Consumers are warming up to the idea of copy protected CDs, or so reports the Associated Press. Velvet Revolver"s "Contraband" sold 380,000 copies since it was first released last week. Even after clearly being labeled with copy restrictions. According to the record industry this technology will help to reduce piracy. Even though all a user has to do is press the "shift" key to bypass it.
A music CD wrapped in copy-protection technology has become a best seller, fueling speculation that U.S. music fans might be ready to accept such restrictions. Velvet Revolver"s "Contraband" has sold 380,000 copies since its release last week, when it grabbed the top sales spot with 256,000 units sold, according to Nielsen SoundScan. It"s one of a few CDs issued in the United States equipped with such copy-protection measures, which the recording industry has been cautious to implement.
"Obviously, this is our highest-profile release to date with copy-management technology, so there"s a sense that the technology has matured and our research shows us that consumers are receptive," said Nathaniel Brown, a spokesman for Bertelsmann Music Group. Fans bought the CD despite clear warnings on the jewel case about the copy restrictions. "Contraband" is the first record by the group formed by ex-members of Guns N" Roses and the frontman of Stone Temple Pilots.