Preventing mp3 "theft"

[da_dawg]

Hi. I just created a javascript slideshow this morning, but I'm having 2 problems. First, I don't know how to make it automatically change the slide.

The second is the most important, though. I'm using one of my nephew's songs as the background sound, and need to set the mp3 so that it can't be "taken". Someone told me he got the mp3 through his Download Accelerator.

Is there any way to circumvent someone being able to get the mp3 and save it to their hard-drive?

Thanks.

DW Garrett

[jpmoriarty]

if it is played on your site then it will automatically be saved in their cache anyway, so everyone will have it. it gets more complicated if you stream it using real media or something, but still not foolproof - just think of the money that the music industries are investing into mp3 protection and all that jazz, and think how keen on mp3's they would be if they could have them on their sites for people to play, but they couldnt download them.

If the multi-billion dollar music industry cant do it, i'm willing to bet all that i have that we're not going to be able to come up with a solution here. not that i dont think we're great or anything...

[da_dawg]

jp, I about fell out of my chair, laughing. I realize that it's never going to be full-proof, or is that fool-proof, but I'd like to make it a little tougher for them to get it, than to just go to the page. haha

[Frank Blissett]

Don't know how practical as I've never done this, but if you end up using an Applet here's an idea:

Could you do a bit by bit encryption of the audio file, save that on the server, then within the script undo the encryption?

You probably wouldn't need to do anything too secure either as anyone who really really wants the file could just make an analog copy.

[da_dawg]

That sounds like it would work, but I've never done the encryption thing. Where could I find a tutorial on that?

Thanks for the input,

DW

[happyme]

How about putting the MP3 file in a part of the site not available to visitors? I've not done this for MP3s but when I include files I put the included bit in a htaccess protected folder of the site.

Also could you give the mp3 a dud file extension and then people browsing for MP3s won't find it, but your script can deal with idenifying it. Not sure if this would work

H

[jpmoriarty]

if it's in a site not available to visitors then you might as well not bother uploading it. Includes work because they're being called from the server, which obviously will have local access to the otherwise restricted directory. However, it'd be like putting an image in there - it wouldnt actually be accessible to anyone viewing the site (since the browser would be restricted from getting to it by the .htaccess), which rather misses the point.

[happyme]

I stand corrected!

H

[da_dawg]

The way it's embedded into the page doesn't really give anyone an option on downloading the mp3, other than for those who use programs like the Download Accelerator.

I used a javascript for using Real Audio to play the music in the background, so there's no mp3 player visible. And due to the way the javascript for the slideshow works, I'm not sure that making the Real Player pop-up for Real Audio would be the best way to handle the audio.

This is the first time I've used the javascript slideshow, so I'm not totally informed on all the possibilities.

Also, I have a third javascript running to e-mail the page, so I'm not sure that adding an additional script to the page to protect the mp3 is a viable option.

The page is located at www.dwgarrett.com/Freedom/Freedom.htm

Thanks,

DW

[jpmoriarty]

elevator music is bad enough - but elevator music that is choppy because the file it's trying to play is so large is beyond bareable.

I had a quick look at your code though and saw dream.mp3, and that suggested that it wasnt in any other directories. So i removed "freedom.htm" from the address bar (all in IE 6 now) and put in dream.mp3, and the file started downloading to "my music" straight away.

Any file that IE doesnt recognise (like a .doc or .txt) it will ask you where you want to save it. So i started downloading your mp3 within 20 seconds of visiting your site.

[da_dawg]

That's my point, exactly, jp. Since the CD single is for sale at the link at the bottom of the page, I'd like to at least hinder the downloading of the file.

As to the "elevator" music description, the song is not that type, but rather instrumental jazz, in the same genre of Kenny G.

DW

[da_dawg]

I'm still trying to figure out how to automate the frame changes, as well.

The only way I know to do it, causes the music to restart, which is not what I want to do.

ARGH!!!!!!!!!

[jpmoriarty]

but my point is that you cant have an mp3 playing and not have it easily accessible. It's like saying "I want my car to be red, but when it's at a green traffic light i want it to be green". It just can't be done.

instrumental jazz? that's what i'd call elevator music...

[da_dawg]

I realize that the mp3 has to be easily accessible, just don't want it to be downloadable as such. There are some sites that have the embedded sound which is not easily taken from the site, but they all use the Real Audio format, with the pop-up of the player, which wouldn't be cohesive for the overall effect of the page.

lol @ "elevator music"

DW

[pinheadj]

You could put the mp3 file into a flash movie (containing only the mp3) of a small pixel dimension and hide it somewhere on the page. That way you can have it play indefinatley and even if they get the path to the flash file and download it, they can't do much with it.

[da_dawg]

That sounds like a winning plan, but I'm struggling, still, to find a place to learn flash. Any suggestions?

DW

[dragondancer]

Try www.flashkit.com they have tons of great tutorials
including those dedicated to sound.

Hope that helps