Disappointed!

This week was supposed to mark the arrival of the new Kate Bush single, "King of the Mountain." And it did, provided one lives in the United States. Fans in the UK, Canada, and other countries are unable to listen to legal copies of the single because, for whatever reason, the record company decided not to license the single for digital release anywhere other than the US, traditionally one of Kate Bush's least successful markets.

Further, the word from Sony Music, Kate's US distributor, is that Aerial will be the first CD released worldwide with DRM on all pressings. DRM (Digital Rights Management) is software that prevents CDs from being copied, legally or illegally, by embedding "errors" in the data; Sony plans to use different technology in different markets, in an attempt to thwart listeners who buy import editions that lack DRM. I predict this decision will compromise the success of this long-awaited album, some twelve years in the making.

I have strong feelings about digital music sharing and have not participated in P2P file-sharing as many other music lovers have. I try very hard to respect artists' copyrights, since I have spent a good chunk of my career in an industry where copyright infringement and financial exploitation of creators is all too frequent. That said, I do listen to most of my music digitally today, on my iPod or my Homepod, and I resent record companies taking away my freedom to make a legal copy of my legally purchased music. Like many other Kate Bush fans, I am currently wondering whether I want to buy Aerial with DRM in place; some fans have stated on mailing lists that they will refuse to buy it at all unless the record company removes DRM.

One commentator noted that the record company may be depending on the reputation of hardcore Kate Bush fans being obsessive completists and thus "compelled" to own the album regardless of controls. At the same time, we fans have grown and evolved over the last twelve years of silence; Kate's fan base has shifted, and the younger fans are likely to be much savvier about online music. If the change in her listeners is sufficiently great, the album is at risk of flopping because it will be roundly boycotted by people who despise DRM and its implications.

Despite my commitment to respecting copyright, I have listened to a bootleg copy of the single online. The file quality is poor, and I will replace it with a legal MP3 as soon as I can. Unfortunately, that may not be until November 7, and that's a long wait in recreational time. I am SO disappointed with EMI/Sony in their handling of Kate Bush's new album. Unfortunately, I'm too old to believe that my disappointment and frustration will register at all with the MBAs who run today's music corporations. Sigh.

L