I admit, I use them.. but here is more information about what drives
the mp3 format (from http://www.mp3licensing.com/ )
First off not to sound biased, you can use mp3 commercially if your
revenue is under $100K/year.. but I still think this information is
useful.
Info is as follows:
A license is needed for commercial (i.e., revenue-generating) use of
mp3/mp3PRO in broadcast systems (terrestrial, satellite, cable and/or
other distribution channels), streaming applications (via Internet,
intranets and/or other networks), other content distribution systems
(pay-audio or audio-on-demand applications and the like) or for use of
mp3/mp3PRO on physical media (compact discs, digital versatile discs,
semiconductor chips, hard drives, memory cards and the like).
However, no license is needed for private, non-commercial activities
(e.g., home-entertainment, receiving broadcasts and creating a
personal music library), not generating revenue or other consideration
of any kind or for entities with an annual gross revenue less than US$
100 000.00.
mp3 royaly fees:
PC Software Applications
mp3 Decoder · US$ 0.75 per unit or US$ 50 000.00 - US$ 60
000.00
one-time paid-up
Encoder / Codec · US$ 2.50 - US$ 5.00 per unit
mp3PRO Decoder · US$ 1.25 per unit or US$ 90 000.00 one-
time paid-up
Encoder / Codec · US$ 5.00 per unit
Hardware Products
mp3 Decoder · US$ 0.75 per unit
Encoder / Codec · US$ 1.25 - US$ 2.50 per unit
mp3PRO Decoder · US$ 1.25 per unit
Encoder / Codec · US$ 5.00 per unit
ICs / DSPs
For available software, supported platforms, porting and licensing
options, please contact us at info@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Games
mp3 · US$ 2 500.00 per title
mp3PRO · US$ 3 750.00 per title
Electronic Music Distribution / Broadcasting / Streaming
mp3 · 2.0 % of related revenue
mp3PRO · 3.0 % of related revenue
To see a list of patents they hold, check out:
http://www.mp3licensing.com/patents/index.html
The size of this list is sickening.
I appologize if this is going off topic, but I think that ditribution
is a very important topic.
On 7/20/05, Jan L. <jan@xxxxxxxxx> wrote:
You can buy an any MP3-player and use open-source aggregators. There
are many free tools. Or see what IBM/Microsoft has to offer you.
Apple has just made it easier for its own customers to use/listen to
podcasts (or "RSS with audio/video attachments"). This is what Apple
usually does. You dont care about that. Fair enough. Apple dont care
about you. Steve Jobs is doing his job very good - many seems to
beleive podcasting has something to do (and started) with ipods and
Apple iTunes.
But neither Apple or anyone else owns podcasting (or "RSS with audio/
video attachments"). It is free (except if you use the MP3-format for
your attachments, *that* format is a corporate property).
The guys who started this simply initially used iPods as it was easy
and documented how to script automated download of the feeds from the
net into an iPod. Hence the term "podcasting". It was always intended
from the very beginning to work with any player - not just iPods.
They tried to come up with a better term for a long time - but didnt
and now everyone use the term so it is not easy to change. At least
it is not called "iPodcasting".
Sometimes I just listen on the desktop computer (no iPod connected).
Sometimes I burn the casts onto some CD-RW:s and listen in the car.
It is a very simple and very open technology. Just an XML-file and a
bunch of audio/video files accessible through HTTP. And very
conveneient.
20 jul 2005 kl. 20.31 skrev Derek Mason:
I refuse to buy an ipod because I don't own an Apple computer. I
work off my IBM thinkpad laptop. I don't want to be forced to buy
something and have compatibility problems.
......in other words, your right. It is associative trademark
branding!
Derek
----- Original Message -----
From: "nathan c. dickerson" <ndickerson@xxxxxxxxx>
To: microsound <microsound@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Subject: Re: [microsound] podcasting site?
Date: Wed, 20 Jul 2005 10:31:51 -0700
Look at the format of a podcast RSS feed and you will find the
following tags:
<itunes:explicit></itunes:explicit>
<itunes:author></itunes:author>
<itunes:summary></itunes:summary>
This technology existed before itunes. There is no reason to name
tags
this way in any kind of open standard.
Apple created a stylized version of a product that already existed;
Understood the trend of content syndication, exploited it, and
produced a defacto standard, which they now control.
Even the RSS community has a problem with this -- Apple didn't even
consult the RSS community about format standards.
Upon hearing 'podcast', 'ipod' immediatly comes to mind. This is
wrong
for any kind of open standard -- this is associative trademark
branding!
This is Apples game -- Apple's habits of branding in public spaces
(renting/buying ALL the advertising space in transportation hubs
such
as subways and public transit systems) and virtual spaces is
unethical.
Are there really only a few people here who see a problem with
this?
On 7/20/05, Guillaume Grenier <grenier.g@xxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
On 20/07/05 10:08, { brad brace } said in living color:
wouldn't simple downloads of mp3s(or oggs) be more
egalitarian than becoming dependent on proprietary ipod
hard/software?
There's nothing proprietary in podcasts.
It's just a RSS 2.0 feed (using an XML file) with a MP3 enclosure.
As for aggregators (the software that checks and downloads new
content),
there are a shitload of them: some free/some not free (in the $
sense), some
developed by companies/developed by a community/developed by just
one guy,
some open-source/some closed, etc. Just choose whatever works
best for you.
Actually, the only proprietary aspect of the whole thing is the
MP3. And of
course, you're not obligated to use this format -- you could use
an Ogg file
or whatever else audio format you see fit to use.
You can then listen to these "podcasts" on whichever device you
want.
g.
--
Guillaume Grenier - grenier.g@xxxxxxxxxxxx
"Things are more like they are now than they ever were before."
(Dwight Eisenhower)
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