Saturday, 26 November 2005 09:11

Sony BMG learned the hard way recently that you might think your technology is clever and elaborately hidden, but there’s always somebody out there smarter than you. That’s just what programmer and blogger Mark Russinovich proved while tinkering with Sony BMG’s Digital Rights Management (DRM) when he stumbled upon the XCP (extended copy protection) software the company has been placing on recent releases including Our Lady Peace, the Coral, and the Dead 60s. Besides limiting the uses of a particular disc, the software used some of the same techniques virus writers use to bury itself deep within the Windows operating system where it is extremely difficult to remove. The PR hit Sony BMG has taken has been extraordinary, forcing the company to make XCP-free versions of the CDs available, while Amazon has offered a refund to anyone who purchased one of the 52 recordings. Even the behemoth Microsoft found the software malevolent and has readied a utility to remove the offending code in the company’s next malicious software removal tool update. Of course, as can be expected, users of the Apple and Linux software platforms were unaffected by any of these events.

According to a note on the band’s Web site posted by frontman Robert Smith, the Cure are entering the studio in January to begin recording the follow-up to last year’s self-titled release. Smith writes, “We are still on course for a summer release, as it’s all in the preparation.” Most notable will be the absence of keyboardist Roger O’Donnell and guitarist Perry Bamonte, who left band earlier this year. Smith tapped former guitarist Porl Thompson to rejoin the leaner lineup.

Scotland’s greatest band ever (as decided by a three-month public poll released at the beginning of this year), Belle & Sebastian, are set to release their latest album in early February. The Life Pursuit promises to be a change for the Scots, who ditched their old instruments and recorded in Los Angeles using Beck producer Tony Hoffer.

Manchester crooner Morrissey is also getting set to unleash a follow-up to last year’s You Are the Quarry at the end of March, entitled Ringleader of the Tormentors.

Many find the music of British rockers Kaiser Chiefs to be infectious, but no one anticipated a posting like this on the band’s Web site in mind: “These are the first shows in Kaiser Chiefs history we have cancelled. The cancellation is caused by an outbreak a highly contagious and rare virus in our travel party. Unfortunately this has led to enforced cancellation of all Kaiser Chiefs gigs this week until each of the band has the all-clear following medical tests. We apologise for any disappointment this may cause and hope you understand the strange circumstances that have lead to this. We hope it’s not too long before we have the chance to visit Spain again.” The band was forced to cancel a string of dates in Spain because of the still as yet undisclosed medical malady.

Jed Maheu, a former Sub Pop promotions employee who received a Gold Record of the Postal Service’s 2003 hit Give Up for his contributions in helping sell the album, is auctioning off the memento on eBay. The description for the auction details Maheu’s quest to find his roots in Eurasia before returning to this year’s CMJ festival and realizing how much soul sucking the music industry is responsible for. His answer to this: “I believe that as a man you should lead by example so for my first foray into ‘world betterment’ as I like to call it I have decided to start my own publicity and marketing company.” He is auctioning off the record to help fund his new ludicrously named Dudes PR. The initial reserve price of $6,217.14 (figured by a calculation of his input to the actual profit of the record) was recently lowered to $3,716.66.

A Los Angeles judge released Courtney Love November 18 from her inpatient rehab, stating: “You’re doing really well. I’m really pleased with the reports. I certainly hope you keep up the good progress. You’re definitely going in the right direction.” Love will spend what’s left of her six-month sentence as an outpatient, going to counseling, submitting to random urine tests, and attending 12-step meetings.

In just four short years, the Shortlist Prize went from obscurity to being broadcast on MTV. Now one of the best-known awards for independent and groundbreaking musical achievements is no more. The team behind the Shortlist, Greg Spots and Tom Sarig, differed on the future direction and vision of the award and have parted ways. Sarig has announced plans to launch the New Pantheon award next year without the participation of Spots.

We made mention last month of the five curators taking part in the All Tomorrow’s Parties festival, and now comes word that a sixth has been added. Devandra Banhart will join the group to program acts for a single day of the festival.

Also last month, if talk of your musical habit emptying your wallet wasn’t enough, a recent Rolling Stone report on the often-ignored subject of music-related hearing loss may make you think twice about whether listening to that Shakira album—even as a joke—is worth it. As the article states, “More than 28 million Americans currently have some degree of hearing loss, according to the National Institute on Deafness, and as baby boomers age, the number is expected to climb to as high as 78 million by 2030.” Please, if you’re going to go deaf, make sure you choose your music carefully.