05 What'S The Recommended Way Of Presenting Music Samplers On My Web Site?
Description
This article is from the Anime Music FAQ, by Ru Igarashi with numerous contributions by others.
05 What'S The Recommended Way Of Presenting Music Samplers On My Web Site?
OK, setting aside the legality issues discussed elsewhere (shakey ground here), you want to put up music on your web site so that other folks can get an idea of what is on a CD. You figure this is doing your part to increase the profile of anime or at least anime music. Of course, we do get into the copyright issues.
One idea, which is not recommendable, is to use an extreme compression factor so that the sound quality deters folks that want a freebie. But how much is that? Certainly, anything above 128 kbps is very-good to CD quality, so that is out. The fact that 64 kbps is considered bearable by portable MP3 device users indicates that even 64 kbps is still too high. Then the recommendation is something more along the lines of 32-48 kbps. There is another problem with this idea besides trying to find a bitrate that is low enough to deter copiers, if you are trying to show how good a CD is, lousy quality sound detracts from your efforts.
Ok, if detering copying is the issue, then how about streaming formats, like streaming MP3, Realaudio, and Windows Media Format? That does deter many copiers, but there are ways to rip that data. It also means users are limited to bitrates that their connection allows (e.g. dialups either require low bitrates or the user gets choppy music). You may also need to invest in extra conversion software and learn how to host the music, or find a host (e.g. Live365, Shoutcast). And back in legality territory, a license may even be required (e.g. streaming MP3 technically requires a license from the MP3 technology rights holders). Also, keep in mind that some streaming formats are not playable by certain operating systems (e.g. Linux vs Mac vs Windows) because the owner of the format may not have released a version for that OS.
But one aspect of copyrights is that it is considered reasonable to present parts of a work for criticism or commentary. So taking that as a cue, if you want folks to hear the music, present them with clips of highlights from the CDs. You can increase the sound quality and still deter the pirates. And by using short samples, the transfer volume is small and you can put clips from more songs than if you used full songs. So how long should the clips be? The recommendation seems to be 20-45 seconds, and the clips should be selected from parts you think folks will like. There's no point in using the first 30 sec of a song if all that time is spent on an intro (unless that's the best part, of course). The idea here is that you are creating your own advertisement or review for the CD. Indicate the source of the clips and the fact they are copyrighted by the CD company or whoever is indicated as the copyright holder on the CD case. Presenting a review or critique of the CD is also a good idea (which you probably intended to do anyways, or you wouldn't be considering samplers in the first place).
Keep in mind that the legality issues still should be considered. In the ideal case, getting permission is best.
Continue to:
My Books
