per Simon's request the other day, let the bitching begin!

gorramit | September 21, 07:39 CET

Oh, grr. That's what I get for not reading every single line of WHEDONesque and its comments.

Sigh.

The One True b!X | September 21, 07:45 CET

No no, please don't take it that way at all. It's still news and newsworthy (if that makes sense...) and despite the controversy (crappy site, WMA format only, USA credit card only, etc.), this certainly bodes well for us Browncoats finally getting the Firefly soundtrack we've demanded for so long.
I don't mean to make you grr and sigh.

gorramit | September 21, 07:51 CET

Now if only they could make a real soundtrack... *sigh*

The Acolyte | September 21, 08:12 CET

If I can't import it on CD or download it legally because I live outside of the US, then what other alternative do I have? This is just sad, they are forcing me to illegally download this soundtrack, despite the fact that I would have gladly paid for it.

Zoic_Fan | September 21, 08:20 CET

Well, for all the crappy DRMed WMAness and the website that sucks and the Windows/US only, the songs are rather decent. A bit short though -- total runtime is 39:36.
Rundown on the licensing: unlimited listens, 30 burns, 9 synchronizations.

Looks like the first thing I'm doing tomorrow is setting up Audacity to record and convert all this!

(Also, first post here. *waves*)

seasleepy | September 21, 08:22 CET

seasleepy, does this mean you actually got them downloaded?

Here's my other question: In other WinMedia DRM situations, the currently-available Mac version of Windows Media Player won't play things. Is that going to be the case with these? The samples on the site plate just fine, but I have no way of knowing in advance if the full songs will play on my machine.

The One True b!X | September 21, 08:30 CET

Yup, downloaded and listening now! It sounds good, although it's a bit odd because on some of the slashed together tracks (such as "River's afraid/Niska/Book") there's more than one cue within the track, and they don't actually go together. They're just all on the same track, which is really weird. But all of the cues are good, so I can't complain. I can always split them if I want when I convert it.

It says on the Fox site's FAQ (Edit to add: link which may or may not behave for you) that their tracks won't work with Mac WMP.

[ edited by seasleepy on 2005-09-21 06:44 ]

seasleepy | September 21, 08:41 CET

Hey they finally put it up. When I posted that comment the other day, there was a massive coming soon bit on it.

Well the thing is, Fox put some of the Angel soundtrack online at the same site. But it did get released on CD in Europe and eventually got released in the States too on CD. So give it a few more months and I bet we'll see some progress on that front.

Simon | September 21, 09:33 CET

Well, it's not perfect... But today's goodenoughness threshold is around 27, so... it'll do.

Downloaded, burned to disc image, converted to something less painful than WMA, and now listening to Mr. Edmonson magic. Now let's see a more complete soundtrack, like the case of Angel.

This is the first time I've ever had a piece of music where I felt silence at the beginning was missing - there needs to be a few seconds of complete silence before "Deserted Ship" begins ;)

[ edited by Serge on 2005-09-21 10:26 ]

Kaneda | September 21, 12:23 CET

I could not for the life of me (and believe me, it felt like that was at stake), get the zip download to work. This bit of magic passed on from the Uni-board got it rolling:

"To download it, you've got to use Windows and Internet Explorer. If you're using XP Service Pack 2, you're going to have to turn off the popup blocker for the site, and the download information bar overall (which you can do by checking Enable on Tools->Internet Options->Security->Custom Level->Downloads->Automatic prompting for file downloads)."

Huge problem is that the site only takes cards with American addresses - essentially shutting the door on the international market.

But the music - oh, Greg! Thank you!

Hasufel | September 21, 13:07 CET

Shutting out the International Market, and forcing the international fans to rely on bootlegs, or p2p programs.

Now they can't really blame people for seeking things through free p2p sharing programs, can they?

Numfar PTB | September 21, 15:11 CET

I was able to download and pay with a Dutch Mastercard.

Caroline | September 21, 15:30 CET

About the mixing of the cues, I don't think that's anything FOX Music did, I think that's how Greg must have arranged them, because in that big interview he did at Tracksounds (just search Google, it comes right up), he talks about how he made a CD of tracks for FOX Music.

One of them was a "Heart of Gold" montage (which there is), but also about how his cues for the show were fairly short, and he had to put them together, which he tried to do from the emotion rather than the episode. There are some cues I wish he included that aren't there (in the HoG one especially), but what is there is very very awesome.

And since my own fan soundtrack came to about 45 minutes, 39 is pretty good to me. I haven't decided whether or not to mix and match, or just leave it as is. Cause as much I hope for an actual CD, with the Angel download it was 9 tracks as a tease, but 17 is sounds pretty full.

Besides, wasn't a digital download going to be the most likely release from the get go?

pat32082 | September 21, 15:46 CET

It was known well over a year and a half ago ago that the only option would be digital.



You beat the Man! Cool :). I know my Visa didn't work for the Angel EP cause I didn't have a US address.

Simon | September 21, 15:52 CET

So I'm listening to it now and there's one bit that seems straight out of Peter Gabriel's 'Passion' soundtrack for the film 'The Last Temptation of Christ'. Which is a good thing, since that's probably my favourite soundtrack.

Caroline | September 21, 16:05 CET

Caroline-I looooove Peter Gabriel!!!!!!

nakedandarticulate | September 21, 16:42 CET

I live in Australia and managed to download the soundtrack using my Visa card, after three attempts. I sent them an email so I will hopefully be reimbursed for two of my three purchases of the soundtrack.

Zoic_Fan | September 21, 18:04 CET

It was known well over a year and a half ago ago that the only option would be digital.

Then why does the site include a tiny graphic of cd-cover art, complete with text of some sort that's too small to read in the image? (Meaning: Doesn't that suggest there's an actual cd cover somewhere in existence?)

Meanwhile, regardless of the question of whether the international market is being able to download these, I'm left with waiting to get them illegally, since WIndows DRM doesn't work in Mac's version of Windows Media Player.

Let FOX sue me, the gorram backbirths.

The One True b!X | September 21, 20:44 CET

Because it's a quick half hearted effort to cash in on Serenity?

Simon | September 21, 20:53 CET

Started a thread at the movie site for people to use these songs as a base for a "real" soundtrack. Gotta have The Hero of Canton, the closing theme, River's dance, etc, and if we have to stick 'em in ourselves, well...

C. A. Bridges | September 21, 21:20 CET

The title theme, the Hero of Canton and River's dance were all not written by Greg Edmonson (they're about the only things he didn't write). Of course Fox should have put the extra effort in to get the rights from the writers of those bits as well. This just adds to the whole "halfheartedness" feel I get from this.

Celebithil | September 21, 22:37 CET

Wait, I've never used this system before, and all the fine print is giving me head-achings - is the deal that even if you are in the US, you can't burn these tracks onto a CD once you've purchased them? Much with the frustrating.

Typhon24 | September 21, 22:42 CET

Why are people paying for this? Don't give them your money for something this half-assed. And this isn't just some Fox bias speaking. Firefly DVDs put out by Fox Home Entertainment good, therefor worthy of money. Incomplete music download-only by Fox Music poor, no deserving of cash.

Kris | September 22, 00:20 CET

"Why are people paying for this?"

Because (a) we have been beating on their door for a year and a half for something - anything. If this is a bone, I'll take the bone. (b) Big sales means the potential for a bigger, better, possibly CD release. Little sales means they assume they were right, there is no market for this music, and we never see it again.

I am also rashly assuming Greg is getting royalties from this, and he deserves it.

Hasufel | September 22, 01:28 CET

Typhon24, the license in Windows Media Player says that 40 burns of the songs are allowed. I just burned a CD myself from there, no problem.

Kris, I'm paying for it because I have wanted this soundtrack for a while and we've had no news on any release besides this one, and I doubt Fox would decide to put out anything better if nobody buys this.

seasleepy | September 22, 02:06 CET

Just to give people a heads up, Navio are refunding the money for the multiple orders that I accidentally did. Also I burnt a CD and then ripped a set of MP3s from the CD.

In answer to why I paid for this. 1) If no one buys this version then FOX will not release it on CD. 2) I love the music and I couldn't wait indefinitely for a CD release.

Zoic_Fan | September 22, 03:18 CET

seasleepy - excellent! Thanks for the heads up :) Gonna go snag a copy right now...
...
Well, I got the files, but it only let me burn the first 10 tracks for some reason....grr...

[ edited by Typhon24 on 2005-09-22 03:51 ]

Typhon24 | September 22, 04:37 CET

I couldn't get the full album to play with WMP on my PC once I downloaded it (my player claimed I didn't have a licence to play it), but after I loaded each track individually I burned them to a disc, opened the disc with iTunes, and converted them to mp3's back into my hard drive. Not all the digital LP's turn into commercial releases; I downloaded Mark Snow's Millenium Soundtrack off the Fox site and never saw it materialize in stores. Congrats to Greg on finally getting a release, even if it is through the horrid Navio site.

| September 23, 04:04 CET