Digital Performance Right in Sound Recordings Act of 1995? WTF?!?

[T Roosevelt]

Apparently Congress wants to make it difficult for people to find out what music they like. Our cable has Music Choice (digital music channels http://www.musicchoice.com/) and I wanted to track down a song I'd heard but not seen. Well...

Q. Can I get a playlist?
A. We are unable to offer a playlist. The Digital Performance Right in Sound Recordings Act of 1995 passed by Congress prevents us from disclosing such information. The Digital Law states that if one is transmitting a digital signal, song information cannot be pre-announced. It is a Music Choice policy not to release a playlist of upcoming or previously played songs.

How exactly does disclosing your playlist encroach on music companies' or artists' rights or profits?

God damn RIAA...

[starroute]

1. They do have their own warped logic

The assumption is that if you knew a song was coming up, you'd be able to record it, but not otherwise. There are other provisions to prevent things like playing more than a certain number of songs from the same album on one program.

The music industry is caught in a loop where they know they can't sell any music unless they allow people to hear it first, but it people can hear it they might record it, and if they record it they might not buy it. So they keep coming up with these bizarre restrictions.

But it sounds from what you quote as though they go beyond what the act mandates by refusing to provide playlists after the fact, either, and that makes no sense at all.