*Note: I began to write this post a long time ago, then I thought it was too
much a rant, and left it there. Today, while procrastinating a lot from work, I
read it again and decided it wasn't so bad after all. So, here it is.*

Today I sat down to write some lines of code for `satyr`. I has been more than
one month since I wrote any line of code in it, which is a shame, but I really
wasn't in the mood. For that, I decided to queue some songs so the music was not
very much eclectic. Just to be not very boring, I put Slash's solo album. During
my small breaks from the code (I do them from time to time; seems like I can't
be focused on anything for too long) I was editing the tags of the songs and
reading the Wikipedia's page about the album. When I got to the tracklisting I
noticed that there were no more and no less than 9, yes, 9 different editions.

This is not the first time I see this; normally I had seen alternative editions,
specially japanese editions, most of the time with one more or different track,
but it never really bothered me. I really don't know why, but this time I think
it's plain abuse.

Combining the other 8 editions from the one I have there are 5 more songs, plus
an english version of one of those (as it is a song in the 2, yes, 2 japanese
versions, I can only assume the original is in japanese) and a DVD track. And of course none
of the editions has them all; the biggest one is the canadian deluxe, with only
3 of those. So, no matter which disc one buys, there is no way to have them all.

Of course, besides buying several discs. How many? Hold your socks, pants and
jaw: The japanese deluxe edition, the iTunes version, the canadian deluxe
edition **and** the Monster energy drink edition; and then you get twice the
same song (the english version of 'Sahara'). Yes, count them: 4. Not to
mention that two of them are only sold in two countries not only far away from
one to another, but also faraway from where I'm living, and you can't buy them
online and have them delivered in your house.

I think the message is obvious already: those [expeletive] from the record
labels are out to get your money more than ever. Just look at the list of
different labels involved in this opportunity and you'll find the usual
suspects: EMI, Universal Music, Roadrunner Records and Sony Music. What a bunch
of greedy bastards that we already know for their greediness and stupidity:

  * Sony and its [copy protection scandal](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sony_BMG_CD_copy_protection_scandal).
  * Universal has at least [4 dubious actions](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Universal_Music_Group#Controversy).
  * EMI, which used to have DRM in their sales through iTunes, but not anymore.
    Also they tried to buy Warner and convert two greedy bastards in one huge
    greedy bastard, but got bought by Terra Firma instead. They laid off ~2k jobs.
  * Roadrunner is part of Warner, which blocks videos in YouTube even when
    they're not officially WMG content. [And they have more](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Warner_Music_Group#Controversy).

Another example of how things are wrong is the album 'Live at The Greek', a live
album recorded by The Black Crowes and Jimmy Page, the guitarrist from Led
Zeppelin. In this album we can only find the songs they played that were not
from the TBC repertorie ['due to contractual problems with their [TBC's] record
comapny'](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Live_at_the_Greek).
Of course, most of what's left are songs from Led Zeppelin, which makes it a
fantastic live/cover album for Led Zeppelin songs, but then I can't hear TBC
songs with legend Jimmy Page as first/second guitar, something never ever again
is going to happen. I simply can't. Ok, I can, and you
know how? Because someone recorded the concert with a video camera, and then
this hero/heroine put it online, and I downloaded it. Yes, completely ilegal.

I simply can't wait 'till this greedy bastards dissapear once and for all, and
culture goes back to flow more freely among us, as it should be. To finish, I
give you the translation of a quote I have among my random fortunes. Unluckily
the original article where this comes from is not available online anymore:

*La razón por la que la industria de medios es tan amiga del término
“piratería” es que inmediatamente evoca una imagen negativa, de violencia y
saqueo, en la que ellos son las víctimas que se ven privadas de “su
propiedad”. [...] en una conferencia que diera la abogada de la Federación
Internacional de la Industria Fonográfica, [...] escuchamos cómo [este] abogado
se alarmaba del hecho de que “la sociedad se está apropiando de la cultura”.*

*The reason why the media industry likes so much the term “piracy” is because it
evokes a negative image, of violence and sacking, where they appear as the
victims who are deprived of ”their property”. [...] in a conference given by the
lawyer of the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry, [...] we
hear how [this] lawyer is alarmed of the fact that ”society is appropiating the
culture”.*