Crapster

Crapster

Susan Genco, senior vice president of Business and Legal Affairs for Reprise Records, wants it made clear that she's working very hard to deal with illegal file trading and piracy, "two of the most daunting issues facing the music industry." To that end, the promotional CD that arrived on Friday was "individually watermarked with a unique identification number embedded in the music."

Which is all fine and good. Though we're avid supporters of peer-to-peer technology, as a rule we don't upload material that is otherwise commercially available. We don't normally blame the majors for adopting a war stance, either, but Genco's bold-type, schoolmarm warning really rubbed us the wrong way:

"By accepting this CD, you agree to not make any copies of the CD, to not play the CD in your computer and to not upload the CD or any part of it to the Internet or otherwise allow, or make, the CD or any part of it available on the Internet. You agree that you will not lend this CD to anyone, and that you alone will listen to this CD for promotional purposes. Accordingly, you will not play this CD for anyone."

Oh, no problem, ma'am. You have our word: We would never, ever, in a million years, think of playing our copy of Eric Clapton's Me and Mr. Johnson for anyone. Not even our enemies.