I am developing a website for a client who is selling audio clips. He wants to protect the files so people can only download the file or play them on a certain amount of computers

Now form what I have read, I can use Mocrisoft DRM but that means the clips cant play on an IPOD. Anyone know of a way to protect clips so they play on both an IPOD and all the other machines.

The most common formats "supporting" DRM, that I know of, are (iTunes) AAC and (Microsoft) WMA. WMA won't play on an iPod; AAC isn't likely to be playable by any other given device (which I assume you refer to with "all the other machines"). The "universal" format, MP3, doesn't support DRM!

I'd say that there is little chance for you in this case - but, of course, I may be wrong.

I just wanted to make sure. I am not missing anything.

If we protect the files with DRM then they will only player that plays WMA. We cant protect file with Apples licensing software. So the only option is to go unlicensed and encode the files for both players.

thoughts?

It's more than unlikely that one can play a file "protected" with Fairplay on anything using anything other than Apple's software (which in the portable player space means the iPod and the iPod only). It's not possible - not currently possible unless you're Jon Lech Johnasen (aka DVD John), that is.

http://www.informationweek.com/internet/sh...cleID=193402031

Hello all and I am sorry for asking something about which I didn't have enough time to search on the web. Time pressed me, because I need to deliver my work by 20-th of December.

As much as I've searched, I found no answer, so I've decided to join this forum and ask.

I am an amateour web designer who wants to build a website for a band.

Naturally, some of their songs will have to play on that website and those songs will need protection if I don't want to be accused that I sell out their work.

I really don't know how to do that.

I don't need much. I need just a basic protection, to show that I've done my best to protect their songs.

"My Space" is an example: songs that play but cannot be downloaded. I wonder how they do that.

http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fusea...riendID=8022826

Thank you very much for your time and I am sorry if my question is too basic. I only make web design for 3 months.

-Vera

MySpace has an Adobe Flash based audio player. That's how they limit (easy) distribution and still allow easy playback. Flash Player is also used for video in many places, including YouTube.

With all due respect, neither WMA or AAC is a DRM format.

DRM is a wrapper around either format.

You have multiple choices to make, both of format and of DRM.

Note also that flash-based players reduce distribution of copies only because they make it more difficult to download the music as a file. e.g. for ways around youtube's self-contained player, search the firefox plugin site for videodownloader...

-brendan

Thank you for the replies. I didn't expect so many in such a short time.

I just tell you so you know, but I don't necessarily ask for another advice. Everybody is busy, I understand.

I've just found the link below, hopefully this is what I want FOR NOW. I will do more researches, however, before asking here, in case that I won't manage alone.

Is something wrong if I use the "embed" version instead of Java and my music and everything is on the same server? I hope not.

I'll see what I can do.

However, a great forum indeed. People with knowledge you can rely on.

Many thanks

~Vera


http://www.jeroenwijering.com/?item=Flash_MP3_Player

---------------------------

FLASH MP3 PLAYER 3.1 README

The example mp3player.html works right out of the box.

If you look at it's source code (in a text or HTML editor), you can see that both instances of the mp3player are inserted in the page with a small javascript. These javascripts use the external ufo.js script by Bobby van der Sluis in order to prevent the annoying "click here to activate" message. If you copy the mp3player to your website, make sure you don't forget to copy the ufo.js file as well. The ufo.js is inserted in the HTML page right at the top:

<script type="text/javascript" src="ufo.js"></script>

An insertion javascript allows you to set the location of the movie, it's width and height, the version and build of Flash that is needed (just leave this to 7 and 0) and the backgroundcolor of the movie. You can also send a list of so-called Flashvars to the script (for that see the next paragraph):

<p id="player1"><a href="http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer">Get the Flash Player</a> to see this player.</p>

<script type="text/javascript">
var FO = { movie:"mp3player.swf",width:"300",height:"20",majorversion:"7",build:"0",bgcolor:"#FFFFFF",
flashvars:"file=song1.mp3&showdigits=true&autostart=true" };
UFO.create(FO,"player1");
</script>

When the HTML page loads, the javascript replaces the part of your HTML with the "id" you provided in the javascript (in this case the paragraph with the id "player1"), and you have a Flash player running on your website.

If you cannot use javascript on your website (for example if you run the mp3player on a profile site like MySpace), you can use an "embed" code instead of the javascript.

Your m3player.swf will probably be on another server then.

That is OK, but note that your playlist.xml should always reside on the same server than your SWF, or else the security restrictions won't allow the mp3player.swf to load it:

<embed src="http://www.myfileserver.com/folder/mp3player.swf" width="300" height="200" bgcolor="#FFFFFF"
type="application/x-shockwave-flash" pluginspage="http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer"
flashvars="file=http://www.myfileserver.com/folder/playlist.xml&showdigits=true&autostart=true" />

To be honest you're best giving out standards MP3s of a couple of sample tunes, which can be copied far and wide if your band is good enough.

You're trying to apply DRM to an advert essentially, which is ridiculous. Give something for free and if the band is good enough they'll sell the rest

There was a tool which could do just that, but MySpace repeatedly found ways to prevent it from working and it has not been updated since their last patch - i.e. for almost two months.

In any case, MySpace appear to take MP3s uploaded to their server - after advertising "No compression!" - and convert them to 96kbps (and 22050Hz) LAME 3.96.1 files. This seems to be the case even if you flag the file as downloadable while adding it; they seem to always be transcoded in this way.

Interesting . . . !

Heh! I'm not sure that "my band" is good enough. I like how they sound, but maybe I'm too infatuated with the lead singer...

I haven't done much ever since then because I don't have a credit card to buy mp3 players now.

I am not a web designer, but I rather look ridiculous trying to build a website for a band. Others earn good money from making websites and I pay for making one for a singer that honestly doesn't have too many fans.

Ok enough about that.

Anyway, my website doesn't look like advertising anyone, but rather it looks like a madhouse!!!

It doesnt look good however, cos it is made in HTML, everything looks very amateouristic there, but that's all I could do in 3 months.

Here is:

http://www.veraland.ro/finnvinewhiterosemovement/

(This is supposed to be a Christmas gift!)

PLEASE DON'T LAUGH AND DON'T KICK ME OUT FROM THIS FORUM COS I WRITE POEMS!

The administrator of the band's forum banned MY IP ADDRESS!! for the same reason.

I might write some for you too, one day.

Well, now I'm trying to protect anything because my "gift" won't be seen with good eyes, but the administrator of the band would rather jump in my neck because I "sell out" "his" band's work and will do anything in his power to terminate my website. I don't expect to receive any "thanks" for my work, however.

Ok, now seriously, HOW MUCH TIME one needs in order to become a competitive web designer and can this be done without BUYING all kind of software like Macromedia, software for music and stuff?

Can you build a modern website just with your PC and the monthly rent for the domain hosting? (No other taxes included?) or rather NOT!?

On the site, at "Author" section you can read what I was going through to build it. NOBODY helped me.

You were ones of the very few who tried and were ABLE to help me, but you're too advanced for my poor knowledge.

Thank you again, thank you a lot for everything!

I'll try to stay in touch, because definitely there are LOTS to learn from here!

Congrats for being so skilled!



~Vera

jl_rona, of course you can make the most professional web pages with just your own home computer. It helps, however, to use modern methods.
DOs:
CSS
CMS

DON'Ts:
Frames
Animated GIFs

Wow, you are asking a lot of different questions on different topics throughout the thread. Here's some answers to the latest, and then I feel I must offer my ever valuable opinion on the whole 'band' matter as well.



There is no answer to this question, the amount of time all depends on the person. For a skilled programmer picking up HTML (CSS, PHP, CGI, etc, etc) is no big deal. For someone not familiar at all with programming, this can be a monumental task. You say you don't have any sort of background in this, so I say it will take at least a couple of years to develop a website that doesn't look 'amateurish', as you put it.
To answer the second part of your question, you *can* design a website with only a free text editor. However, that is also very difficult, even more so without any background. The point of many of those tools you are trying to avoid is to help people that aren't familiar with this aspect of computers to create things faster.



Yes, this is how it is done. As long as by domain hosting you are refering to both the registration of a domain name (pretty cheap, about $10 USD a year), and then the actual web server space where the files for your website will reside.



This is a great site full of helpful people. The difficulty you are facing is that what you are attempting is not a simple matter, and no one is going to do it for you. You must learn it on your own. People will offer help and answer educated questions, but you have a long way to go from no previous knowledge, to a modern day professional looking website.

As for the band deal, I don't think it is your best interest to be at odds with the band's manager, even if he/she is very misguided. You will end up putting the 'lead singer' from what you've said, in an awkward position, choosing between you and the band. No Yoko Ono!

That being said, looking at the whole situation as a disinterested third party, making it difficult to get a "no-name" band's music is going to help the band get nowhere fast. Here's how it works:

1. I encounter a new band's website that is new to me.
2. Either:
a. I can't download their music so I only hear it that one time or never (because it makes me mad), and promptly forget the band even exists.
b. I download the band's available music (given freely via the website, i.e. legally) and throw it into a special playlist.
3. When I feel like it I load up my "new band" playlist and listen to the songs. The ones I dislike I delete. The ones I like stay. Certain songs will grab me and I'll really like the song. Then I pull up the player, read the band's info, and then I attempt to go out and buy a full album from that band to get more of that sound I dig.

So you see, I've already got so much music, that I don't have time to deal with musician's egos. But those that can give me a taste because they trust the awesomeness of the music to sell itself, well, if I share similar tastes to the artist, then they've got a new fan. But for me to shell out cash on a band's album that I've nothing from, I have to already be a pretty big fan, so I trust it is money well spent.

To end my ramblings, the best thing a new band can do is to get its name and music out there, as far as possible, and if they are good, the music will be able to sell itself. (Oversimplification, it will still take a lot of work and a lot of help.)

you've written lots and fast! At first I haven't found the thread and I thought that I've been kicked out from here already.

I've "made" anything from politics to poetry before starting this website, so I have no previous knowledge on how to make it.

The problem is that many software seem to charge and as long as I don't earn any money from "websiting", I am not willing to spend any either. I've also heard that without dreamweaver and macromedia, there's little to no chance to make a good site.

But my present problem is that the frames that I over-overlapped cannot be fixed in a certain position using "noresize", quite because they are overlapped.

And finally, the last is that I have to deliver this by Christmas. 10 days left. what can be done in 10 days? Almost nothing.

If you have time, please tell me how a modern website should look like, or rather show me one. thanx.

see ya.

~Vera

I wish a Merry Christmas to everybody and I thank you for your good will and friendship.

See you healthy in 2007!

~Vera