You're paying for crap pop, like it or not. ACT libraries licence Sony music.

According to the Canberra Times, this service costs $35,000 per year. For 3 lousy downloads per week. No wonder they have no money (or inclination) to replace all the books which fall apart or go missing. Typical move designed to impose a “retail” model on libraries. They evidently don’t spend any money on staff training any more, either!

Primal said :

So if I’m reading that other page right… we can now download MP3s and have our library pay for it at a near-retail price? With no possibility of others making use of that download? In a manner completely contradictory to what libraries are meant to be all about – i.e. shared resources that can get multiple uses and are good value for the community’s money?

Terrible decision-making. They’d be closer to their charter if they subscribed to a ‘net streaming service, like Jango or something. Flogging Mp3s isn’t library business.

Primal said :

WTF TAMS??? I would like to both congratulate and cockpunch whoever at Sony convinced them that this was anything other than an appallingly bad idea.

+1 That sentence summed it up well.

So if I’m reading that other page right… we can now download MP3s and have our library pay for it at a near-retail price? With no possibility of others making use of that download? In a manner completely contradictory to what libraries are meant to be all about – i.e. shared resources that can get multiple uses and are good value for the community’s money?

WTF TAMS???

I would like to both congratulate and cockpunch whoever at Sony convinced them that this was anything other than an appallingly bad idea.

Thanks for that link John, I guess its always nice to have as many different sides to a story as possible.

Id rather ACT Libraries procured more books or other media that exist in tangible real hold in my hand and can borrow, than on some mp3 service.

If what the librarian blogger says is true, then at around $100k a year is a lot of books, periodicals and actual CD’s and DVD’s that they can buy.

Im always disappointed when i see libraries used for nothing more than free internet access. This free mp3 service is just another one of those faddish digital era things librarians think people want/need.

Which reminds me, i have two books overdue.

Seriously? This is the reaction to this offer?

Well, I for one am very thankful to ACT libraries for this move. I probably won’t benefit from this particular deal, as my music taste is more inclined towards classical, jazz and contemporary instrumental (all of which are already freely available as digital tracks & cd’s), but the fact that I can now access a wider range of music is welcomed.

As for the particular deal to use freegal, I can’t comment on that as I do know the sufficient details to form an opinion.

… and … WILLIAM SHATNER!

Woooo hoooo!

They do have “Toad the wet sprocket” ..

gospeedygo said :

I’m sure all the illegal downloaders haven’t even broken stride.

Because I will not be illegally downloading Guy Sebastian in the future.

” Beyonce, Pink, Bob Dylan and Usher…”

?? One of these things is not like the other… ??