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Release Date: August 05, 2009
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iTunes New Music Releases

Release Date: September 29, 2009
Genre: Rock
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Discover New Music

  • Spilt Milk

    • 10 out of 10
    • Jellyfish
    • The second and final album from this power-pop group makes me wish Jellyfish had been able to make just one more record together. The album is best enjoyed as a whole piece, flowing from one track to
  • The Stooges

    • 8 out of 10
    • The Stooges
    • Another pillar of my musical foundations, The Stooges' first album is one those records whose influence far outweighed its popularity. Like The Velvet Underground & Nico, hordes of people wh

  • Gimme Fiction

    • 10 out of 10
    • Spoon
    • Gimme Fiction by Spoon is a terrific album by an Austin band that I was lucky enough to catch on an Austin radio station during a Christmas visit.

  • Supermodified

    • 10 out of 10
    • Amon Tobin
    • The genius is in the beats. Amon Tobin creates fantastic, groovy beats behind beats. "Supermodified" rolls through your expectations of breakbeat music, and turns them up a bit. It's a mellow album, p
  • Now Here Is Nowhere

    • 10 out of 10
    • Secret Machines
    • The Secret Machines' inaugural album, Now Here is Nowhere is both old and new in its sonic assault. The trio's surprisingly big sound evokes Pink Floyd (without ever sounding like any Pink

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News

Sony Settles with U.S. FTC on Music CD Rootkits

In a five to zero vote of the U.S. FTC on Tuesday, a consent agreement was approved in the Sony music CD rootkit case. Sony agreed to clearly disclose limitations on future music CDs and pay customers up to US$150 for damage to their computers.

The incident started when a Windows security expert discovered last fall that music CDs from Sony BMG silently installed and concealed a program called "XCP" on the customer's PC. The rootkit compromised the PC's security.

The U.S. FTC filed a complaint against Sony which said, " the installation of software without consumer consent that exposed consumers' computers to security risks was unfair and violated federal law." The FTC also asserted that "hiding the software and failing to provide a way to remove it were also violations of U.S. law."

As part of the agreement, Sony will make its removal program available for two years. Customers will be able to take their infected CDs, purchased prior to December 31st, back to a retailer for replacement, and Sony will allow the FTC to monitor their compliance with the agreement.

While this PC rootkit did not directly affect Mac OS X users, Apple customers have continued to monitor this case closely and its implications for both Windows and their own Mac system security.

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