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UC System Chooses Mindawn Download Service 315

Posted by timothy from the extracting-money-from-a-captive-audience dept.
An anonymous reader writes "In hopes of stemming the tide of students freely sharing copyrighted multimedia files over their campus networks, the University of California (UC) system has selected an online music and video service that supports Windows, Mac OS, and Linux to provide downloadable music and video for its approximately 200,000 student population. Unlike iTunes (which only supports Mac OS X and Windows) and Napster (which is Windows-only), Mindawn works with Windows, Mac OS X, and Linux. In addition, instead of providing downloads that are degraded by what is known as "lossy compression," downloads from Mindawn are offered in both Ogg Vorbis and FLAC formats." (Vorbis files are lossy too, though my tin ears can't always tell.)
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UC System Chooses Mindawn Download Service More

UC System Chooses Mindawn Download Service

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  • No Pink Floyd (Score:5, Funny)

    by nokilli ( 759129 ) on Tuesday July 19, 2005 @12:23AM (#13101125)
    No Alanis Morissette. No Marilyn Manson. No Billie Holiday.

    Damn man, if it's OK to not have any music, I can support Mac OS X and Linux too! Come on over to nokilli's download service, where you can listen to silence in your choice of MP3, Ogg Vorbis, WMA or the very popular, highly compressed, zero-byte file format.
    --
    Why didn't you know? [tinyurl.com]

    • Re:No Pink Floyd (Score:5, Informative)

      by melikamp ( 631205 ) on Tuesday July 19, 2005 @12:35AM (#13101183) Homepage Journal
      I thought that parent is a troll, so I went and tossed a few querries. Couldn't get any results. So I browsed. It looks like they carry a few hundred of albums. Wow. I've seen personal collections bigger than that. They've got nothing on a university lan.
      • Geez, when iTunes, WMA or DRM in general comes up, everyone screams for support of Linux and non-DRM - When someone actually chooses a vendor that works on Linux and doesn't have DRM, it's suddenly not good enough.

        Well, tough luck - a company has got to start from somewhere, and with a business-deal like this backing them, it's very likely that they're going to grow at a fast rate and add a lot more music to their portfolio.

        This is good news for everyone not interested in the chain and ball that is DRM.

        • After reading other comments, I actually agree with you. It looks like they are not with RIAA because they don't want to. I have nothing to say against an independent publishing effort.

          I was just surprised at the implication that UC made this deal to combat piracy.

          • I run my own independent music service. We also use Ogg Vorbis format. The problem that I find is that the general public doesn't necessarily want to support Independent Music, because it isn't what they hear on the radio or on MTV.

            I can see the university's standpoint on this though. They are using Mindawn as an alternative downloading solution, and it should be a boon for Mindawn because they have a guaranteed customer base.
        • look, when they have a collection that is smaller than what you'd probably get by gathering free music from the net then it's not that good.

          it's easy to be drm free when you only got artists from labels that just want the publicity(for gigs etc). it's also easy to be cheap then.

          wouldn't matter of course if they were kick-ass bands that had kick ass music... but this really isn't going to have anything against some ftp on the lan in univ. of california. something that tells that mindawn is at it's infancy
        • I think you miss understand business.

          Part of business is a group providing goods and services to customers, and if they are unable to provide those goods and services customers want today, then they are likely to go to other companies who can provide what they want.

          At the end of the day, it is all about making money by providing what it is the customer wants, which is why the iTunes and (new) Napsters of the world are doing so well compared to these new ones that do not have the blessing of the RIAA.

          You

          • Re:You got to start somewhere - This is good news. (Score:4, Insightful)

            by zootm ( 850416 ) on Tuesday July 19, 2005 @06:41AM (#13102123)

            The bottom line is that people in general don't care enough about DRM to make a DRM-free system economically viable. If the record companies had something significant to gain from not using DRM (other than probably paying a fairly insignificant licencing fee, which some salesman probably justified to them), they'd be a lot more likely to stop using it.

            Even if people were told "what's wrong" with DRM, they wouldn't care, in most cases. It's the same story as Free Software -- no-one but us geeks care -- but at least with Free Software people can see a price advantage (in general).

        • Geez, when iTunes, WMA or DRM in general comes up, everyone screams for support of Linux and non-DRM - When someone actually chooses a vendor that works on Linux and doesn't have DRM, it's suddenly not good enough.

          Are you sure that the person that you're responding too is one of the people that "screams for support of Linux and non-DRM"? We aren't all one person, you know. Some people have independent minds and opinions.

          This is good news for everyone not interested in the chain and ball that is DRM.

    • Re:No Pink Floyd (Score:3, Insightful)

      by strider44 ( 650833 )
      It's a simple equation. They don't have forced DRM so the RIAA and co won't deal with them.
    • No Manu Chao, no Mano Negra, no Banco de Gaia, one album from Duke Ellington....

      If anyone thinks this will stop illegal music downloads then they should think again, because 99% of stuff I'd want probably won't be on available legally trough this channel.

    • Re:No Pink Floyd (Score:5, Insightful)

      by trisweb ( 690296 ) on Tuesday July 19, 2005 @02:19AM (#13101526) Journal
      I'm a UC Berkeley student, and I'll say now that I'm not interested for exactly this reason. Sorry, but I'll stick with CDs if I'm going to buy music.

      Berkeley has some of the greatest music stores in the nation. They offer an amazing variety of music (including Pink Floyd) in full lossless audio and no DRM. Until the same is true for an online store, there really is no substitute. I'll take Ameoba over iTunes any day.
      • They offer an amazing variety of music (including Pink Floyd)

        Pink Floyd? Amazing indeed! I dare you find one that has Rolling Stones records though...

    • Read the FAQ (Score:4, Informative)

      by mwvdlee ( 775178 ) on Tuesday July 19, 2005 @02:31AM (#13101555) Homepage
      In the artist FAQ it actually says the artists have to pay $50 to get on their site... that's probably the reason no decent artists are on their.

      Just to make sure not even the most common popular artists are on there: No "spears", no "jackson", no "madonna, no "metallica", not even any "beatles".
      • I was sitting here thinking I'd put my band on there until I read that. I don't pay to get my CDs in online stores, why should I pay for this? And it's especially unappealing considering they don't even have any decent indie labels on board.

        The only way this thing is possibly going to work is if they can talk indie labels like Subpop, Matador, Merge, KRS, Warp, etc to join. And that's definitely not gunna happen unless they waive that $50 charge.
      • Are the Beatles on ANY download service? They certainly aren't on iTunes for the obvious Apple Computer/Apple Corps reason; but I wouldn't be surprised if they're still holding out on competing services (after all, they didn't start releasing CDs until 1987).
      • Right... so a "decent artist" doesn't know how to figure out an ROI on $50. I mean people who actually do the economics as a living and *know* they'll get sales, not someone who'll put up a song hoping a dozen people down at the club will co-fund their hobby.

        The second part was just absurd. Spears, Jackson, Madonna, Metallica, Beatles. Yeah, I'm sure they're missing because of the $50 entry fee. *rolls eyes*
        • People who do the financials for the big names know they should probably RECIEVE money from the company that wants to list them instead of having to pay them.
    • Looks like you can't hear a preview of the track either. I like to discover new music, but without a preview option there is no way for me to know whether a track is worth buying.

      Unless the manage to add DRM. to their OGG and FLAC tracks. they won't be able to get any of the big names, since it won't go down well with the record companies.
      • My bad, looks like I didn't read the FAQ:


        Q. How do you handle demo songs?
        A. Our Mindawn player will use your Ogg Vorbis files as the demo file. The user can play it in full up to 3 times, and thenthe local copy of the file will self-destruct. The file is not playable outside of our player software, and our player "knows" how many times it has been played.

        Q. How can I hear a demo version of a song?
        A. First, download the Mindawn Player for your platform. Then register as a Mindawn user and then log onto M

  • Who? (Score:5, Funny)

    by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday July 19, 2005 @12:24AM (#13101131)
    I think I speak for everyone when I say: What is a mindawn, and what part of left field did that decision come out of?

  • Popular music? (Score:2, Informative)

    by pmazer ( 813537 )
    Unfortunately for the UC systems, Mindawn doesn't seem to offer any popular music (songs produced by the RIAA) so I'm not sure that's going to help stem the tide of file sharing.

    Not that there's anything wrong with not providing that RIAA stuff...

  • How much money did they plunk on this? (Score:5, Insightful)

    by thewldisntenuff ( 778302 ) on Tuesday July 19, 2005 @12:26AM (#13101138) Homepage
    I ask this question because I have browsed through the Mindawn service. This might be a loss for the university. Before we get into this debate about what music is good/bad, or the usual "Indie Music is the only real music" posts, let's say something about Joe College Student. Your average college student isn't like us. The average college student listens to RIAA artists like Metallica, Britney Spears, etc. None of those artists (nor any newer music) is available on this catalog. Word will get around campus, and as a result, I have a feeling the service will not be used by the masses.

    -thewldisntenuff

    • The average college student listens to RIAA artists like Metallica, Britney Spears, etc.

      Britney Spears is middle school music, not college music.

      Word will get around campus

      We're talking about music copying, not software copying!

      But seriously, it's also possible that word will get around campus about the good songs on the system.

      • Britney Spears is middle school music, not college music.

        Another Britney slam from one of those cool counterculture rebels. Y'know, dishing crap about "popular" culture doesn't make you witty or admirable, and it sure as hell won't get you laid. All it does is make you look like a geek, and not in a good way.

        Max
        • I can't believe that you are seriously defending the music of Britney Spears. She is a no-talent hack that no one would have ever heard of if she weren't young, pretty and willing to wear skimpy costumes in her videos.

          Y'know, defending crap singers doesn't make you witty or admirable, and it sure as hell won't get you laid. All it does is make you look like a geek, and not in a good way.
    • You know, I wish they had a mod "-1 missed the point"

      They provided a music service. There is no reason that must include RIAA artists because

      1. RIAA won't fuck with them. What stake can they claim if their artists aren't represented (spare me the moronic RIAA conspiracies). If they REALLY wanted a music service for students, they could partner with a real one, and probably get a deal.

      2. They never wanted it used anyway. The purpose of this partnership is to insulate the schools when RIAA comes for
    • 10,000 songs is enough for anybody.

  • Ok, we get it, it works with Linux (Score:4, Insightful)

    by X43B ( 577258 ) on Tuesday July 19, 2005 @12:27AM (#13101141) Journal
    "....supports Windows, Mac OS, and Linux

    works with Windows, Mac OS X, and Linux."

    ummmm, so does it run in Linux?

    Seriously though, there is no such thing as a free lunch and all that so I have to wonder what better uses (computer labs, research facilities, etc) are getting short changed to pay for this. I buy my songs legally so I don't like that my tuition and/or school budget getting used to this to prevent us "pirates".
  • Is this "article" a paid advertisement?
    • Hell, I'm pretty sure this IS the press release, or at least excerpts from it (from here [mindawn.com]:

      Mindawn, a revolutionary new online music and video service, has been selected by the University of California system as a partner to provide music and video to their approximate 200,000 large student population.

      Universities across the country are facing increasing pressure to curb the practice of individuals distributing digital files of copyrighted songs and movies without permission on university networks. As

      • Shawn Gordon...

        Mod me troll/flaimbait, but...

        I didn't need to read any further. Sorry, but after a few years of Zaurus ownership, I know that theKompany doesn't really keep its word on the promises it throws out there. Their zaurus mail app is classic build it-drop it support.

  • Heh... hilarious (Score:5, Insightful)

    by tabacco ( 145317 ) * on Tuesday July 19, 2005 @12:32AM (#13101159)
    So even though the vast majority of students on UC campuses carry iPods (thanks to Apple's extensive student discounts on them, including giving them away free with purchase of a powerbook), the UC system has selected a download system incompatible with iPod.

    Figures.
  • The university I attend started Cdigix service last year. I was going to give it a free try, but it only works in Windows, so I never even touched it. Had it worked in Linux, I would have probably given it a try (If they had my type of music), and maybe continued using it.

  • Top Tracks (Score:5, Interesting)

    by nherc ( 530930 ) on Tuesday July 19, 2005 @12:39AM (#13101197) Journal
    Here are the Top Track from Mindawn:
    • All The Water of This World - Aaron English
    • The Sense - John Luttrell
    • Waterfall Carnival - Frogg Cafe
    • Journey to Farpoint - John Luttrell
    • Consider the Lilies - JoAnn Gordon
    • Quest for the Heartland - Ricocher
    • All This Time - Frogg Cafe
    • You're Not Alone - JoAnn Gordon
    • Windy Day - John Luttrell
    • Full Moon - Chrome Shift
    Compare this to ITunes:
    • Pon de Replay (Radio Edit) - Rihanna
    • Feel Good Inc. (Album Crossfade) - Gorillaz
    • These Boots Are Made for Walkin'... - Jessica Simpson
    • Don't Cha (featuring Busta Rhymes)... - The Pussycat Dolls & Busta Rhymes
    • Best of You - Foo Fighters
    • Don't Phunk With My Heart - Black Eyed Peas
    • Sugar, We're Goin Down - Fall Out Boy
    • Behind These Hazel Eyes - Kelly Clarkson
    • Beverly Hills - Weezer
    • Lose Control (Featuring Ciara & Fa... - Missy Elliott
    Now how is this going to reduce piracy?

    It just sounds like they are throwing a bone to the RIAA in that they are AT LEAST making an attempt at offering an alternative to P2P perhaps trying to shield themselves from direct litigation on the REALLY, REALLY cheap.

    • Re:Top Tracks (Score:5, Funny)

      by Brandybuck ( 704397 ) on Tuesday July 19, 2005 @12:51AM (#13101253) Homepage Journal
      Now how is this going to reduce piracy?

      I have no idea, since I haven't heard of anyone in either list.
    • Quite honestly, this will make RIAA pissed (pushing the indies does not go over well for them). In addition, this will give mindawn major exposure. I would not be surprised to see several major groups/labels sign up (but I would be surprised if it was more than that). But more importantly, I suspect that mindawn will cost a fraction of the itunes/any windows set-up, and offer a "well, we are offering an alternative service".
    • I have to say the second list looks almost as alien as the first one to me and from the few artists I recognize in the second I would choose the first.
    • I don't think this is aimed at reducing piracy. I think this is aimed squarely at the RIAA, with a simple message. The message is that they can either provide DRM-free music, or they can find other markets. If more university campuses sent this kind of message, then there would be a significant incentive for them to start providing music via Mindawn and similar services.

  • good luck... (Score:4, Insightful)

    by Sathias ( 884801 ) on Tuesday July 19, 2005 @12:44AM (#13101219)
    Riiiight... they are going to stop piracy by providing a paid streaming audio and video service with crap content to a group of people that typically have little money.
    • Your post seems to have been cut off. I presume the ending of that sentence was intended to be "little money, high speed Internet connections, large amounts of free time, and few compunctions about stealing when its unlikely they will be caught."

  • It's obvious.... (Score:2, Insightful)

    by Fred Smythe ( 731961 )
    ...clearly they asked the folks at the student radio stations what the kids listen to these days. /worked in college radio //has NEVER met a student radio DJ who wasn't a HUGE music snob

  • Since when mindawn? (Score:2, Informative)

    by maxoct97 ( 897908 )
    Mindawn isn't the service they chose. Maybe they chose it in addition but this is the service they chose:

    http://www.cdigix.com/website/press/press071805. asp

    It offers popular music as well as movies and TV. Mindawn I'm still kind of confused on.

  • I'm Confused (Score:5, Insightful)

    by bill_mcgonigle ( 4333 ) * on Tuesday July 19, 2005 @12:57AM (#13101276) Homepage Journal
    What does this have to do with higher education again?

    Is the Citizenry of California really paying for college kids to download music?

    Why not deliver pints of Ben & Jerry's to the dorm rooms too? I mean, it's hot in California - think of the children, won't you?

    If they're having problems with bandwidth, give them an allotment per MAC address or other authorization token and charge them for overages. Next.
    • I think the idea is "Pay a little for downloading music today, avoid paying a lot for contributory copyright infringement tomorrow". Not that I think its a great idea, but it shows good faith on part of the University -- "We recognize our students download music, we tried to make the legal way as attractive as possible and have taken all reasonable steps to stop illegal downloading, so please don't sue us for a million billion dollars"

    • Re:I'm Confused (Score:3, Insightful)

      by Alioth ( 221270 )
      What does baseball/football/basketball et al. have to do with higher education? What does a nice looking campus have to do with higher education? Perhaps we should just turn universities into monasteries, since it's such a waste of taxpayers money to provide any kind of entertainment!
    • Umm...it's part of the operation of a college. The citizens of California also pay for the raquet ball courts at the UCLA Recreation Center and the UCLA Arcade. There's more to a university than books and professors.
    • This is stupid. If people do copyright violation, then let the music industry have them. That's the idiotic out of proportion punishment that needs to stop. Hiding it in tuition fees is just enabling the RIAA to keep on bullying people.

      The College just wants to be their supplier. They should also make sure they are the only provider of drugs and alchohol on campus. Then students wouldn't have to worry about getting caught by authorities and the schools, they can go sample everything because their tui
  • So you're telling me that the music software UC Berkeley chose doesn't work with the OS that UC Berkeley made? Does anyone know if this works with Linux compatibility feature of FreeBSD?

    If it only ran on one platform, people would scream about a monopoly. If it only ran on two platforms, people would yell about collusion. But since it runs on three platforms, the Linux people don't see any problem. I'll stick with Open Source Software, thank you.

  • One Reason (Score:5, Insightful)

    by emkman ( 467368 ) on Tuesday July 19, 2005 @01:00AM (#13101283)
    "Mindawn will be a valuable partner for campuses instituting online entertainment programs because of its wide range of content by independent artists and its offer to allow UC students to market their own music. This is an important endeavor that we are embarking on, and we are pleased to be working with an established leader on the project."

    The ability for students to market their music online easily is something other music services don't offer. This was possibly a significant factor in choosing this company. Its a very University of California type thing to do, and I as a UC student can't say I'm upset about this.

  • Sorry, mon... (Score:3, Insightful)

    by pedestrian crossing ( 802349 ) on Tuesday July 19, 2005 @01:05AM (#13101303) Homepage Journal

    Albums in category Reggae
    No albums were found in this category

    Tracks in category Reggae
    No tracks were found in this category

    • Albums in category Hip Hop
      No albums were found in this category

      Tracks in category Hip Hop
      No tracks were found in this category

      Albums in category Rap
      No albums were found in this category

      Tracks in category Rap
      No tracks were found in this category

      Yet they have 36 pages of Progressive Rock. Draw your own conclusion...

    • Re:Sorry, mon... (Score:3, Interesting)

      by FidelCatsro ( 861135 )
      I Know a fair few students who enjoy listening to Dub ,Generally whilst partaking in other activities.
      I think this may be them trying to reduce drug use in students.
      Either that or they are trying to reduce the amount of phoney Jamaican accented people who claim to be Rastafarian( Generally having no idea what the hell the religion entails bar the smoking part)
  • You know, in my day the university wasted money on cool things. Like roofs for buildings. Or Computers. Or, honestly, kickbacks so the athlete could get drugs and hookers. While we poor science students had to pay for our own.

    But seriously, what is the point of an official music source. Did they ever have an official radio station? Or an official music store? Or an official candy bar?

    Kids are going to listen to podcasts, and want the song. If they have a dollar, they might buy it off iTunes. O

    • First, I am not sure when you went to school, but offhand it is still the same (in most states (that excludes the state of Colorado due to a piss poor gov.). The roofs are still being built. Computers till flow, and yes, the jocks still get drugs and hookers (see the CU fiasco).

      As to this "free" service, well, the universities have several issues. One is that RIAA/MPAA are suing them silly. Likewise, numerous federal and states laws are being enacted against them. This is simply CHEAP insurance against l
  • Frameshift's "Unweaving the Rainbow"?

    Yes, I already can hear the mouses at UC clicking furiously to download their copy...

  • American universities (Score:3, Interesting)

    by BlightThePower ( 663950 ) on Tuesday July 19, 2005 @01:31AM (#13101390)
    I just don't get this constant infantilisation of students in American colleges. Their students are adults, why should they be provided with music and video to stop them from stealing it (read: violate copyright etc etc, lets not start with that old chestnut)? Competent adults should surely be responsible for their own actions. How on earth has this landed on the plate of the institution anyway? If its a question of bandwidth usage that can be easily and almost immediately curbed without apology.

    In my view institutions of higher education are just that, not glorified baby sitting services for adolescents. Things like introducing this service are a complete waste of the time of university employees and don't exactly help these kids grow up and take to the responsibility of being the adults they are.

    • "institutions of higher education"

      If this is your view of American colleges... you are entirely mistaken. For one thing, we're not talking about colleges here.. we're talking about Universities... now to move past the semantics...

      Universities are businesses, not educational institutions at all. Like any business they must compete for revenue with the rest of their industry. Some compete by being the best available educational resources of learning for their high paying customers... and others compete by p
      • Speak for yourself. I graduated from UC Berkeley in 1997 and consider myself and many of the people I was fortunate enough to associate with there a good cut above the muppets you describe. That said, a lot of them were self-centered immature slobs too, but the point holds.

        Universities may be businesses, but in the case of many of the better ones, they still churn out loads of smart, educated individuals. In the case of Cal, most of us pretty consistently had the feeling of having to fend for themselves
      • Including such things as music services, internet access to the www (as opposed to just the local network), festivals, pubs, stores, cafes and all other things that a person in their 20s might consider appealing while they are stuck for 4 years learning how to be a good employee...

        Right on. This decision makes more sense if you think of it as a way to add value to the service provided by UC (regardless of their stated reasons, curbing piracy blah blah). The fact is, university is a place where you spend a

      • I won't even go into the fact that modern humans are not ADULTS at 18 or 22 or even 24 anymore... as a society we've pretty much pushed the age back to the early 30s by now, at least in America.

        I don't think you're right. Just because someone's not totally ossified does not mean they are not adult and responsible (and know they are responsible) for their own actions. Most normal functioning people today are adults by 18, certainly by 21. Most of my friends (and myself included) had moved out of home by 1

        • infantilize infantilization" (nfn-tl-z, n-fn-)
          tr.v. infantilized, infantilizing, infantilizes

          1. To reduce to an infantile state or condition: "It creates a crisis that infantilizes themcauses grown men to squabble like kids about trivial things" (New Yorker).
          2. To treat or condescend to as if still a young child: "The Victorian physician infantilized his patient" (Judith Moore).

          I think its a new slang word thats found its way in but yeah apparently its a real word. It described what I meant anyw
      • Well look, I'm from England not America, the term "college" is pretty interchangable where I work put it that way. The University where I teach is an educational institution, you want socialisation goto the pub or something. Certainly some facilities are offered but not where they conflict with the mission of the institution. Its a different mentality in the States clearly, I just don't recognise the mind set. Internet access is provided for work purposes, its a disciplinary offense to use it for anything
    • I agree. It's silly.
    • Problem is since most students are poor the school will probably be the one that gets sued for their copyright infringement. And as much as the UC system may like to treat kids as adults, they know very well that some of their students will download copyrighted music and will not be able to reimburse the university for their costs when the record companies sue. So the univesrity would love to let the students be responsible, but the RIAA will still hold the university responsible.

      The universities are kind
  • AllOfMP3 [allofmp3.com] with many [MP3 (LAME/Blade), WMA (7/8/9), OGG (CBR/VBR), AAC (vbr/cbr), MPC, Lossless (Monkey's, OptimFROG, FLAC, PCM, WMA 9 Lossless)] encoding options

  • M$ Strategy - Catch 'em young! (Score:3, Insightful)

    by metalmaniac1759 ( 600176 ) on Tuesday July 19, 2005 @01:44AM (#13101434) Homepage Journal
    Why doesn't the RIAA try the M$ strategy of "catching 'em young?" College kids can't afford the money for buying the overprices CDs. But college is *the time* when you develop a taste for music.

    Why doesn't the RIAA give CDs, etc. at a lower price/free to college students and universities and charge the salaried class which can afford them?

    Nandz.

  • i hope this works (Score:4, Interesting)

    by pintomp3 ( 882811 ) on Tuesday July 19, 2005 @01:53AM (#13101456)
    though it's a bit optimistic, i hope the students really take the their selection. i like the grass-rootsy feel of supporting open-source drm-free codecs and non-RIAA content. it's like organic music. perhaps this will open the door for a larger audience to ween themselves off of the riaa koolaid. most of you are complaining it doesn't have enough "popular" music. maybe this can change what is "popular". longshot, but post like "it's not itunes, it sucks" and "it doesn't have britney spears, it sucks" is not going to help us break riaa monopoly. for all the M$ bashing that goes on here, it's amazing to read "everyone uses ipod/itunes, just use that". i would have expected more support for ogg and flac than for itunes on an open source friendly site.

  • Why exactly is this bad? (Score:4, Insightful)

    by mincognito ( 839071 ) on Tuesday July 19, 2005 @02:19AM (#13101525)
    I bet UC is paying next to nothing for this with minidawn hoping to profit on more musicians signing up to distribute music through their service (for $50). If i were a struggling band, I'd considering paying $50 to have my music distributed to 200,000 college students. And i'm sure those of you saying how crap the minidawn music selection is are the same ones calling for RIAA boycots in other post. I, for one, think it's great that a university is choosing to promote non-RIAA music to students.
  • Yeah, I'm sure that 9 out of 10 /.ers could put up an equivalent download service in ten minutes.

    This is called a creative solution. While RIAA is telling everyone to look at the waving hand, UC is saying, hey, let's be the hand with the rabbit.
  • OK, I like metal.
    So I browsed the metal selection. All 21 (twenty-one) "records". I have never heard of any of the bands.

    This will be a huge failure.
    HUGE.

    Did I say this would be a huge failure?

    This is a freaking joke.

  • From the FAQ... (Score:5, Informative)

    by XeRXeS-TCN ( 788834 ) on Tuesday July 19, 2005 @03:09AM (#13101645)

    Mindawn seems to be more like a community site / online record company, rather than a music store in it's own right. *ANY* artists can sign up for $50 a year (or the current special deal of $50 for lifetime) and upload as many albums as they want, with 75% of the sale coming back to them if it's exclusive to Mindawn, and 55% if it isn't.

    From the Artists FAQ [mindawn.com]:

    Q. So what's the catch to get in to Mindawn?
    A. It costs you as an artist just $50 per year to have your account, with as many albums and tracks as you want. You don't even have to print CDs -- just put some of those new songs you're working on up for sale online. You don't even have to even work around the concept of an "album" if you don't want to. Just create your account and load your content -- you can be 'live' within 30 minutes of opening your account. UPDATE: For a limited time the $50 fee is for a lifetime account, don't miss this limited opportunity to sign up with Mindawn for a one time fee of $50 for LIFE!

    Q. How much do I make from those sales?
    A. We have two royalty models:

    75% for electronic content exclusive to Mindawn. However, you can change at any time to the second model:

    55% for non-exclusive electronic content

    That means you get either 55% or 75% of the total price -- far better for artists than most record labels or iTMS.

    So while they do work with record companies, a lot (most?) of their music will inevitably be from independant artists, and anyone who wants to share their work. From the Customer FAQ [mindawn.com]:

    Q. What kind of content can I expect?
    A. You won't likely find major label releases -- we're geared more towards supporting independent artists and small record labels. Our system is also not closed to anyone, and we are adding content at an exponential rate. You can use our sophisticated search technology to find music you will likely be interested in, as well as demo the available songs as mentioned above. You're likely to discover some hidden gems that you wouldn't have found any other way.

    Not a system for everyone, since many students will be more interested in the big names which tend to get pirated in the first place, but a nice enough system, and the artists certainly aren't hard done by. They even provide software, MARS (Mindawn Audio Ripping Software), for ripping CD, WAV or AIFF to OGG or FLAC format for using with their system. That's not to say that you couldn't use flac/oggenc, especially since it isn't F/OSS, but it's nice that they've provided their own multi-platform utility with a GUI to help out in that regard... not to mention the fact that the MARS documentation says that you need oggenc/flac/cdparanoia installed on Linux in any case.

    • Not a system for everyone, since many students will be more interested in the big names which tend to get pirated in the first place, but a nice enough system, and the artists certainly aren't hard done by.

      So "Piracy" of big names goes on. Everyone knows the RIAA fucked them and is making all the money.

      In the mean time, people have an incentive not to "pirate" this music. Anyone who's interested can check it out, you can easily give your friends a copy if you want, it's a reasonable price and you know

  • Clever play by UC (Score:2, Informative)

    by MWelchUK ( 585458 )
    I think this is a very good move by UC.

    The university probably have an obligation to ensure all members of the university can use the services they buy in to and probably also have an obligation to ensure that the deal is fair for the students. As a result they were required to go for a provider which catered for windows, Mac and Linux. The popular providers don't do this and worse they wrap all there files in DRM. DRMed music files would no doubt increase support calls from not technical students to the u
    • it probably also was very, very cheap to UC too.

      if their deal includes that they pay only by what they use instead of a flat fee(which they pretty much must I guess unless mindawn wants to take a huge risk).

      however here's an idea: sign up as an artist, make some crap tracks, sign up to UC - download your own tracks over and over again and then PROFIT from your part of the sale. "$1.24 per 10 minutes of lossless compression (FLAC format)" - and the artist share is 75% of that. so.. UC'ers have now an easy
  • No iPod, No iTunes, No Deal.

    That pretty much sums it up.

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