how can i copy protect things really well

[bonestonne]

Ok, so yesterday evening i recorded my schools rock show. It was 5 bands, and when i finished editing the 3 hours of audio, splitting it into tracks, and remastering them as best i could, i've come down to one last question. How can i protect the CDs when they're sold? my sister told me i can copy protect CDs with Nero, which i suppose is good enough, but i'd like to make sure that it can't be broken, easily at least. it'll will likely be 3 CDs of music burned, i have 53 tracks between songs and segways. my first protection from copying files will be pre-orders. i'm not handing out a CD if someone hands my $15, as thats my current price for it, i still need to consult the bands about better prices for the CDs, as its their work, however, as i edited the whole thing myself, i think i deserve my own say, and i'm also collecting a small commision of the profit from the money, as i'll be burning it, and i'm the only person who has a copy of it at the moment.

i need software thats hopefully free or easy to find in a store, as i don't want to fuddle around with online orders of software.

suggestions are much appreciated, as it is mainly to keep myself in check, and keep the music in legal flow. being part of the music industry, i'm against pirating, and the effect of pirating one of these CDs could be destroying windows for all i care, if it hits limewire, i'm the one in trouble, i recorded it, i'll be distributing it. i'm well aware of how easily some encryptions are broken, and i only hope that i get a good one.

thanks in advanced, from me and the bands involved, as keeping it legal is the most important thing.

[LeveL]

If someone wants to rip your CD dude, they will get around absolutely

anything thats available to us common people. Unfortunately, even multi

billion dollar companies like Sony, EMI and so on cannot make uncrackable

copy protection for CD's. If they could, they would be doing it.

I don't see why you would get into any trouble if other people copy your CD's,

its not your fault, its the people copying them at fault. Tell you what, if anyone

tries to sue you because people copied the CD's you made, then just counter

sue them. Do artists sue EMI when their work is copied? Nope, because its

not EMI who are liable. Its the individual pirates that are liable.

[bonestonne]

its more than just the music, its the profit margin...i don't want to be out of the water, with one buyer who then makes copies for everyone else.

[LeveL]

The problem is you want an audio CD that will play in any CD player, yes?

Thats the problem... if people were only going to be using this on a PC then

there might be some way to do it, but even then, it can just be copied. I was

thinking of something like a single SFX EXE file with the MP3's inside but the

file has a password... however this is pointless if you need to be able to just

sell audio CD's.

I can't find anything but I did find an interesting idea about this:

"Michael Jackson has recently followed suit, releasing his new single ‘You Rock My World’ in

a copy-protected version. While the CD works in normal audio CD players (so far), when put

in the CD drive of a computer it spins continuously, in the same manner as a blank or corrupted

disc would. The technology works through the inclusion of ‘bad’ audio correction codes, or intentional

errors; normal audio CD players aren’t sensitive enough to pick them up, but CD-ROM drives will.

Critics argue that some CD players will have trouble reading these discs, that the discs will degrade

faster as a result of this sort of meddling, that someone will eventually crack the protection (as

happened with computer software in the 80s) and that in any event, they have the right to listen

to their music on their computers if they want to."

What "computer software in the 80s" has to do with any of that I do not know. :S

[bj-kaiser]

The problem is you want an audio CD that will play in any CD player, yes?

...

I can't find anything but I did find an interesting idea about this:

"Michael Jackson has recently followed suit, releasing his new single 'You Rock My World' in

a copy-protected version. While the CD works in normal audio CD players (so far), when put

in the CD drive of a computer it spins continuously, in the same manner as a blank or corrupted

disc would. The technology works through the inclusion of 'bad' audio correction codes, or intentional

errors; normal audio CD players aren't sensitive enough to pick them up, but CD-ROM drives will.

Critics argue that some CD players will have trouble reading these discs, that the discs will degrade

faster as a result of this sort of meddling, that someone will eventually crack the protection (as

happened with computer software in the 80s) and that in any event, they have the right to listen

to their music on their computers if they want to."

This way of copy-protection is just abuse of the CDDA standard error correction and by pre-adding errors, the disc will probably not be that resistant to scratches anymore. Besides, every CD with any sort of 'copy protection' is no longer compatible with the CDDA standard, so noone should wonder if it doesn't play in a lot of devices.

some more or less interesting links:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red_Book_(audio_CD_standard)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Copy_Control

[CelticWhisper]

First of all, be very careful about saying things like "The effect of pirating one of these CDs could be destroying Windows for all I care." Sony almost did just that (look up "XCP Rootkit lawsuit") and was taken to court by several states for it. That was one of those multi-billion dollar companies. You're one guy. You could very realistically be found guilty of criminal computer trespass or vandalism and face harsh legal penalties.

Now, that out of the way, there is no way to do what you're talking about. Not with current technology anyway. For every small corporate development team that comes out with a new copy-prevention mechanism, there is a whole world full of hackers just waiting to be the first to crack it wide open. Drooling over the challenge. Couple that with the ill will you'll face from potential customers once they find out it they can't make backup copies for their car, rip it to their iPod, etc. and you've got a recipe for disaster on your hands.

Copy-prevention isn't worth the time it takes to try to make it work because it can never work.

To put it another way, "Secure or usable. Pick one."