What’s going on? Two chunks of good news for humans in one day?
– The Supremes ruled 5/4 that, gee, the EPA does have a legal right to regulate C02 emissions after all. This all dates back to 1970, when the EPA got away with murder — on the technicality that carbon dioxide was not technically a pollutant. It may help melt glaciers and snuff out polar bears, but hey, it’s just a common gas, none of the EPA’s bidnis. No longer.
– Non-DRM music from the EMI catalog will soon become available through iTunes. Not only will it be unprotected and playable on non-Apple hardware, it’ll be available as 256kbps AAC – far higher fidelity digital music than is currently commercially available. Apple wouldn’t be upping the bitrate if consumers weren’t demanding it; it’s heartening to know that users can tell the difference.
And there was much rejoicing, less gnashing of teeth.
of course, the hardened cynic in me DOES notice the proximity of these items to april 1… (you know, if something sounds too good to be true, it probably is…)
Apple wouldn’t be upping the bitrate if consumers weren’t demanding it…
Unless they needed another carrot to dangle in order to charge more money for something that really shouldn’t be crippled in the first place.
I’ve got it from reliable sources that Steve Jobs has arranged it so that every DRM-free AAC file downloaded from the iTunes store will actually suck carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere. How’s that for technology?!
For Asheville, NC folks the Supreme Court ruling was especially sweet as it came hot on the heels of a local municipality refusing to authorize a new oil-burning power plant that Progress Energy was trying to ram down our throats. Two green victories in one day.
I was all excited about the EMI deal, too, until I learned that Beatles catalog is not included. Since I have no real interest in Kylie Minogue, whoever that is, the EMI deal suddenly means not so much to me.
–James
Eh, the Beatles thing will happen soon enough. Don’t forget the Sex Pistols were on EMI too…
“Hello EMI? GOODBYE.”
–Johnny Rotten
The Pistols only released singles with EMI (e.g. “Anarchy In The UK”) and were released from their contract. Hence the angry titular song.
Virgin released Pistols stuff in the UK, and EMI got those rights when they bought Virgin. On this side of the pond the Pistols were signed to A&M (Herb Alpert’s label!), which is part of WEA/WMG.
Wonder how that shakes out for the iTMS. Filthy fscking lucre.