In what has been called as the “Largest fake media file outbreak” in three years, nearly half a million people have fallen victim to a phony video or music track that has been packaged to look as an innocent MP3 file. Once the free track is downloaded, a required codec is prompted for and downloading it sends in tons of popups as the attached Trojan takes hold and kicks into action. This is as sample of how gullible people with little or no knowledge in computer security end up falling victims of such attacks that have files packaged as a legal format that is actually a malicious program in disguise. The article was posted in the BBC and the good news is that of the almost half a million infected people who have been victimized, only 10 percent actually installed the malware and ended-up with the pesky pop-up’s plaguing them as they try to get rid of all traces of the Trojan.
There is however an increasing problem with such types of attacks for they may encompass the wide variety of media files that are currently being used by people around the globe. Some of these files have been around from quite sometime such as MP3’s which have been one of the major reasons why digital music became a mainstay of music we enjoy today. They can be packaged as MP3’s, AVI’s or many other formats which do not have encoded security features included with the file. Updated Anti-virus software should deal with the problem easily but unprotected systems face a lot of annoying pop-up’s and other malware as the so-called coded that you download contains a variety of malware.
Tags: Fake Media, Malware, Trojans
Categories: Freeware, Music, Videos
With the iPhone set to get a new version the music industry is hoping that the move by Apple to boost their online music sales. Most music is copied from computers after they are purchased from online stores and only a small percentage is acquired from direct online downloads. The newer version of the Apple iPhone is packed with 3G capabilities which is going to give it a more power in terms of connection and browsing the internet. A large majority of iPhone owners, 75% have shown that they use their iPhones to listen to music as an MP3 player. Having the capability to use 3G services will allow access on the new iPhone allowing direct purchasing of songs and videos directly from online sites.
There is no definite or official announcement of when the product is set to be released but sources say it would be more likely to come in early June. Older iPhones do have built-in capabilities such as WiFi. WiFi does not offer the high speed connections needed for phone downloads and suffers from coverage limitations. The iPhone represents only around 1% of the total number of all mobiles in use and the release of the newer version is set to give the series a boost in terms of connectivity options. They also suffer from competition from Blackberries which they have countered with their offering compatibility to Windows applications. Smart phones and other mobile phones form the bulk of the communications hardware and these companies are after the same market, Verizon has been delayed in offering their music with their tie-up with Rhapsody due to their decision to offer the service to most of the available market, which simply translates to more cellular phones that can be supported and access their music sharing service.
Tags: 3G Capable iPod, Apple Inc, iPhone
Categories: Mobile Phones, Music, Providers, Videos
The site is hailed as a leader as a provider of free resources, music and videos by such reputable media organizations such as CNN, NBC, Cnet and AOL and is one of the most used sites for free music, videos and a whole lot more. The site asks for a small fee it says is used to pay for the salaries of their researchers who do the compiling of stuff from them such as reviews and summaries of current events (they have to get some cash out of the whole deal), kidding aside they are getting many positive reviews by users and many just keep coming back. The site offers all one could ask for in terms of multimedia and lots of other free stuff. The many DRM ruled sites have long since given up, and its about time for even the record labels have ceased investing and encoding their disks with DRM software which was rendered useless by music lovers like you and me.
MP3Downloadnet is a multimedia center that caters to all your multimedia needs, from videos, software, PSP downloads Mp3 and many more. So give them a check-see so you get to see what we mean and get your way onto your favorite movies and music. For music that’d totally free, check out the MP3DownloadNet, one of the best sources of free stuff on the web.
Tags: DRM Free Music, Free-Music-and-Videos, iPodSid
Categories: Music, Podcasts, Providers, Resources, Videos
The site, offers free and legal downloads for members and it has quite a collection of free downloads form a myriad of artists. From Country Music, Reggae, Smashing Pumpkins, Electronica and more music from around the globe, they have them all ready for download. They might not have the big names but they have some of the most promising artists along with their music videos which they also offer for free. They even feature MySpace music codes to go with your downloads along with band profiles and the likes. The site contains genre information, band profiles, events information (Schedules), other sources of free music and tips on how you can get your hands on your favorite tunes.
The people who make up the site say they’re just like anybody else who loves music, they’re mad about their tunes. And what better way than to spread the news so others can see and hear what you’re talking about. In today’s world of paid downloads this is truly a find. Just browsed around for sites and they just popped right out. Checked it out and there they were, all free and all legal. That’s the best part, for no threat of being hounded by the RIAA for downloading and copying illegal stuff a couple of years back (see previous post). There are a lot of sites out there that still offer some of the best free music but they are getting wiped out by commercial sites. Unlike college approved sites like Ruckus, they do not have much in terms of money gaining potential. Going P2P is getting harder too but they are still around for they just keep eluding the guys who are out to get them.
P2P has lost some of its shine due to problems with privacy and malware yet many still choose them as a source of all types of downloads. Governments have been stepping up measures to limit and even shut them down but these P2P sites still manage to keep one step ahead of them all the time.
Tags: all genres, Free-Downloads, Legal-Downloads
Categories: Downloading Legally, Music, Providers, Videos
There have been many gimmicks over the year which is usually a precursor of album releases. Sweepstakes for free passes, advertising gimmicks and many more have all had their shares of success. In the drive to develop newer ways of delivering the talent of their brood, music companies have gone far and wide for some of the craziest ideas on the planet just to hype an album’s release. In one of the previous posts, an artist worked hand in hand with a leading cellular phone manufacturer to release a new album as an added bonus for purchasing a new phone. The new phone came with the song already in it for consumers to enjoy even as they are settling their bill.
Artists on the other hand who do not have much backing from big record companies have been trying to get their work the exposure they need, first through YouTube then through social networking sites which promote their music. But keeping competitive with all the thousands of artists in the world not to count the thousands more who are around locally, artists have been finding it hard to get resources to fund further projects. Some big names in the business have put up heir own web sites to do their own promotion simply through word of mouth and search engines. Search Engine Optimization allows them to get their fans to visit their sites which they keep hooked with previews and free music they can listen to as they are browsing thought the site. They can even watch MTV’s of their favorite songs right at the convenience of their PC’s. What better way is it to promote an album than to give one out, for free. Yep, this might be the start of a new trend as the British band Cold Play has decided to offer their first single for free download, free as in no fees no per song charges and taxes to pay.
The move may help them promote their music for through social networking sites, people share interests and other information including their favorite songs and bands. Free marketing as the word get’s out and they include the music within their pages, they unknowingly promote the album for the band and record company. Record companies are having to agree to some odd ways for their artists to get the exposure with them not having to shell out cash for the price of an arm and leg. so check the free download from the ColdPlay site so you can get your hands on the free song, no charges guaranteed.
Tags: Album Releases, Cold Play, Launching
Categories: Downloading Legally, Freeware, Mobile Phones, Music, Providers, Videos
In an unprecedented bummer (yesterday, today and tomorrow for sure) the software giant has released a statement that current users of their music and video entertainment service would have to purchase new registration keys for their downloaded music which was laden with DRM software. This same software tells de-activation servers if the computer and media that is being used is together as the download says it was or otherwise get turned-off preventing the darned stuff from playing at all. Like many users worldwide, people have a need for several copies of their video and audio where-ever they may be, Maybe due to lessons of the past when their hard drive crashed and took all of them with the disk (out the trash) or maybe because they just plain love the damned thing and want it to be available everywhere.
The Microsoft Corp has time and again gone through ups and downs and this would be hailed as one of the dumbest downer they have ever done. At first they delay the availability of XP SP3 by saying it’s still in the beta phase (though its been circulating in the P2P world as a download for quite sometime now) and that they are still monitoring for requests from their customers saying, “We are currently monitoring the need for the update from our users and as of now, we don’t see a need for it. If we do begin to see interest in the said update we will release it accordingly!” Many XP users were pissed at the thought, that the promised update for their XP’s which was promised last year took half a year for release then when the news people say it was ready they didn’t want to share it?! The update then mysteriously appears on the TechNet and other download sites for no apparent reason (Guess a good yelling for that employee or PR guy was ENOUGH REASON) maybe due top the tons of negative email they got when they said that.
Now they do it again by rewarding those who have been loyal to them by actually using the video and audio service by telling them we’re all of a suddenly puckering up our lips and saying no to multiple copies of your downloaded media and you have to pay for another activation key for all copies (they allowed the download of separate activation keys for all users who do get their songs from the site legally) costing them more money! Nice going guys, for during a time when everybody is way out on a limb with what little cash they had you’re asking for more? For me, I’ve never ever heard of the darned service, I know about Apple’s iTunes store (they’ve sold more than 4 billion tracks of music at less than a dollar)but never heard of their multimedia service. This may be nice for them so they add points to the, “Why you should hate Microsoft List”, which amounts to A LOT recently. I thought you guys had the best PR and Customer relations guys in the world money can buy? Guess brains were not part of the tons of money you pay PR people.
Tags: Bummer, Digital Music, Download service, Entertainment, Microsoft, Video
Categories: Downloading Legally, Music, Podcasts, Providers, Resources, Videos
The company has been trying to move into the entertainment theater for quite sometime and they have managed to flop at each and every try. Why, their Apple TV venture is still struggling to make a profit with many customers expressing their opinions with the system’s lack of competitive and interesting content. The company has been trying to push streaming video and other content through the system but the amount of acceptable content has failed way below their promised mark. Many media giants have expressed interest but are still holding back as they try to see what the futuristic TV system that is hooked up to the internet rather than to a cable system is faring out.
Even the company’s CEO Steve Jobs is calling their company’s venture into Apple TV a hobby rather than a major money earning venture as they have invested much into the project with little returns in terms of profit. The promise of distributing content for the iPhone and iPod’s series of multi-media players has indeed perked up the area but still, major profits remain to be gained.
Apple, though it is quite a median player in the PC and portable markets with their Mac’s and Mac Books is recognized by many in the technology business as one of the most performing companies in terms of stock per stock value which is worth around $15.4 billion dollars with $5 billion added in the past year alone according to Fortune. The company continues to reign supreme with their iPod’s and iPhone which are some of the most wanted gizmos and gadgets on earth as far as multimedia is concerned. As more and more cheaper gadgets with similar capabilities come onto the market, the reign of the multimedia giant would be challenged a lot but not as much.
Tags: Apple TV, Flunking Expectations, iPhone, iPod
Categories: DVD Videos, Downloading Legally, Mobile Phones, Music, Providers, Videos, ipods
In the never ending bummers that have plagued the move to promote and protect digital rights, the RIAA has struck again, now against a whole family that doesn’t even own a computer. The RIAA filed charges against a man who says he doesn’t own a computer and indeed did but was over a year ago (then how the hell was he supposed to have violated any copyright laws?) and that was only for two months or so. This again brings into sights of the public the ever present fight by groups to either have free access to music or give access to those who pay for it. it might sound crazy but people do have the desire to get the real stuff and one of the most inhibiting factors would be cost. not everybody can shell out the half dollar or so that is needed for one to get perfectly legal software you could use at your own leisure. Even the record labels have recognized the futility of having to invest in costly copyright protection software which is quite ineffective for people still get their hands of the tracks they want from illegal sources. In my home country, there are select malls which cater to such needs where you can find whole compilations of the latest CSI Season 5 for a meager $23.00 or better yet a collection of the whole Bond Films at the same price which sells for $60.00, some of these pirated stuff are indeed bad but some which are mastered from originals are same as the original. The lure of cheaper and more value (by getting more movies crammed into one DVD say the whole Disney collection of cartoon classics) is the main factor why people still patronize these illegal stuff.
Their motives may be for the protection of the rights of those who indeed work hard to produce music but they should be more precise in their moves for the public to treat them more seriously (most treat them as a joke). Imagine saying you’re accusing someone of hacking who’s in prep school, or an individual who has hacked the FBI who lives in a far away town up in the mountains of Papua New Guinea, be reasonable guys and go for those who really do the promotion of such activities like issuing warnings and labels to sites which promote them. If you can’t shut down these sites, why not target the community who supports them by offering cheaper alternatives to the standard issue 9like value packs which have less tracks that they can get only the ones they select burned onto audio CD’s at retail stores), now that would be acceptable as a solution. People who are getting stuff for free won’t just quit cold turkey and shift to store bought stuff overnight without a fight. Focus on the sources and promoters and there might be validity in your cause.
Tags: copyright-infringement, File Sharing, Illegal Downloads, RIAA
Categories: Music
Nokia, one of the world’s leading cellular phone manufacturing firms has gone to extremes into the marketing of their N-series cell phones, bundled with a new album by India’s top singers. The album, by Rabbi Shergill a top fusion artist has his new album released bundled with the new N-series Nokia Phones. This is hailed by some to be the next step for the digital music industry, the diffusion of the formats for mobile and desktop use which has digital music in two formats. Using uniform playback and format capabilities allows users to have fewer devices in their pockets such is the case with the many walkman phones that have come out on the market. There are plans to release more albums in the same manner and they represent the offer of Nokia to take into consideration the tastes of their customers into consideration.
Being one of the world’s biggest and best cellular phone maker’s, Nokia has again led the pack in what would be the next step for digital music. Currently, cellular phones usually use proprietary formats for their media which can be music and video, digital media players(iPods, iTouch and others too have their own specific formats with desktops and other computers having the broadest range of playback capabilities. The diffusion of all these formats into a unified format would allow digital music for use on all the various devices. The move by Nokia can be called a market tester and they would surely be doing more if the market response would be preferable. The Nokia N-series is considered one of the most capable multi-media device on the market to date. India is considered to be one of the most densely populated countries in the world with most of them crammed into their major cities has a wide market that is open for the cellular market. With more and more of India’s population getting onto the fast paced life in cities and even globally, the market is ripe and set for the coming of the multimedia market going mainstream.
Tags: , N-Series, Nokia
Categories: Downloading Legally, Graphics, Mobile Phones, Music, Ringtones
In attempts to get music stores into the digital music band-wagon, they have come up with a form of digital music purchase system, well sort of. Several music stores have started to sell digital music cards much the same to prepaid cards that allows users to log on to the online store and get them to download their songs for the nifty price similar to the cost of a current audio cd which is $12.00. These cards have a code which they enter that gives the user a sort of consumable account from which their selections are deducted from from the store in CD purchases or for online use. They download the music/albums they wish to get and even get perks such as additional tracks that are offered only to those who purchase the digital cards.
iTunes has been offering Digital Release Cards for sometime and Sony-BMG has their own Platinum Music Pass which is said to have the rest such as Best Buy and Target on their heel to be offering them soon. These cards would allow more and more people to sample the digital music revolution which is still new to some users. They offer digital download only available add-ons such as bonus tracks you don’t get on the original CD. They may need to hurry it up for physical music stores may be going extinct soon for studies are showing that by the year 2012, digital music sales would account for around 40% of all music related sales.
There seems to be lessening ground for these music stores for the ever-expanding reach of the internet which makes digital music possible. Piracy which still accounts for the majority of digital music’s problems is getting heat from all sides and is said to be addressed with the advent and introduction of more digital music copyright controls.
Tags: iTunes, Sony BMG Platinum Cards
Categories: Downloading Legally, Mobile Phones, Music, Providers, ipods
In what has been called as the “Largest fake media file outbreak” in three years, nearly half a million people have fallen victim to a phony video or music track that has been packaged to look as an innocent MP3 file. Once the free track is downloaded, a required codec is prompted for and downloading it sends in tons of popups as the attached Trojan takes hold and kicks into action. This is as sample of how gullible people with little or no knowledge in computer security end up falling victims of such attacks that have files packaged as a legal format that is actually a malicious program in disguise. The article was posted in the BBC and the good news is that of the almost half a million infected people who have been victimized, only 10 percent actually installed the malware and ended-up with the pesky pop-up’s plaguing them as they try to get rid of all traces of the Trojan.
