Any attempt to alter the file leads to its immediate deletion. Crack solved. Possible other penalties could be IP banning from download sites based upon a notice the file would send upon said deletion. Rig the damn thing to explode.
Truean, man, I usually support you, but right now you're reminding me a lot of politicians who insist on having REALLY strong opinions on things technology related without really knowing anything about technology.
The stuff your describing is, at best, science fiction (and currently impossible). More likely, it's science fantasy (and will never be possible, at least not the way you've described it). If it were possible, you'd likely have to had sealed, dedicated, hardware at every stage of the process good for nothing but this, and then you'd STILL get people removing the ads by recording the playback and redistributing.
And while I too bemoan the fact that so many people see content on the internet as worth nothing, I don't even see how your solution would help - it would only mean people wouldn't have used Napster.
And remember that there a great many people surviving by distribution work on the internet, and the "entertainment should be free" mentality started with the advent of television, not the net - when people became accustomed to being the product instead of the purchaser, with entertainment the compensation for selling their eyeballs, their views of how much things are worth became incredibly warped.
So your argument is basically that a.) its technologically impossible to have a file that deletes itself if you try to alter it, b.) even if it wasn't people would "tape stuff off the radio" or something as an end run, and c.) something about "entertainment should be free," coming from TV...?
First, if you only end up being able to fit 15,000 songs on your ipod, because the files are bigger instead of 20,000 to accommodate the self deletion code, then I'm not seeing a problem. There is a standard, sure, and this becomes it. Second, the record companies are going to keep being massive thorns in everyone's side until and unless we get some sort of sustainable system to make sure people somehow get compensated. Third, key difference and exactly what I'm saying between TV and Net: commercials. <--- This is exactly what I'm advocating. It doesn't have to be perfect, TV wasn't. People change the channel or leave during the commercials, or fast forward over them if they record things. Not the point. The point is advertiser keeps
paying regardless and thus the actors got paid along with everyone else in the business....
If you just give people all the music they want and let them own it as long as there's like... a little blerb in there by Pepsi (especially if Coke can't have one), they'll do it. All the stuff you're talking about with cracking codes and shit takes
one thing the American Public is completely unwilling to give: effort. You appeal directly to people's laziness. Why the hell would you bother breaking code or even taping/recording/whatevering, it yourself when someone's already done it for you and the only cost is like 5 seconds of a Pepsi commercial?
You can play it anywhere, on your smart phone thing, or your IPOD, or your computer. You just have to listen to a couple seconds of whatever Pepsi wants to say.... Easy appeals to the lazy....
Summation, It could be done. You remove the need/desire to break the system, because it's easier/cheaper/less work to just follow it. You make the other "end run" methods annoying/uncool by comparison, "Dude, you recorded it yourself, what are you too fucking good to listen to 4 seconds of an ad?" People could record/tape over/fast forward/ignore commercials before on TV.... Didn't stop anything....
People still listen to the damn Radio.... They put up with several minutes of commercials and a play list they can't really control. You're telling me the ability to legally make your own custom play lists for all your electronic toys with literally freaking 4 seconds of commercials per song is just completely not gonna be accepted? Because people are going to put so much effort into even caring about that 4 seconds.
1 1000, 2 1000, 3 1000, 4 1000: the message randomly rotates when assigned to a song so it doesn't get boring.
Possibility 1: "Pepsi, for those who think young." [You listen to your entire song]
Possibility 2: "Pepsi, always refreshing." [You listen to your entire song]
Etc, etc.
If a Radio station did this with their playlist (which you can't control or own like this one) they'd be freaking awesome....
Some societies imploded internally because of slavery and totalitarianism. The economy of Rome was destroyed by slavery, for example. Not because the proles drank too much or whatever.
Prison labor isn't slavery either, because they can just sit and read books in their cells or whatever instead of pick up trash on the hi[gh]way.
This tells me everything I need to know. This is called the "Prison is a resort," fantasy. If it's so good then why is everyone always trying to escape? It isn't good there, and I am absolutely and completely blown away by the number of people who simple refuse to understand this basic fact. None of my clients EVER want to go to prison. None, ever....
People have no idea what the crap prison is like.
All the stuff you're talking about is theoretical. None of it is practical. You can't just sit on your ass in prison. The guards don't fucking like it and they don't like you for doing it. You think they just let you sit there all day? No. You need anything? They don't give it to you, even when they're supposed to, they often don't and what the hell are you gonna do about it? There is a commissary shop where prisoners have to buy the crap they need and the only way they get the money for that is to work in el slave labor wage work.... It literally pays pennies an hour. Also, there is a major movement to "get prisoners to pay their own way," in prison because people didn't realize their "tough on crime," BS stance actually costs the state money. This view will never work, ever. Many of these people turned to crime, because they didn't have money to begin with. Now they have even less after going to prison.... Good luck collecting that.... One of the many things I do is bill collection, suing people, garnishing wages etc. It doesn't work well with people who haven't been to prison....