From TNPC issue #4.14...

Roxio Sounds Off

by Al Gordon
July 12, 2001

Every time I test Roxio's Easy CD Creator (ECDC) I get a flurry of email from readers with gripes about the product.
http://www.TheNakedPC.com/t/414/tr.cgi?alg1

Since ECDC has something like an 80% market share, I keep thinking about the Yogi Berra-ism, "Nobody goes there any more; it's too crowded." But here at The Naked PC we are attentive to our readers, so I put the question to Roxio: have you had a lot of tech support issues with ECDC 5.x?

We have a reply from none other than Kathryn Kelly, Manager, Corporate Communications, "We have not received an over abundance of tech support calls for version 5, the only known issue is the Win2K compatibility issues. We have posted the fix as you [reported]."

Other email I received dealt with the litigation between Roxio and Gracenote, an online listing of music CD title, artist, and track information that, among other things, enables CD burning software to add that data to a disc. Some readers were concerned this meant that this capability was missing from ECDC 5. Nope. Roxio (as did Ahead Nero) has now switched to the FreeDB service (http://www.freedb.org). CD track information is still available for download on Easy CD Creator 5 or Nero 5.5

On this one, the software companies such as Roxio and Ahead are the good guys. Gracenote is the profit-making successor to the CDDB, which compiled much of its database by getting users--I would be among them--to upload track information to CDDB's server. Now Gracenote wants to cash in on those volunteer contributions. Hey, Gracenote, gonna write me a check for my contributions to your database? I didn't think so.

Roxio, meanwhile, is in the midst of another mini-controversy after making a deal with recording giant EMI to develop a "secure CD recording platform" for distributing music. This led to worries that the deal might mean that future versions of ECDC might limit the ability of users to copy CDs. Not so, says Kelly. "Roxio will not be removing any existing functionality from its products. Roxio is adamant about creating value for consumers and giving consumers what they want. Consumers will still be able to copy their CDs, rip CDs onto their PC, and make compilation CDs from their favorite CD tracks and MP3 files."

Kelly said Roxio's plan will result in "adding new functionality" by allowing "consumers to additionally burn downloaded music made available by the music labels." As a published author I have a certain fondness for defending intellectual property rights and think that many users are a little too quick to dismiss the recording industry's concerns about pirating. However, the Roxio- EMI concept still is highly amusing if you think about it: You pay EMI to download a music file, and then you serve as their CD production line. Wonderful thing is technology... and free enterprise.

You can reach Al Gordon at:
mailto:al@TheNakedPC.com

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