26 July 2011

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

| johnboy
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Territory And Municipal Services are proudly announcing that library card holders can access the Sony Music digital catalogue through the Freegal Music service.

“Library members have access to all the tracks in the Sony Music digital catalogue including Australia’s most exciting musical artists such as Pete Murray, AC/DC and Guy Sebastian as well as top international artists including Il Divo, Beyonce, Pink, Bob Dylan and Usher,” said Vanessa Little, Director, Libraries ACT.

“To combat the huge increase in the number of people downloading music illegally, Freegal Music has been designed to allow libraries to subscribe to a service with Sony Music on behalf of their library members.

“We are excited to be able to offer this new service to our members who can now download digital music legally and for free.

“All members need to do is log in to Freegal Music from the Libraries ACT website with their membership number and PIN. From there you can browse or search for a track to download and there is a sample clip for each track so you can listen before you download.

“There is a weekly limit of three tracks per library member. Tracks can be downloaded onto PCs or Macs and are compatible with any MP3 player or iPod.

Because obviously we prefer all the Territory taxpayers to cover the cost of Guy Sebastian fans getting their fix.

UPDATE: A bit of googling gives pretty much what I feared about this sales based snake oil.

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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… ??

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

I’m more offended that someone considered “Pete Murray” an exciting musical artist. I don’t mind his music but it is about as exciting as an afternoon nap.

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