Copyright notes

In the old days, before audio CD's were invented people used to listen to music on their audio cassette players.

People trying to copy the tapes often experienced what is called generational loss, the copies of audio or video tapes did not sound exactly like the original, there was usually more background noise. Even more, because of the tape's permanent contact to the reading head of the cassette player, the original cassette would lose a bit of its quality with each playback.

On audio CD's, the music is stored in a digital format, with error correction and there is no reading head to touch the disc surface, if a person takes care not to scratch the disc, it will sound the same even after years of playback. With the right tools, people can create a perfect copy of the material on another disc or on a computer.

That is why copyright organizations are more concerned these days and this is why you should know what laws regarding this subject exist in your country.

Some countries do not allow ripping and encoding your legally owned discs, other countries have what is called Fair Use Laws which allow you to make a back-up copy of your disc (in case your original gets scratched or damaged) and possibly even share your music with close friends, as long as you don't make profit out of this.

If you are not sure about your country's laws stance regarding the legality of ripping & encoding legally-purchased CD audio music, you should seek legal advice from a qualified professional before doing anything this tutorial teaches you.

I do not condone piracy, the artists deserve to be paid for their music. I only believe the buyer should have the freedom to make a copy for safe keeping and to be able to listen to the music he/she likes without having to switch CDs for each favorite track.

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