Sony BMG will be the last of the four music majors to offer tracks unencumbered with DRM (digital rights management) copy-protection, via its Platinum MusicPass product. But it seems to have done a good job of making the system inconvenient and expensive.
So you can just log on and download a few tracks? No such luck. You have to go to a shop, buy a card, enter a pin number, and only then can you download the files. But don't throw that useless card away. Sony's Thomas Hesse, President, Global Digital Business & US Sales, says in the press release:
The cards themselves are high-quality collectibles featuring artist images and album information. They're a great choice whether you're buying for yourself, or as a gift for occasions ranging from a birthday to Valentine's Day.
Sony says later:
The cards will be priced at a suggested list retail price (slrp) of $12.99 which will include the complete digital album plus bonus material or, in the case of compilations, extensive track listings. In order get the content from their MusicPass cards consumers scratch the back of their card to unveil their pin number. They then visit MusicPass.com to download their music files and bonus material.
But if you have to go to the shop, you might as well buy the original CD and rip it. That will get you a high-quality DRM-free file, and you'll still have a CD you can lend or eventually sell.
Also, with the Sony system, you're paying a high price to get the whole CD: you can't just pick one or two favourite tracks.
I can see a few people buying them as gift cards, but if you know anyone like that, tell them you'd rather have record tokens!
Charles Arthur adds: splendid conversation between a Sony BMG dude touting the things and kid #1 and kid #2 at scalzi.com:
Kid #2: So to recap, what you've got here is a system that makes people leave their house in order to download music at their house, and makes them go to a store to get music that they could get at the store, somewhere else.
