Those of you who haven't been following the whole Sony DRM scandal are missing out on a lot. You can get details by doing a quick web-search for Sony and DRM, but if you already know the basic story, then you'll understand why I felt the need to make this little angry song. An mp3 is here:

"Another Rootkit Installed"


Seth's Standard Ghetto Recording Disclaimer: Before you go listening to this, here's a few things you should understand:

  1. I am not a singer, or even someone who has a vaguely melodious voice.
  2. I could not find a karaoke mp3 without vocals, so I have a low-quality midi which is sadly the only thing I could come up with.
  3. And speaking of sadly the only thing I could come up with, I do not have a recording studio. Or even much in the way of a microphone. Or a computer program that lets me mix two tracks of sound into one. This was all recorded into a tiny headset microphone, accomplished by blasting the midi out of my mediocre speakers, sticking the headset microphone next to the aforementioned speakers, and singing into it at the same time.
But I felt it was necessary, as we live in an age of multi-media, and most people want to listen to songs, not just read lyrics. Of course, in deference to those who still enjoy reading lyrics, here they are:

 

"Another Rootkit Installed"

(to the tune of "Another Brick in the Wall")

I just went and bought some music,
Now brought home my new CD,
Put it into my computer,
Something’s wrong with my PC
Sony! Whatcha leave behind for me?
Darn it all, it was Sony’s rootkit installed.
Darn it all, these rootkits DRM has installed.


We don’t need your file protection,
We don’t need your XCP.
DRM brought us infection,
Thanks to Sony BMG.
Hey, Sony! Whatcha leave behind for me?
Uninstall still leaves some other spyware installed.
Uninstall still leaves some other spyware installed.

I mean, seriously, it does. If you use the uninstaller that Sony originally put out when their rootkit was discovered, it didn’t really fix anything. Unless by “fix”, you mean “add lots of other malicious spyware that Sony has decided to put on your computer without telling you”. I mean, none of this was even in the EULA! Of course, they later went and changed the EULA, but that doesn’t make it right. I mean, according to their terms, you can’t copy the CD, you can’t make a mix tape, can’t play it as background for a home movie, can’t use it at work if you buy it to listen first at your home, can’t use it if you leave the country, can’t listen to it if you go bankrupt?! I mean, honestly, what kind of crap is that? You *bought* this. You can’t listen to it if you go bankrupt? Sony is doing two things wrong here. First, they’re installing crap on your computer that gives you viruses without telling you. And secondly, they’re not even letting you use the music that you paid for. So Don‘t Pay For It. Stop buying things from Sony. Tell them you will NOT put up with this crap -- it’s the only way to make them change.

 

Lyrics copyleft Seth Brown. Share the mp3! But please give attribution when forwarding. If you want to publish it in your for-profit publication, please ask me first.