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Audiobook frustration!
Crap like this is why people download stuff illegally!
I know Anne Bishop's latest Black Jewels novel is coming out in audiobook format. I didn't actually expect to find it in a format I can use but I gave it a try. Guess what I found?
Not only is Shadow Queen not available on CD, I found a ton of other audio novels I really, really want that are available only in download format and only in the USA. You can register on these sites, but unless you have a US (or in some cases Canada, too) address, you can't actually purchase the download version. And there's no CD version to buy.
I can't ask a US friend to buy them for me 'cause they'll be protected files; I need a regular or an MP3 CD that I can import into my own account.
I mean, WHY? What do they gain by cutting out half of their potential market? Seriously, Guy Gavriel Kay, Kelley Armstrong - they have strong European sales of their books. What's wrong with letting me pay for audio versions, too???
And I couldn't find a torrent for them either, but I'm gonna keep looking. If they won't let me spend good money on 'em, they can't blame me for torrenting instead.
And just to cap off my frustrating search of the latest audio releases...why is Chapterhouse Dune available but not Heretics of Dune, which preceeds it?
I know Anne Bishop's latest Black Jewels novel is coming out in audiobook format. I didn't actually expect to find it in a format I can use but I gave it a try. Guess what I found?
Not only is Shadow Queen not available on CD, I found a ton of other audio novels I really, really want that are available only in download format and only in the USA. You can register on these sites, but unless you have a US (or in some cases Canada, too) address, you can't actually purchase the download version. And there's no CD version to buy.
I can't ask a US friend to buy them for me 'cause they'll be protected files; I need a regular or an MP3 CD that I can import into my own account.
I mean, WHY? What do they gain by cutting out half of their potential market? Seriously, Guy Gavriel Kay, Kelley Armstrong - they have strong European sales of their books. What's wrong with letting me pay for audio versions, too???
And I couldn't find a torrent for them either, but I'm gonna keep looking. If they won't let me spend good money on 'em, they can't blame me for torrenting instead.
And just to cap off my frustrating search of the latest audio releases...why is Chapterhouse Dune available but not Heretics of Dune, which preceeds it?
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Usually because the US publisher has purchased the Audio Book rights for the US only and not for Worldwide, and so the author's agent has either sold the UK rights to a company that needs to get their fingers out, or hasn't sold the audiobook rights yet.
It would be contract breach for the US audiobook company to sell the audiobook internationally. The DRM may be in the contract from the Author's agent, or may just be the US company thinking they are both protecting their profits and also providing the legal enforcement to stop their audio books being sold to non-US customers.
But you knew all that.
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It's also true of paper books but I can still buy them internationally. This idiotic restriction only seems to apply to audiobooks.
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Sometimes Amazon will pop up a note saying that this item is available for sale in the US and Canada only. Similarly that is often in the front pages of books.
If you travelled as often as I have, you'd find books on the other side of security at Heathrow that are not for sale in the UK.
The publishers don't usually mind a small number of grey imports for places like SF book dealers at cons etc. but if the US got the Harry Potter books a month before the UK, WH Smith would not be selling the US versions and Amazon.com would probably not honour your purchase.
Some dealers ignore the restrictions and sell internationally anyway, but then it is them that are violating the terms of sale and them that are opening themselves up to a lawsuit.
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Sometimes Amazon will pop up a note saying that this item is available for sale in the US and Canada only.
For physical products you'll only ever see that on software and even then the "marketplace" part of Amazon isn't so restricted. Besides, this is done only so they can charge higher prices in Europe - the actual product is available here, just not from that source.
You may be right about Harry Potter, but that's an exception to just about every publishing rule. Amazon have been internationally supplying books, videos, DVDs etc. that are supposedly only available in the US since the site began. It's one of the ways they got so big.
My point is not about legalities but about the reality of the situation. Whatever the licensing says, I can as a consumer legally obtain music, film, physical books and software that is published in the USA. Just not TV shows - and like you, I obtain on bittorrent those shows not available to me here - and, apparently, audiobooks. I am willing, even eager to spend money on these things and it seems nonsensical to me that I'm prevented from doing so.
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It's incredibly frustrating isn't it? We have to listen to the whine about the evil of piracy killing off music/films/whatever by making it free and destroying the profit... but when they do this, is it any wonder people get frustrated and go the illegal route? Grrrr.
And I must stop moaning in your LJ... Happy Friday btw! *hg*
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Happy Friday to you, too :-)
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LOL - exactly! When they leave you with two options: 1. go without, or 2. get an illegal copy, it's a bit of a no-brainer as to what the majority of people are going to do... and oh god, I'm moaning again. Got a sock I can stuff in my mouth? *hg*
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How about a virtual chocolate instead? Much nicer.
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There are plenty of video games and DVDs that are not available in the UK but are in the US ... and most people go without rather than going down the piracy route.
Life will not end if you can't buy a product, there are other different products you can buy.
Of course that's very hypocritical of me to say as I may well have a few bytes downloaded from bittorrent of US TV shows I can't see over here :-) but I still believe it to be true of "the majority of people" :-)
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Probably far more common of media fans who have the software installed to catch their US/UK shows where it is easy to just add another torrent.
And I know a lot of people that think it is illegal to download commercial releases and copyright material without paying for it (*I* believe it is illegal too, but what's my opinion?!) and so don't, either out of fear of being caught or out of an ethical stance.
For years I didn't (aside perhaps from some clothing optional dramas!) and I'm still buying commercial CDs when I can (this week was two Divine Comedy and one similar band ... I've bought an average of 2 CDs a week this year so far)
A bunch of people buy their downloads from iTunes or similar (again the majority are not tech savvy, but that's true of the internet now, most people online aren't particularly tech savvy)
Audiobooks might be a special case, as most people I know don't buy audio books, but then most people I know *are* readers and own far too many paper books and enjoy reading them!
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