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Wired News: French Pass ‘ITunes’ Law

Wow, this is huge. Time to see what Jobs will do in this case, spend a cool few-million to change the format of his media or release the creative control.. or.. pull out of France.

French lawmakers gave final approval Friday to legislation that could force Apple Computer to make its iPod and iTunes Music Store compatible with rivals’ music players and online services.

Both the Senate and the National Assembly, France’s lower house, voted in favor of the copyright bill, which some analysts said could cause Apple and others to pull their music players and online download stores from France.

The vote was the final legislative step before the bill becomes law — barring the success of a last-ditch constitutional challenge filed last week by the opposition Socialists.

Currently, songs bought on iTunes can be played only on iPods, and an iPod can’t play downloads from other stores that rival the extensive iTunes music catalog from major artists and labels — like Sony’s Connect and Napster.

Apple described the original version of the copyright bill as “state-sponsored piracy” earlier this year, but a company spokesman was not immediately available to comment on Friday’s vote.

In a statement issued after lawmakers hashed out the final compromise text last week, Apple said it hoped the market would be left to decide “which music players and online music stores are offered to consumers.”

The final compromise asserts that companies should share the required technical data with any rival that wants to offer compatible music players and online stores, but it toned down many of the tougher measures backed by lower-house lawmakers early on.

It also maintained a loophole introduced by senators, which could allow Cupertino, California-based Apple and others to dodge the data-sharing demands by striking new deals with record labels and artists.

… tired. sooo, tired.

Holy crap, what a day. So I was fortunate and excited to hear that work would send me to the Picture Perfect Color Seminar at the Sheraton Grand today in downtown and man, what a great conference. Workflow, color profiles, monitor/camera/scanner calibration, whitebalance.. really informative and definitaly information I can apply to my photography and bring to the office.

Why so tired you ask? Well first of all I had to wake up at 5am, which I havn’t done since probably the few day’s after i got back from my trip. Gave myself 2 hours to get to downtown and made it there with plenty. Enough in fact to find a nice coffee bar and picked up a lil mornin’ joe. Conference was 9am-4pm, with a couple breaks and a sweet lunch. After it was over I started to head home, seeing as it was around 4:30 I figured I’d beat traffic so all seemed well, but little did I know the fun that awaited me. With a combination of the already-paid parking ticket that the “automated attendant” wouldn’t accept to the guy who cut me off forcing me down a 1-way street, I figured that should be the worst of it, but no, oh no, I’m not that lucky.

Headed towards the freeway and of course the last minute decision to hit up lane two on Hope St. rather then the one I was in would have sent me on the 110 North.. which would have been disasterous. So after that I rolled the windows down and started trailblazing through downtown, I’d done it before at 2am many times, but wow, looks different in the day I must admit. After a few turns and dead-ends passing all the USC propoganda, I was able to get back in line to sit on Flower and wait.. to move.. nowhere. Finally getting on the 110 South, heading home seemed sweet and closer then ever once I saw the sign for the 405, thats where it all turned to hell.

I have this little problem with my car, see. I got her to pass smog, but in return, I have to accept the fact that if she sits on a hot freeway in traffic, overheating is a certainty. So after 20 minutes of moving about 100yards ont he 405 connector I realized that Temperature gague was not looking good. Here comes the heater. Actaully should have said there stayed the heater, becase it was on more then off for the rest of the trip. 20 more minutes pass and not my feet are burning from the intense heat (because we all love that when you put it on vent you still get that little bit of leak below). At this point I have to make a decision, look like the jackass and go around all these people in the right lane or burn out here. I chose the jackass move and passed about 50 cars on the right hoping i could take the next offramp. Alas, that next offram wasn’t what i thought, it was a truck scale exit. Noticing the cop sitting right next to the “No Thur Traffic” sign I politley mereged back into the herd.

Once we moved abit more, I took it upon myself to be Eagle Scout inside and find a way home. I knew Del Amo went for a ways so i tried that. Worked for about 5 minutes and of course. That stops worse then the freeway. Anotherhalf hour of that madness - heater still on, now the shoes and shirt are off and I’m really sweatin, I pull out the trusty Thomas Guide and plan my route. Nothing like hitting all but 3 red lights the entire way home and making a cool 2hour and 45minute journey - roughly 35 miles and almost half a tank of gas.

So like I mentioned. I’m fucking tired. heh

A few ago I posted about the guy who heard all the rumor on how difficult it was to cancel AOL and decided to record his conversation. Found the clip of his interview where he details his anger. Mad propps to this guy for his Geraldo-style undercover work.

SPIN.com: Jay-Z Coming Out of Retirement?

“The retired rapper may soon get back to work on an international tour, and maybe even another album.”

Jay-Z celebrated the 10th anniversary of his debut album, Reasonable Doubt, on Sunday (June 25) night in New York City and revealed he might be ready to get back to work. “There’s a lot of places I haven’t been,” the president of Def Jam told AP. “They’ve heard my music but they’ve never really seen me perform live… This really makes me wanna go out and perform.” While Jay could appear in Dubai, Sydney or Seoul, he might not be back in the U.S. for sometime.

No matter: Stateside fans may just get some new, recorded material to tide them over. “I go back and forth with [retirement],” he said. “I believe the industry as a whole needs certain events to happen to sustain it and keep it alive. You need [Dr.] Dre albums, you need Eminem albums you need 50 [Cent] albums, you need big artists, you need major events that happen… So when I look at it in those terms, I believe that an album is needed.”

Talk about a hype comeback. I didn’t think he could give it up, the man is too genious and personally I think the rap-game needs him. So sick of these played-out records, I don’t even listen to the radio anymore, but each one of his albums I’ve bought over the years never seem to go out of style. Even such a great feeling to thumb through my record crates on occasion and pull out a classic. You’re just too tempted to play it.

Speaking of early retirement, how’s retiring at 19 sound? Woof, I’m rich.

Ya’ know iTunes. I love you, but why must you be so difficult. I browse you’re plethora of libraries and come across your “reccomendations” for me of played out rap, I view your top-ten lists that should interest me but dont. I subscribe to your Just Released RSS feed to try and stay on top of things, and you reccomend such hits as “The Holy Moley” and “Du hast mein Herz für dich allein - Bunnies” in German Pop. But when I find something I can’t live without like the new OM records release which I’ve basically already given you my $9.99 for the album, you slap me in the face with this error.

I love you iTunes, but why pull the international card eh?

Good friends, Bill & Steve. heh.

Let’s see here.

• So rather then going small on iPods, I’m thinking let’s supersize them and sue Michael Moore
• ..and they didn’t accept your cheerleader app for a move like that? I’m telling you man, the Robot is in.
• Lets keep looking like we’re having fun talking before the shareholders notice. I miss you Steve.

Your turn.