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ecd
02-19-2003, 05:24 PM
It seems that a lot of new music files on the Kazaa network have been intentionally corrupted via the malicious insertion of beeps or other annoying sounds. I have particularly noticed this problem with Evanescence's latest music. Any ideas what is going on? The records companies have set up a room full of computers to stay on the network on corrupt any new music files which may hurt their sales?

Fatal Error
02-19-2003, 05:51 PM
Originally posted by ecd@19 February 2003 - 12:24
It seems that a lot of new music files on the Kazaa network have been intentionally corrupted via the malicious insertion of beeps or other annoying sounds. I have particularly noticed this problem with Evanescence's latest music. Any ideas what is going on? The records companies have set up a room full of computers to stay on the network on corrupt any new music files which may hurt their sales?
Are you referring to beeps as in system warnings? or is this exclusive to a particular file downloaded from a single, or a multiple source. ? I only ask this because certain configuration settings in some earlier versions can cause this.

vivitron 15
02-19-2003, 06:07 PM
some other people have had this problem with movies. it seems that this happens when a bad file is dloaded...i.e. one which has indeed been maliciously (sp?) tampered with.
best ways to avoid:

the verifieds here(when they're back)
dload from a couple of hundered sources. (make sure there are plenty of search results)

ecd
02-19-2003, 10:59 PM
I don't know if it is a system warning beep. The beeping sound is definitely coming from within the mp3 file and there are no system error messages. Sometimes the sound is a weird annoying swooshing sound. Try downloading music by Evanescence from their Album "Fallen".

There are plenty of search results. So, that is not the problem.

I am convinced that this is the record companies

1. setting up servers and logins,
2. downloading files of good selling music,
3. inserting beeps and crap in a way that does not change the size of the file,
4. and then they release it back into the network with big bandwith connections so most people end up getting their corrupted files first.

This could be a serious blow to the Kazaa network.

Fatal Error
02-20-2003, 02:13 PM
Originally posted by ecd@19 February 2003 - 17:59
I don't know if it is a system warning beep. The beeping sound is definitely coming from within the mp3 file and there are no system error messages. Sometimes the sound is a weird annoying swooshing sound. Try downloading music by Evanescence from their Album "Fallen".

There are plenty of search results. So, that is not the problem.

I am convinced that this is the record companies

1. setting up servers and logins,
2. downloading files of good selling music,
3. inserting beeps and crap in a way that does not change the size of the file,
4. and then they release it back into the network with big bandwith connections so most people end up getting their corrupted files first.

This could be a serious blow to the Kazaa network.
Damn.. If what you're saying proves to be correct, and the files are being maliciously encoded.. oh man..I dont even want to think about it. :angry:

SideSwiped
02-20-2003, 02:20 PM
Now, I don't know how true or untrue it is, but I've found that on my entertainment center's burners that I am unable to burn some media from another disk via digital hook up and have to revert to analog to record, is there perhaps an encoded protection? If so, maybe ppl need to go back to analog. And as for a bunch of ppl sharing a messed up file, well, I've been guilty of that after downloading from somone a poor quality file.......I just get lazy sometimes and don't remove it for awhile.

Ultraviolet
02-20-2003, 03:25 PM
Hi ecd & everyone, I've been getting Evanescence songs too but from Grokster, and at specific parts in most songs they have turntable-style scratches or funny little telephone tones.

This seems to be the record companies copy-protection system. I've checked the mp3s with a wave editor and at the point of the bleeps its a very square shaped waveform and it's at specific places in the songs.

If I'm not mistaken, these bleeps are only heard when the CD is ripped onto a computer or copied, as normal CD players act as if the bleeps are errors and skip them

I've successfully edited out the bleeps from most of the songs I've got, but its a bit messed up at the parts close to the bleeps.

I'm planning on buying Fallen when it comes out on March 4th, so I'll have a play with it then ;)

hypoluxa3k
02-20-2003, 05:01 PM
i heard all about this a few months back, and it is done deliberatly by the record companies to protect sales. i thought you guys would have found a way around this?

SideSwiped
02-25-2003, 08:57 PM
There is a way around it, you have to record in analog, NOT digital. Analog would record as a regular playback on a regular cd player skipping and/or omitting the embedded protection. If necessary, try copying a track from a problem disk to a wav file first making sure you are laying it down analog, then rip to mp3 from that. I know it's a pain in the arse, but it should work. At least it does for me.

ecd
02-25-2003, 11:09 PM
I was eventually able to find good versions of Evanescence's music--mostly on the SoulSeek network, from German users. Perhaps the CD was already released there?

Also, I think I over-reacted to the Evanescence beep problem.

I now think that since Evanescence has not been released in the US yet, that the only copies available are these DEMO copies with the beeps and crap.

I DO NOT think that the record companies have set up a systematic effort with a room full of computers to corrupt as many files as possible on the p2p networks. But I do not see what is to stop them. But, even if they did that, I am sure we would find a way to share whatever we want to share.