I knew this was going to happen sooner or later. Record companies have started spamming bogus files onto P2P networks like Kazaa. The files, which appear to be a music file, are in fact a short excerpt with something else filling the remaining time — information about the artist, an interview, places you can buy the CD, etc.
“One band whose label appears to be taking an aggressive tack on the spoofing front is Linkin Park. On a recent afternoon, attempts to download ‘Somewhere I Belong’ from the LimeWire network resulted in about 60 percent bogus files. Additionally, songs from upcoming Madonna and Blur albums appear to have been heavily spoofed.”
The file trader in me is bummed, but on the other hand, you have to hand it to the record companies. Instead of fighting the system, they’ve embraced it and may destroy it from within. Hats off to them — they’ve found a creative way around a sticky problem, and I applaud their ingenuity here.
About a year ago, I imagined this would be a good way to fight piracy. I should have gotten a patent…
It's just me again, sorry to burst your bubble ;)
I think U2 was the first to employ this method about a year ago when their latest CD came out. I seem to remember a very flustered Rob and Keith over this...heh
