April 17, 2002

10:50 AM

FullAudio and ClearChannel Radio form alliance to bring subscription music services to consumers. Another lame attempt to understand music consumers.The truth is buried in a faq section. Can I listen to tracks on my MP3 player? No. Can I convert my tracks to MP3 format? No. What's the point of this service?
posted by chainring (13 comments total)

Um, to generate revenue for FullAudio and Clear Channel?
posted by ebarker at 11:01 AM on April 17, 2002

Let's see.

How to record a song from radio, in analog:
1. Turn on radio.
2. Tune to station.
3. When song I desire comes on, record using "Record" button on tape recorder.
3a. Note that many songs will have DJ talk on front or back of song, and may be tough to clean up.
4. Optional: transfer to PC using actual cables and recording software.
5. Optional: Record MP3 audio to CD.

How to record a song from FullAudio:
1. Purchase subscription to service.
2. Wait for song I desire to come on.
3. Wait for ClearChannel to work out a deal with record labels to allow recording.
4. Once deal is reached, pay increased subscription cost or licensing fee to record label(s).
5. Use proprietary music format to record CD which includes proprietary copy protection and can be played in some, but not all, CD players.
6. Destroy computer; purchase 8-track player and rock out to Foghat.
posted by hijinx at 11:06 AM on April 17, 2002

What ebarker said. ClearChannel is the devil.

Also, if you really wanted to convert the tracks to MP3, you could always use a tool like Super MP3 Recorder.
posted by redshifter at 11:13 AM on April 17, 2002

If there's an Audio Out for headphones, my soundcard still has Aux In... If there's a PC, there's a way.
posted by Nauip at 11:23 AM on April 17, 2002

What's the point of this service?

- above all, to attempt to control distribution of music online.
- to put the "genie back in the bottle" and make mp3 a distant memory.
- to have more reason to assume everyone looking for music online is either a "theif" or a "pirate" when no one signs up for the service.
- to metaphorically take customers by the ankles, turn them over, and shake until money no longer comes out.
posted by mathowie at 11:26 AM on April 17, 2002

ClearChannel must be stopped.

Okay, here's something related that I'm confused about. Microsoft, at WinHEC is apparently pushing the whole "let's replace component DVD and CD players, along with other equipment, with machines running some flavor of Windows."

What, exactly, are they planning to do about discs (as Phillips points out, they're not "compact discs!") which have been corrupted with the various new DRM schemes?

I'm so confused.
posted by jburka at 11:53 AM on April 17, 2002

Another alternative to these funky formats is Total Recorder. It too takes whatever you hear and saves it as a wav, mp3, etc. The one feature I really like about it (for when I'm recording live streams) is the 30 second buffer. At only $11.95, it's a nifty little product that is really worth the price.
posted by stormy at 12:02 PM on April 17, 2002

I think it's cool how ClearChannel is actively buying up radio stations and working to make them irrelevant to future generations(people that use the web to get their music, and use portable audio, which includes in the car, the very last place I ever listen to radio). They all play the same music, and now they use the same dj's for hundreds of stations. Maybe eventually ClearChannel will go out of business, and start selling their radio properties, giving independent entrepreneurs an opportunity to do crazy things with their radio stations.
posted by insomnyuk at 12:10 PM on April 17, 2002

Maybe eventually ClearChannel will go out of business, and start selling their radio properties, giving independent entrepreneurs an opportunity to do crazy things with their radio stations.

Maybe, but it will be a while. More likely, they'll hold onto them well after they're unprofitable (perhaps ClearChannel will sell itself to Sony or Disney or Viacom), then they'll declare that radio is dead and use their resources to lobby the FCC to reallocate the radio airwaves to some other use that will be useful to them, and give indie radio broadcasters no chance.

Or maybe I'm just being cynical.
posted by daveadams at 1:11 PM on April 17, 2002

You know, you don't need to precache FM radio....and they make CDs with music already on them.
posted by Settle at 1:55 PM on April 17, 2002

they make CDs with music already on them

But they've stopped making them with music I want to listen to!
posted by yhbc at 2:50 PM on April 17, 2002

as the final strains of 'fool for the city' fade into the night, quonsar passes hijinx the 'tres hombres' 8-track.
posted by quonsar at 4:39 PM on April 17, 2002

From http://www.fullaudio.com/serv_sub.jsp: Manage behind-the-scenes renewals of all music tracks so monthly updates occur without interference.

Ohmigod, it's DIVX for music.
posted by chipr at 6:12 PM on April 17, 2002