By Any Other Name
Modern convenience can kiss my arse. Thus far, I’ve been unable to obtain the remastered Freedom of Choice.
At first, I planned to order the album digitally. By that I mean both “in a computer-usable format” and “using my fingers”. I was so excited as I logged into Amazon… my eyes tensed, my credit card trembled with anticipation. Finally, I was going to become a true citizen of the 21st century!
Unfortunately, to be a citizen of the 21st century you apparently have to be American, or at least have a credit card issued by a US bank. It wasn’t until the very last step of the ordering process that Amazon informed me that foreigners aren’t allowed to purchase mp3s. I don’t understand how keeping people from buying your product can be a valid business model, but they seem to like it.
No problem, I thought. My mother wanted to find something to send as a Chirstmas gift. I’d just ask her to order the CD at the music shop in Corner Brook. That’s nearly as convenient. The 20th century wasn’t all that bad. Unfortunately, I had forgotten what ordering music was like back in the dark ages of hair bands and synth pop. The album catalogue at the shop was kind of like a backwards TARDIS: huge on the outside, only about a dozen entries on the inside. If you wanted to order anything indie you were out of luck. If you wanted to order anything more than five years old you were similarly out of luck. In fact, unless you had heard the song you wanted to order twice in the past hour on OZFM, chances were good that they couldn’t get it in stock.
As it was once, so it is now. Devo apparently doesn’t exist in their system. I am now left with but one option: order the CD online for $10, then pay $30 or so for shipping. I want Freedom of Choice, I’ve got freedom from choice.
December 7th, 2009 at 7:04 am
Complain the the RIAA, Amazon might have the rights to distribute digitally in the US and a few other countries, but not it seems, in South Korea.
December 7th, 2009 at 8:06 am
Complain to the RIAA? You must be mad. These are the people who kick llamas for fun and eat the souls of the damned for breakfast. Complaining to them only makes them stronger.
Freedom of Choice apparently isn’t available for download in Canada, either. Grr.
December 7th, 2009 at 9:18 am
Joe, can you get my email address form this blog? If so, email me off-blog.
December 7th, 2009 at 2:52 pm
OMG. I think I owe Mr. Hewitt a birthday present.
Well, here’s something: http://photos-b.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc3/hs108.snc3/15539_1287790242833_1472493927_30799131_1074034_n.jpg
If you can’t view it, remind me to find a way to send it to you.
December 7th, 2009 at 2:53 pm
*grumbles*
s/birthday/Christmas.
December 8th, 2009 at 2:20 am
Mark- I should probably move the “Contact Me” link to somewhere more prominent; at the moment it only ever gets noticed by spambots.
Macksting- Ah, a virtual bottle of Pocari Sweat, thanks! Birthday, Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, Saturnalia, Festivus, Arcturian Groundhog Day… I’m not picky.
I can see some aloe juice in the photo. That’s another interesting beverage. It’s tasty, but has little bits of aloe pulp floating in it, which does tend to put some people off.