.

Since 2003, the band's parent label, Sony BMG, has led the industry's new fight against "casual piracy," with similar protection measures on more than 300 titles in the United States. But for a band such as My Morning Jacket - which has barely sold more than 60,000 copies of its new album - copy protection might not be protecting what matters most: the goodwill of fans.

Brooklyn McInroy, who has listened to the Kentucky quintet for two years, had fully intended to buy Z on its release date until she learned that it was copy-protected.

"I went on Amazon.com to check out some of the reviews for the CD, " she said, "and, when I read that it was all crazy copyright-protected ... I decided to skip it."

Listeners of the UI's student-run radio station, KRUI, will no longer be able to hear artists who have protected CDs because of a new unofficial policy barring them from the station's library.

"We don't want to alienate our audience, so we're going to have to pull them," said Marcelo Mena, the station's music director.

Along with Z, only two other CDs have been removed, Imogen Heap's Speak For Yourself and Kings of Leon's Aha Shake Heartbreak, both under the Sony BMG umbrella.

"It's a huge pain in the ass to operate with them," said Mena, who cannot use copy-protected discs on his pre-recorded show because the software prevents him from ripping the songs to a hard drive. For the same reason, these discs impede the station's efforts to fully digitize its music library.

My Morning Jacket's bass player, Tom Blankenship (Tommy Two-Tone), says he felt misled when - two months before Z's release - Sony BMG informed the band about the copy protection.

"I don't know if they knew everything about it," he said in a telephone interview with The Daily Iowan. "We were told there would be no problem getting it on an iPod."

In response to the influx of e-mails from fans, his band and others, such as the Foo Fighters and Dave Matthews Band, have posted links on their websites to copy-protection workarounds that allow fans to transfer music to their iPods.

Blankenship said the members of My Morning Jacket were unhappy with the protection, but Sony BMG would not release the album without it.

In November, computer-security experts discovered that 4 million Sony BMG CDs with a different copy-protection system, XCP, had secretly installed software on their owners' PCs, making them vulnerable to hacker attacks. After several lawsuits and the emergence of Trojan-horse viruses designed to exploit the software, the New York City record label recalled the discs.

Last week, Sony BMG released a patch that addressed a lesser security vulnerability in MediaMax, and experts maintain that the software is still not secure.

Thomas Hesse, the head of Sony BMG's global digital business, responded to criticism of copy-protection measures on Dec. 9, saying, "Copyright infringement is a huge issue for the recording industry, as a whole, and that's where we came from originally." The company plans to "diligently re-evaluate" its protection schemes for the future.

Sony BMG has included the same copy-protection measures found on Z in more than 20 million CDs, and it has not yet scrapped its plans to implement protection in every new release next year.

"It's made a lot of consumers mad," Blankenship said. "And they have every right to be."

E-mail DI reporter Charlie Moran at:
charlie-moran@uiowa.edu

As asked earlier, does this affect the UK/Euro version? I bought it earlier today and there's no mention of copy protection anywhere on the packaging.

QuoteAs asked earlier, does this affect the UK/Euro version? I bought it earlier today and there's no mention of copy protection anywhere on the packaging.

I don't think so, no.

and now does everybody see why the record got pushed back? it's funny how quick we forgot about that happening, but i would more than bet that this was part of the deal, if not the source of it.

and Tracy, I think you have an apt quote for this one (you know, all caps and the whole shebang...)

I understand that the band didn't know about the copy protection snafu. I hope they'll understand that, because of the difficulties and frustrations and the possible compromising of a $1,500 computer, I've simply decided to listen to other people's music.

QuoteI understand that the band didn't know about the copy protection snafu. I hope they'll understand that, because of the difficulties and frustrations and the possible compromising of a $1,500 computer, I've simply decided to listen to other people's music.

What, you don't listen to music that isn't digitized?  What a load of crap.  You'll steer clear of a great band because of this??  

And the radio station above, what a load of shit!  They didn't spend five minutes to work around this?  what the hell is this world coming to....a radio station won't play a great band because the format of the media doesn't fit their tastes?  So they play no vinyl, or cassettes, or any other medium other than digitized CD's???   Jesus Christ, what lazy asses!

I own 2 pc's and was unable to get the album to play at all on either one.  When I insert the cd I receive a message:

 "... components could not be installed.  Contact customer support."

After attempting and failing to fix using pc fixes previously posted, I went old school.  I pulled out an old analog cd recorder and proceeded to copy the cd.  I then inserted the copied cd into my pc which saw 10 unlabeled tracks.  From there I ripped these 10 tracks into mp3's, then used Windows Media Player to search online for the tags.  Worked like a charm.

For those of you who don't have an old-school cd recorder, my guess is you can do the same thing by plugging a standard cd player into the audio input jacks of your pc.  From there you can copy the cd on to the hard drive (or another disc), then rip the tracks as mp3's on to your pc.  From there, use WMP or the CDDB database to tag the files.  

It's pathetic that we have to do this to listen to music we PAID FOR, but the alternative is not hearing this fantastic album on your pc or ipod.  

As for MMJ and their Management, cheers.  They've been extremely kind in dealing with me and their fans on this issue.  I can't say enough to their personal integrity.  You've got a fan for life.

As for Sony/BMG - keep up your idiotic approach to business.  The more you fight the changing landscape of the music industry, the faster you'll bury yourselves.  R.I.P.

Does anyone know what address we can send in our Z cd, to exchange for one without all the piracy protection crap on it?

Thanks.

Tim

Quotehttp://club.cdfreaks.com/showthread.php?t=154811

Here is a link for removing the SunnComm copy protection software from your computer.
In yesterdays USA Today there was an article that claimed SunnComm had posted an uninstall program themselves, but I couldn't find it on their website.

Thanks Bilbo!! I spent about 2 hours trying to figure this out using the Princeton link, and using your link I was able to finally get this to work.  what a pain in the ass though.  After uninstalling the mediamax I ripped to windows media player, burned a cd, and Itunes was able to read it.  Thanks for the help!!

Holding the shift putton down while i inserted the disc worked for me. I am using Creative Media Source software for ripping the tracks.

http://news.ft.com/cms/s/963aaecc-7bb1-11da-ab8e-0000779e2340.html

Sony BMG settles suits over 'flawed' music CDs
By Andrew Edgecliffe-Johnson in London
Published: January 2 2006 17:11 |
Last updated: January 2 2006 17:11

Sony BMG has put the biggest of its legal challenges behind it.

 
The music company has settled a series of class-action lawsuits stemming from its use of software that was intended to prevent illegal copying of its CDs but left customers' computers vulnerable to viruses and other attacks.

Ending a year in which it has been shaken by bad publicity surrounding the digital rights management software, the music company offered free music downloads and agreed to stop making CDs with the offending XCP or MediaMax software.

The company also agreed to bring in an independent auditor to confirm to customers it has not and will not use their personal data.

Sony BMG produced 4.7m CDs containing the software, of which nearly 3m were sold. It will pay an undisclosed amount for the recall of affected discs, and will also bear the cost of compensating members of the class-action suits.

Consumers who bought any of the 52 titles with XCP software will receive replacement copies and the choice of two compensation packages: a cash payment of $7.50 and one free album download; or three free album downloads. Users of the MediaMax software will receive a free download.

Lawyers for the plaintiffs welcomed the settlement, which the Electronic Frontier Foundation, a digital free-speech advocacy group, said would "provide significant benefits for consumers who bought the flawed CDs".

The copy protection problem emerged after a security researcher revealed on his blog that a Sony BMG CD had installed a "rootkit" – tools used by hackers to disguise their presence – on his computer.

Consumers who bought any of the 52 titles with XCP software will receive replacement copies and the choice of two compensation packages: a cash payment of $7.50 and one free album download; or three free album downloads. Users of the MediaMax software will receive a free download.


So how do we go about getting these downloads?

If you have been infected by the malware contained in the 'Z' CD like me.

1. run 'cmd /k sc query $sys$aries' DOES NOT expose the malware.

2. EAC will NOT bypass the malware.

3. Sadly, there is nothing you can do to bypass the malware once you have been infected.

There is a simple fix:
1. paste the following link into your IE address bar http://www.sunncomm.com/support/tools/uninstall3.asp and accept the ActiveX control... let it run.  Restart.

2. Hold Shift when you put the 'Z' CD into your machine.

3. USe EAC (Exact Audio Copy) to rip.  You can download at: http://www.exactaudiocopy.de/eac-0.95b3.exe

If the drive does not recognize the CD, there are tons of blogs on this.  Chances are you don't have the correct ASPI installed... you'll need to figure this one out for yourselves.

4. Copy to IPOD
---------------------------------------------------

My Editorial:
Good and Bad

Bad:
I was heartbroken taking the evildoer's antidote.  Usually I find the cures off of blogs where smart people manage to communicate that they have creatively solved the problem.  In this case, Suncomm created the perfect malware.

The venom that spewed from the helpless masses (even miss-directed at the band... who was helpless too BTW) was painful to read.

Good:
The internet has finally come to a good place!   You don't need to find a cure on the 'dark side' of the internet.  MASSIVE shared public opinion and outcry saved the day.  It's amazing how many people can be affected by public opinion in the web.  We got the manufacturer to post the fix... howabout that!  THANKS!

So any word on when we'll see Z without XCP on store shelves?  I cannot morally buy it until I find it without XCP, and I have not heard it yet because of this.  I won't buy through iTunes, MSN, because I won't support Sony until they release this CD without XCP.

I don't know if its been mentioned yet or not, but the rootkit portion of XCP is being removed by the Microsoft Malicious Software Removal Tool, see: http://blogs.technet.com/antimalware/archive/2005/11/12/414299.aspx

This does not remove the actual XCP filter driver that munges the audio rips, you still need to go elsewhere to uninstall it and rip into MP3/etc.

I didn't know anything about this until tonight. I bought the CD two days ago and today imported to my iPod and was able to play the tracks with no problem......................UNTIL tonight when trying to import songs from OTHER discs iTunes kept giving me random "could not import - unknown error" on a several tracks. The topic of Sony spyware was mentioned on a tech support thread elsewhere.

I used the suncomm remove tool and then was able to import all those CDs with no trouble.
WHAT THE HELL?!?

I purchased this album and want to use the computer I own to put the songs on the iPod I own. I was never presented with any consent screen or License Agreement for the suncomm software. If I sneaked into the Suncomm corporate offices [or cracked their network security] and installed software on their computers I WOULD BE THROWN IN FEDERAL PRISON.

What a pisser of a way to screw up an otherwise insanely great album.

QuoteIf you have been infected by the malware contained in the 'Z' CD like me.

1. run 'cmd /k sc query $sys$aries' DOES NOT expose the malware.

2. EAC will NOT bypass the malware.

3. Sadly, there is nothing you can do to bypass the malware once you have been infected.

There is a simple fix:
1. paste the following link into your IE address bar http://www.sunncomm.com/support/tools/uninstall3.asp and accept the ActiveX control... let it run.  Restart.

2. Hold Shift when you put the 'Z' CD into your machine.

3. USe EAC (Exact Audio Copy) to rip.  You can download at: http://www.exactaudiocopy.de/eac-0.95b3.exe

If the drive does not recognize the CD, there are tons of blogs on this.  Chances are you don't have the correct ASPI installed... you'll need to figure this one out for yourselves.

4. Copy to IPOD
---------------------------------------------------

Used steps 1 & 2 from the simple fix section, then substituted Media Player for step 3.
Worked perfectly.
Thanks!

It's really a shame that the CD has all these problems.  Luckily i bought this on itunes.  One of the best decisions i've made in a long time.   I recently bought the new Stellastarr on CD and can't get it into my ipod.  I have hardly listened to it.  

I don't think i'll ever buy another CD again.   It's all digital for me, yo!

These guys are worth the extra $10 bucks to get their music onto my ipod.  When I found out that they were as pissed as me at Sony, I immediately downloaded the album.

Hi guys,  I had success last night getting Z converted to MP3 for my car stereo / Creative Zen player.

Here's what I did :

1.  Used the "hold shift" trick when I inserted the CD.
2. Opened Windows Media Player (version 10).
3. Set WMP to rip to unprotected MP3s by going to Tools->Options->Rip.
4. Ripped the CD.

Worked flawlessly.  I'm now listening to the album on my Zen player.

You can safely skip the WMA->AudioCD->MP3 conversion and go straight to MP3 using WMP with no DRM or machine  or playback device restrictions.

[tr][/tr]

If you've still can't get it to work try this it worked for me and all I had to do was piece together what different people on this board said:

First if you have already put the cd in your computer and it loaded all that crap go here http://www.sunncomm.com/support/tools/uninstall3.asp and uninstall it through their instructions (all you have to do is accept activex controls and all the other things that pop up click ok) reboot.

Second put the disc in the drive and hold shift until you are sure that when you let go it won't start spinning.

Then bring up you itunes program and import the cd.

That's how it worked for me good luck to you.

QuoteHi guys,  I had success last night getting Z converted to MP3 for my car stereo / Creative Zen player.

Here's what I did :

1.  Used the "hold shift" trick when I inserted the CD.
2. Opened Windows Media Player (version 10).
3. Set WMP to rip to unprotected MP3s by going to Tools->Options->Rip.
4. Ripped the CD.

Worked flawlessly.  I'm now listening to the album on my Zen player.

You can safely skip the WMA->AudioCD->MP3 conversion and go straight to MP3 using WMP with no DRM or machine  or playback device restrictions.

I did the same thing, although I only played the CD on my laptop and didn't rip it.  Does that mean our computers are free of the SunnComm program?

I just bought the album and then remembered reading that problems occured with play on Ipods. I also remember that some "infected" albums were being replaced. Is there anyway to tell if I've got a bad copy???

My copy has a "compatible with" note on the back of the album. It says "MAC ok" and compatible with secure windows media.  Is that good or bad?

I'd like to avoid the problems you've all had. Any help is appreciated!

Here's how to receive the "settlement"

http://cp.sonybmg.com/xcp/english/home.html

I don't own "Z" yet, but was at a record store last night and found a copy on the shelf. I know all about DRM, the Sony/SunnComm security issues, and the resulting lawsuit.  What I don't understand is why I couldn't find any mention of DRM on the package.  I assume by now that every DRM-laced CD is labelled as such, and I know what these tend to look like from the latest Dave Matthews and Idlewild CD's (which I didn't buy) and a US Coldplay single (which I received as a gift and returned to the store).  Maybe I have to look harder, but can somebody tell me where DRM is mentioned on the packaging for this specific disk?

I've also read the majority of this thread and would like to add my two cents.  I am a new (well...a potential) fan, and I greatly appreciate the steps the band and ATO Records have taken to diffuse the matter.  Unfortunately, even with the Sony lawsuit, it has not settled the issue of whether the band or record label can trump the distributor's decision to add DRM.  Thee lawsuit was a successful battle, but it didn't win the war.  I don't own an IPod or use a Windows-based computer, but believe that even tacitly supporting such technologies will just lead to more of it in the future, so I practice a zero-tolerance policy.  DRM offends my eyes.  The only solution I see is a successful lawsuit by a band or record label...but if Dave Matthews or Foo Fighters won't take up this challenge, I can't honestly expect more from MMJ.

I hope the CD I found in the store was sans-DRM, although I am probably wrong.  The moment somebody releases a repressing without it, I'll be the first in line to buy a copy.

Thanks,

Todd

all of the drm cd's should have been removed from stores. thing is, Z wasn't DRM, it was a different type of software, but it was recognized to also carry that rootkit. the way to tell if it's copy-protected is the look at the back of the cd. it should have a small rectangular white box that saysd something about copy protection and how many copies you can make and what the terms are. check that out. i haven't checked, but it'd be interesting to know if we can get these cd's without the software.

and on that note, don't be too much of a jerk about it. there's only so many people who are actually boycotting the albums, and it really isn't enough to make much of a dent to sony. you're one man in a sea of millions who are buying, and you're not hurting them very much. not buying the cd just shows as mmj's record sales being down some, and a few extra copies on the shelves.

what you can do that would make more of a difference (seeing as you're hurting yourself just as much by not having an amazing album to listen to :))  is possibly write to sony. keep an eye out for any kind of thing you can sign your name to protesting that and asking them to change. stand behind any lawsuits that  come your way about it. or even buy the album and send it to them to get it exchanged for a non-rootkit copy. this shows them that you want the wares enough to actually get the correct version. and it  shows them that it does matter to the people that they would rather not have this stuff on their computer.

i was able to ask Bo about it briefly back in October, and he put it very well. he said that all of the bands that get this crap slapped onto their cd's are just pawns in the war between Sony and Apple. Sony is trying to make it as hard as frickin possible for Apple's iTunes and iPod to be successful (though failing miserably) and to help keep their stuff from being put into iTunes and transported to an iPod, they make it so that the cd's are only compatible with windows media player, (unless you run it on a mac, to which the software doesn't even show up as usable when you insert the cd) giving iTunes the total boot on this one. strange thing is, though, that you can just as easily buy the album on iTunes and have iton your iPod that way. They are quite weakly fighting an uphill battle.

copy of my e-mail sent to ATO Records (4/19/06):

I can't begin to tell you haw frustrated I am with ATO Records.  I recently spent my hard earned money to buy a CD (specifically My Morning Jacket, Z), and I find that I can't even play it on my computer, rip it to my hard drive, or download it to my ipod.  I am tempted to stop buying from ATO entirely, although many of my favorite bands are on your label.  Just so you know, despite your efforts to copy-protect the albums, I can easily bypass your company and copy/download the songs for free from other sources.  I actually enjoy supporting the artists by purchasing 1st copies of the cd's and adding them to my collection.  However I also rely on my computer to organize and listen to my music.  By putting up such copy-protect barriers you are just turning people like me away from your label and actually pushing us to bypass purchase entirely.  This is something I rarely do.  Sometimes I will have music shared with me by friends, but I usually go buy the cd if it is a group I enjoy listening to and want to start following (just out of principle).  I always enjoy the artwork, lyrics, and insight into the bands by purchasing the cd.  Please remove your copy-protect barriers that prevent me to easily listening to the music I purchase.  I do not want to have to look up 'work arounds' to listen to music I have already purchased.  That is like buying a ticket to a concert and upon entering the venue finding out that you actually have to walk ten blocks (and through a few dark alleyways) to get to the 'real' stage.  And when you get there, the band doesn't come on for another two hours, and when they do come on stage two members of the band stay in the bus because they are sick.

Come-on...and you call me a customer.  

allenbc@vcu.edu

allenbc, did the CD you bought mention copy protection or Sunncomm explicitly anywhere on the outside?  I posted a couple days ago that I was looking at a copy at a record store and couldn't find any mention of copy protection.  I found another copy tonight, and this is still the case.  There's just an FBI logo and the "FBI Anti-Piracy Warning" message, which appears on most big-label releases nowadays.  I'd like to think the CD is clean, but then there's no law to force mandatory labelling.  I also looked at some import Coldplay CD singles, which I know are protected, but are also not labelled.

BTW, un-doing the Sunncomm software isn't very hard.  Skim the rest of this thread for links to instructions for uninstalling the driver.

Todd

just a suggestion about copy-protected CDs, if you splurge on the japanese imports, they are often not protected, and you get to enjoy the extra song.
also note that copy-protected compact discs aren't actual *compact discs*. you will notice the CD logo to be conspicuously absent from the surface of the disc. that is because copy protection and imbedded software have pushed these discs so far away from original company specs that they are not allowed to use the CD logo. just a thought...

Todd,  The cd I purchased has a box in the lower left hand corner of the back cover that says 'compatible with' and then lists the playback, ripping, portable divices options.  It also mentions the website: www.sunncomm.com/support/sonybmg

I bought this cd around March 8th at Virgin.  Maybe the non-labeled cds do not include the sofware?  I don't know.

I was able to uninstall the software by following the above links, and rip a clean copy to windows media player, however I still haven't been able to import those tracks into itunes. My little white music machine is still without mmj's latest.  

Good luck... and the album is amazing.  Right now I am listening to a downloaded mmj show at the 9:30club on 10/10/05  from musicarchive.org.  I wish I could've been there; It just hit on the wrong day.  Thanks mmj for allowing your shows to be heard on this and other sources.  Please, please keep the downloads available!  It makes me a more loyal fan.  I am looking forward to catching up w/ mmj in Boston in June w/pj.

FYI, I finally bought a copy of Z last night.  The version with only the FBI warning listed on the back lower-left does not contain any copy protection.  I would have realized this sooner if I'd paid more attention to the Sony settlement notes at http://www.eff.org/IP/DRM/Sony-BMG/settlement_faq.php .  BTW, anybody owning the copy-protected version is entitled to a free download of a Sony album (plus a free download of straight mp3 versions of the Z songs) if you follow the instructions on the EFF site!  Claim forms are due by the end of the year.

So anybody who recently bought the copy-protected version either didn't read this first, or didn't search hard enough.

With all that unplesantless aside, what do I think of the album?  It's my first MMJ purchase, although I did have "The Way That He Sings" on a radio sessions CD.  Z has been playing irregularly since yesterday, and I have yet to give it a really thorough listen, but...I LIKE IT.  It seems like a combination of old-fashioned rock with some britpop irreverance, which I assume is courtesy of producer John Leckie.  And all with an indie mentality.  Unlike a couple other CD's I bought recently, it also has some "life" to it, which makes it easy to get pulled-in.  It will take a couple weeks for a final verdict, but so far I'm very happy with my purchase...even if it took over 6 months due to this DRM business.

Todd

Something very odd just happened to my copy of Z.    I've had it since about October.  I've listened to it continuosly on my PC at home with "Z"ero problems.  Today I try to give it a listen and the Sony icon (with whatever sofware popped up).  Funny thing is, this normally wouldn't bother me, except NOW i finally want to import to Itunes....  what gives?  It honestly worked before, and now I have to agree to a license agreement??

I read recently that the band are not at all happy with the situation. I'd imagine they wouldn't be. Anyway;

http://bigpicture.typepad.com/comments/2005/10/drm_crippled_cd.html

This link gives a bit more info on how to circumnavigate the problem and some of the background on it.