I am looking for statements from record label executives, press
releases from record labels or copy-protection technology companies,
or news reports including specific supporting quotes, showing:

1) That Copy-protected CDs have been released in the U.S.: I'm looking
for statements about the release of copy-protected CDs other than
"More Music From the Fast and the Furious", Charlie Pride's "A Tribute
to Jim Reeves", The Donnas' "Spend the Night" and the UK version of
Celine Dion's "A New Day has Come."  If possible, I want U.S. release
figures from record label or copy protection technology sources; and

2) When copy-protected CDs will be released in the U.S. in bulk
quantities:  I'm looking for music or technology industry statements
about plans to release bulk quantities of copy-protected CDs in the
U.S. and when that's likely to occur.

I'm looking for at least 2 statements for each question, please. I
have already seen FatChucks (http://www.fatchucks.com/z3.cd.html), but
I'm looking for official information from copy protection technology
companies or record labels on their plans for distributing these
discs.  You might want to start with this site:

http://www.cdmediaworld.com/hardware/cdrom/cd_protections.shtml

Under the heading "Commercial Audio CD Protections" they have
descriptions of each technology with links to company home pages and
press releases. Thanks!

Based on the following news reports and press releases, widespread US
distribution of copy-protected CDs has not yet occurred.  Apparently
the technologies are being tested extensively in Europe and Asia, with
over 100 million copy protected CDs based on Macrovision's
technologies alone having been released.  There is a report by a J.P.
Morgan analyst that Arista records will be making volume shipments of
copy protected CDs in the US by this summer.  I was able to find
statements by Universal Music, including their technical support web
site for copy protected CDs, and BMG regarding their copy protection
activities to date.  Both claimed to still be limiting themselves to
trials only in the US.

I was unable to find any additional online compilations of copy
protected CDs beyond the ones listed in the comments.  However,
Rolling Stone magazine indicates that the debut record from hip-hop
artist Pretty Willie and the country release by Len Doolin are copy
protected in the US, in addition to the titles you mentioned and those
presented in the comments.

I hope you find the following information helpful.

Wonko

http://news.com.com/2100-1023-956069.html?tag=fd_lede
"Labels loosening up on CD copy locks" by John Borland, CNet News.com,
September 3, 2002

"Now major record labels themselves have put the brakes on the drive
for copy protection, at least in the United States, even as record
stores lobby for the locks to be added as soon as possible.

'From our perspective, CD copy protection is unfortunately not as good
as we'd all like it to be," said Christa Haussler, vice president of
new technology at music label BMG Entertainment.'

"But in the United States, the largest consumer market in the world,
the silence on the issue is increasingly conspicuous. Universal Music,
whose executives led the industry last year by saying they would
copy-protect a significant proportion of their discs by this summer
[note: 2002 presumably, based on the date of the article], has had
only three relatively small releases."

"Universal declines to discuss its strategy in detail, other than to
provide a stock statement noting it is still investigating the
technology.

'The integration of copy-protection technology into some of our CDs is
a first step in measuring its effectiveness in a quickly evolving
marketplace,' the company's statement says. 'We have not finalized our
plans for 2002, nor have we made a commitment to put copy protection
on all of our CD releases.' "

http://news.com.com/2100-1023-271344.html?tag=bplst
"One million copy-protected CDs released" by Gwendolyn Mariano, CNet
News.com, August 8, 2001

"Israeli security company Midbar said Wednesday that it released 1
million copy-protected CDs in the European market and plans are in
discussion for entry in the U.S. market."

http://www.musichelponline.com/
Universal Music Group technical support web site for copy protected
CDs

"Why have you copy-protected the CD? 
UMG is incorporating copy protection into their CDs to assess its
viability in protecting the rights of our artists and copyright
holders by preventing CD copying and illegal Internet distribution."

"Are you going to copy-protect all CDs from now on? 
UMG is committed to protecting the rights of its artists and copyright
holders. UMG will be testing various technologies on specifically
identified releases throughout 2002."

http://news.com.com/2100-1023-277197.html
"Universal copy-protected CD shuns players" by John Borland, CNet
News.com, December 18, 2001

Has information about "The Fast and The Furious," which includes a
toll-free helpline and a link to the Musichelponline.com web site with
the CD.

http://www.macrovision.com/news/pressreleases/audio.php3?pr=9e7541ae80d9f398d4856568d74e77a3
"Macrovision Protected Music CDs Surpass 100 million" April 2, 2003

"Strong Growth in Europe and Asia Helps Macrovision Reach New
Milestone"

"The 100 million CDs produced to date include releases from most of
the five major worldwide record companies, in addition to major record
labels in Japan."

http://www.rollingstone.com/news/newsarticle.asp?nid=15990
"special report: copy-protected CDs" by Warren Cohen, Rolling Stone,
June 7, 2002

"So far, only four protected CDs have been officially released in the
U.S.: The More Fast and Furious soundtrack and the debut record from
hip-hop artist Pretty Willie, both on Universal, and country releases
from Charley Pride and Len Doolin on two Nashville indie labels. While
the technology has spread rapidly in Europe and Asia, American labels
are moving more slowly because early reports about the plan have
pissed off an array of home tapers, electronics and computer
companies, and even some members of Congress. But protection for major
releases may be just around the corner: There was much discussion
between Eminem and Interscope Records about whether to copy-protect
his upcoming disc, The Eminem Show, though the rapper, his label and
his manager decided in the end not to take that step."

http://www.mp3newswire.net/stories/2003/arista.html
"Arista looks to copy-protect all CDs" by Richard Manta, MP3
newswire.net, April 3, 2003

"CNET is reporting that Sterling Auty, a J.P. Morgan analyst, said
that Arista was moving to copyproof CDs soon."

"We expect volume shipments of protected CDs to ship commercially in
the U.S. as early as the May-June time frame using the SunnComm
solution," Auty wrote. "This will be the first major step in the
growth of the CD audio protection market."

Here is the CNet article referred to by the previous link:

http://news.com.com/2100-1027-994565.html?tag=fd_top
"Copyproof CDs moving to market?"  By John Borland, CNet News.com,
March 20, 2003

"Record labels have been experimenting with compact disc
copy-protection technology for close to two years now, but other early
indications that mass-market release was close have proven premature.
Labels in Europe and Asia have begun releasing scattered tests, but
U.S. trials have remained largely limited to advance and promotional
CDs.

A spokesman for BMG Music said his company's corporate policy, which
would affect Arista, has not changed in any way. "We are conducting
trials only, and we have not announced any plans to go to market with
copy-protected CDs," BMG spokesman Nathaniel Brown said."

http://playbacktime.com/archives/000065.html
"BMG moves to copy protect CDs worldwide" November 6, 2002

"According to a BMG unit in Kopierschutz, Germany, 'There will be no
cd manufactured without copyprotection any more.' This was in response
to a customer who asked how they could get a CD, rather than the
CD-looking thing they’d inadvertantly purchased that wouldn’t play in
their CD player. It turns out that the U.S. version of the album in
question won’t be protected."

Not exactly the definitive answer you might want, but useful
information nevertheless:

"Microsoft snags CD copy-block deal", by John Borland, CNET News.com
(April 24, 2003)
ZDNet
http://zdnet.com.com/2100-1105-998066.html

Hello Sds,

The most extensive list of copy-protected CDs I could locate, next to
FatChucks which you already know, is on the following page:

Corrupt audio discs, aka "Copy-Protected CDs" - Known Bad CDs
http://ukcdr.org/issues/cd/bad/

I will only list the ones that are said to be corrupt in the USA:

"Songs For the Deaf" by Queens Of The Stoneage
"Under Rug Swept" by Alanis Morissette

(Note: There are some more interesting links on top of that page to
other research.)


I'm afraid to say that most other pages either list exclusively UK
releases, or the US-releases already mentioned by you. And those are
not the official company statements you seek. Still, I hope this is of
some help.


Search terms:
"star wars" copy-protected
"copy-protected cd" usa
cd non-"Red Book"
"Will not play on Mac / PC"
Key2Audio
"uncopyable cds" usa

It seems the basic problem that you are running into is that you are
looking for the recording industry itself to admit 2 things. Firstly,
that it is already selling defective copy protected cds, and secondly,
that it plans to do this is much greater quantity in the future.

The problem as I understand it is that the recording industry is
releasing a select few of these copy protected cds in secret to judge
consumer reaction. Because they don't want people to know this is
happening for a variety of reasons, the best "official" statement you
are going to get is "no comment" I'm sure.

As for the second part, I believe that to answer that depends upon the
results of the first part. If nobody seems to mind copy protected cds,
or doesn't notice that they are buying them, and they seem to do the
job, only then will the recording industry decide when to release a
bulk quantity of copy protected cds.

So in short, the answer to question 1 will only become available once
#2 has already happened.