Hacking the Starbuck's Muzak Machine? 101
llamaluvr asks: "My friend is employed at a Starbucks coffeehouse, and he told me about a system they use for controlling what kind of music is played in the store. The machine can only play a particular type of CD, which contains 90-100 songs that "expire" after awhile, and is appearantly compiled/ produced by Hear Music, a subsidary of Starbucks. PlayNetwork is in charge of the the hardware. Anyway, he and his fellow employees are sick of Starbucks lame playlists, and they can't use normal CDs, as the machine tells them that the CDs are "expired". Does anybody know anything about how this system works? Is it at all possible to make a CD on your own that can be played on these machines?"
Forget it (Score:2, Funny)
Re:Forget it (Score:1)
They are not trying to steal any kind of music they just want to listen to the music they already own which is Fair Use!
Do you work for the MPAA or something!
Please do not listen to this we have the right to tamper with any equipment in our possession even if we don't own it!
Our four fathers are spinning in they're grave!
Re:Forget it (Score:1)
Oops, you are right (Score:2, Informative)
I'd also like to note that the article mentions a CD that they "made themselves". Most likely from music stolen online, so my original point still stands.
Re:Oops, you are right (Score:1)
Re:Forget it (Score:2)
The US Copyright law treats playing recorded music at a establishment such as Starbucks as a public performance. This is entirely different than private listening to music that you have purchased. The previous poster's concerns are entirely justified.
My guess is that the StarBucks system incorporates an expiration time specifically to manage how StarBucks has licensed the music. Hacking that system, in itself, may or may not be illegal. But using the hack to play music from privately owned CDs almost certainly violates the Copyright law.
More on Public Performance Licensing (Score:3, Informative)
ASCAP has a FAQ [ascap.com] that deals with the whole issue of public performance of copyrighted material. Well worth reading.
Re:Forget it (Score:1)
just randomly curious
Re:Forget it (Score:2)
so is it illegal to record a live public performance?
Yes, unless the performer has given specific permission for you to record it.
Re:Forget it (Score:1)
Re:Forget it (Score:2)
However, in this case, its more like a city buying a copy of a book. The book was paid for with public funds, but that doesnt give the city the right to make as many copies of the book as they choose.
Re:Forget it (Score:1)
Re:Forget it (Score:2)
But if employees play music they own when the store isn't open, I'd bet that's legal; the public can't get in. Personally, that's when I'd really want it. I can stand the 'music' while the place is open, but I'd love to listen to something I like while opening or closing.
Re:Forget it (Score:2, Funny)
I suggest, however, that the poster wants to be able to play the tunes while the customers are in the house. I say: they need to be fired, because they expose their corporation to lawsuit and potentially embarrassing headlines.
Re:Forget it (Score:2)
Yeah, a sap who probably nets $5/hour after taxes should spend half a work week so that they and their coworkers can listen to music that they like during setup and teardown when there's a better stereo just sitting there. Swell idea.
I suggest, however, that the poster wants to be able to play the tunes while the customers are in the house. I say: they need to be fired, because they expose their corporation to lawsuit and potentially embarrassing headlines.
Yeah, I can see it in the NYT already: Minimum-Wage Workers Discovered To Not Always Follow Rules.
Let's be real here. From the way you're talking, I imagine that you've never worked a low-end job for a major chain. On average, the managers are robots and the employees are animals. This is understood and expected on all sides. If a couple of minimum-wage teenagers are playing unlicensed music, ASCAP will probably never notice, especially given that Starbucks is already paying every month for music, the only question being who gets the credit. If they do, the most they'll do is send a slightly mean letter to Starbucks.
Thirty seconds later, Starbucks will write back saying that the rogue employees have been terminated and that their vendor has been notified to beef up security on the jukeboxes. ASCAP, noting that Starbucks currently pays 3.2 zillion dollars annually in royalties, will waive the misplaced 30 cents, and everybody will be happy, especially the cd-burning chumps who will never have to use the word "Venti" again and will be working at some other low-rent job a week later.
If Starbucks Corporate HQ would sweat over anything, it would be the potential image problem if customers walk in and the stereo is blaring "You've Got Fetus On Your Breath". But if the guys behind the counter are even vaguely savvy about their music choices, even that won't be a problem.
So please muzzle your moralizing. The poster did not ask for advice from his mommy; he asked about an interesting geek problem. Hopefully they will post more details so we can get on with figuring out how things work.
Re:Forget it (Score:1)
Re:Forget it (Score:1)
So in effect, aren't you paying out of your ears for the atmosphere? Isn't the music a major part of that?
Re:Forget it (Score:1)
Re:Forget it (Score:1)
Uh, John, Paul, George and Ringo?
<couldn't resist/>Note (Score:3, Funny)
Funny? (Score:3, Insightful)
Unplug (Score:5, Insightful)
More info (Score:5, Insightful)
Chances are it's just got a date or an ID on it, no signing or anything fancy like that, meant to keep stores from playing the wrong disc or from having playable music if they don't continue to subscribe.
I'd dump an image and look for something nonstandard in the TOC. If I were making a player that locked users out, I'd put it right there so I could use a standard CD player and just add code to compare the tail of that buffer to a 16 bit date number or such.
If you're really unlucky, they might actually be going so far as to put this on a special kind of limited use disc (a unique Disc Application Code [everything2.com] in the Wobble Track), but it's unlikely they'd go to that expense unless this is a very popular and expensive service (which it may well be). At the least, I wouldn't be surprised if it were an audio disc and not a data CDR. I believe gcombust can tell you what DAC was read when a disc was inserted, and that might tell you more.
By the way, if it does have a special DAC, you're screwed without getting special media pressed or modifying the player. You can't write a wobble with a regular CD burner.
Re:More info (Score:1)
There's one simple way to find out if the disc is reproducable. Get a hold of a disc, make a 1-to-1 copy, and see if it still plays. If so you can probably adjust a date stamp or something. If not, no ammount of hacking will make it work with your standard burner.
Re:More info (Score:3, Insightful)
Re:More info (Score:2)
A better scheme would be just to use an incrementing "edition" or "volume" number... After playing Starbucks Greatest Hits Volume 10 for 1,000 hours, it could decide that that was enough and from then on, it would play only Volume 11 or higher (and when it saw such a disc, it would reset its playtime counter).
The disadvantage to that scheme is when you decide that, in order to play on all machines, you come out with your own CD labeled "volume 65535", you'll bump up the volume counter in every machine the disc gets played in and they will no longer play the corporate-sanction editions (which haven't reached anywhere near 65535 yet).
Then, there's the implementation of the actual device - it could be easy to get around. If there is a battery or a supercapacitor backing up memory, disconnecting and/or shorting it out would clear the memory. Presumably, the player would get set to a special state where it would play the first volume it read... or (less likely because it would be a pain to maintain) it may require a special initialization CD that tells it what the current volume is.
And if the config data is stored in an EEPROM (either a discrete device, or embedded in some other part, such as the microcontroller), then it gets harder...
good luck, and please report back. Or better yet, send me a unit!
Stop. Think. Continue. (Score:4, Insightful)
The company/licensee/franchisee may be paying a licensing fee for this equipment and may be contractually bound to use said CD or Subscription service. By using a homemade CD in said system, they may be asking for trouble.
Keep in mind, this is just one possibility. I'd hate to see someone get in trouble because they didn't think before they acted.
Re:Stop. Think. Continue. (Score:2)
We also rent the machine for £x a week.
We get the money back from students giving us their loan cheques to watch/listen to some stuff.
However we are still allowed to pump a composite video signal and a ballance audio signal into the boxm and broadcast whenever we want.
Whiles theres a chance they cant do this (legally), or even get into trouble from the area manager, there is also a chance the system is designed to allow additions.
check 2600 (Score:3, Informative)
The best solution (Score:1, Troll)
This solution would obviate the need for this hackery, allow for them to listen to better music, and help make the planet a slightly nicer place to live.
Re:The best solution (Score:3, Funny)
Hold on, there Tweek. Even 7-11 has "good" coffee. What they don't have is "great" coffee. I'd watch out for the underpants gnomes if I were you.
Re:The best solution (Score:1)
Back in the old days (Score:5, Funny)
The CD has 90-100 songs in it (Score:3, Interesting)
It means that the guys would have first to find out the kind of compression (mp3, wma, ogg...) and only then try to make a CD "with music whose original record they own (just to make clear the fair use)".
If it is some kind of compressed file, it may have some kind of authorization file, that may be encrypted...
Re:The CD has 90-100 songs in it (Score:1)
Re:The CD has 90-100 songs in it (Score:1)
I can bet that the RIAA fee does only cover legal stuff.
Re:The CD has 90-100 songs in it (Score:1)
Re:The CD has 90-100 songs in it (Score:1)
Path of least resistance (Score:3, Insightful)
Re:Path of least resistance (Score:3, Insightful)
No Fun (Score:1)
But where's the fun in that? This is the sort of thing that you do, just to prove that you can do it!
Work somewhere else (Score:1)
They are trying to run a business and I imagine they set up just such a system to ensure consistency between various stores and to set the environment they want.
Re:Work somewhere else (Score:2, Funny)
How about SmackDonald's? (Score:1)
I was in Maccy D's a few weeks ago and 'Golden Brown' (Lyrics [phespirit.info]) was playing, during early afternoon, plenty of kids around.
For those that don't know, 'Golden Brown' = heroin.
Ali
Re:How about SmackDonald's? (Score:1)
http://www.pm.gov.uk/output/Page99.as
you actually think you are allowed? (Score:4, Insightful)
And then you come along and think, hell, I work here, I wanna hear TMBG all day long and not this crap.
DO YOU THINK YOUR OPINION MATTERS?
Watch how quickly you get fired for tampering with their ordained music selections (which I'm sure is both a corporate perogative as well as the CEO's favorite songs)
This isn't 1999. It doesn't matter if you're happy or not. There will be no pool table in the office lounge. Suck it up. You work at a glorified McDonalds.
Re:you actually think you are allowed? (Score:2)
They're actually good employers (Score:2, Informative)
I don't drink Starbucks coffee if I have another choice, but I don't begrudge their baristas the choice to work for a company that treats them with respect. If you're working in the $7/hour zone, there are a lot of worse places to be. And damn but the chonga bagels are tasty :)
Re:They're actually good employers (Score:1)
Watch all that go out the window as soon as their bottom line undergoes a serious downturn...
Re:you actually think you are allowed? (Score:1)
Who cares? If they want to change it, they will. If they get in trouble for it, that's their problem. I'm sure they're quite aware that they aren't supposed to change the music. And I'm equally sure that if they were really attached to their job at Starbucks, they wouldn't do it. Apparently they aren't all that attached.
Re:you actually think you are allowed? (Score:1)
Re:you actually think you are allowed? (Score:1)
Re:you actually think you are allowed? (Score:1)
And a little creative sabotage is an excellent way to do that.
Re:you actually think you are allowed? (Score:2, Insightful)
regardless.
"hacking" with their equipment because your musical taste doesn't match the corporate-sponsored (forced) music because you're sick of listening to it is just wrong. I'm sorry, but it's their corporation and you are an employee. It's not your bedroom/apt/car.
Now, if you WROTE the management and laid out advantages for Starbucks Inc by allowing employees to have some say in the music selection, that would be different. Stuff like employee mental health, customer retention through extended music selection, etc. That's called "changing from within". And if they come back and say no, you have your answer (deal with it). But going and modding their hardware (without permission) is very, very childish.
Duh (Score:3, Funny)
Do you not, perhaps, think that the poster of the question realises that changing the CD might not be, gasp horror, disapproved of by the powers that be leading to firing, threats of legal action, death, being sent to bed without supper etc. etc.
The poster possibly also considered
a) replacing the CD player
b) planting cockroaches and calling the environmental health department (or whatever you call it)
c) deploying tactical nuclear missiles
I believe the poster is asking for advice on what, in prehistory, used to be termed 'a hack'.
Re:you actually think you are allowed? (Score:1)
Get a different job (Score:2)
If he hacks the machine and gets caught (and he will get caught), he'll just get fired anyway, and might even be looking at a lawsuit (public establishments have limits on what music they can play, though I'd have to ask my wife about the particulars) or even criminal charges. In other words, stuff that looks real bad on a resume.
That said, it shouldn't be difficult if you can get ahold of one of the expired CDs and know how to read a hex dump. It'll probably take some time, though.
Re:Get a different job (Score:1)
Yeah, but sometimes the hack is the fun part. Check out what this guy [cockeyed.com] has done at Java City. Eventually management did catch on, but they had a sense of humor and admired his wit.
Re:Get a different job (Score:1)
Re:Get a different job (Score:2)
One day, a friend of mine decided to chug his soda and then slam the empty can down on the table in a manly display of soda-guzzling prowess. The glass tabletop, of course, shattered. Fortunately, though, my friend was prepared: He pulled out his big fat permenant marker (you know, the ones with the fumes that almost knock you flat when you pull off the cap) and added a T to the end of the BUS on all of those signs...
Duh. (Score:1)
Re:Duh. (Score:1)
Regardless, I bet your scheme would work (I wouldn't want to be the one to piss off Starbucks by changing their Carefully Chosen Corporate Atmosphere Music, however).
et voila!
; )
Problem with Playing Your Own CDs (Score:1)
Public Performance != Fair Use (Score:5, Insightful)
Most stores don't bother with this, because they are not going to be targeted by the RIAA. However, Starbucks is using music to create an "ambiance" meaning that the music is part of their product, and the patrons are expected to linger and enjoy it. Thus, they are "selling" the music as much as the coffee (even if you don't want to pay for it).
Plugging in your own CD player, or hacking the system in order to play your own music will make Starbucks libel for copyright infringement, which I imagine they wouldn't appreciate.
Sorry, I suggest you forget this endeavor.
Re:Public Performance != Fair Use (Score:2)
Also something that they should think about is that hacking this system could get them all fired and possibly involved in a law suit. Corporate Starbucks may not like the fact that some people are playing their own music in these establishments as well as hacking their (SB) "custom made" hardware. If they (SB) have limited license for these songs and you bring in unlicensed music you could get them (SB) into trouble. Who do you think Starbucks would go after if the MPAA/RIAA or some other AA (anonymous a******) went after SB? YOU!
Aside from that there may be some subliminal messages that would get missed in .. you know that '3rd' track that says drink more coffee from Starbucks. (LOL)
Seriously it is probably a cd that has some hidden tracks on the cdrom. It may be possible to use a normal cdrom in their system, but the question then would become what is on the hidden tracks. If the cdrom player recognizes the cdrom and says that it is expired, it probably has a hidden track that has some kind of expiration date or number code. It could be something as simple as using the unix timestamp in seconds on a hidden track that tells the expiration of a cdrom in seconds since the epoch.
Personally, before hacking at this thing, I'd go to corporate or your manager or superiors, and ask them if you could get a different selection of music. It is after all only 'background music' and not worth potentially loosing your job over (IMHO).
Re:Public Performance != Fair Use (Score:2)
While I believe you are right and a lawsuit would be involved, I have to wonder.
How much money can a company expect to win from it's minimum wage employees???
I would be like:
ok, I'm not getting a lawyer.
Fine, I'll settle out of court.
Sure, I owe you 2 million dollars.
Will you take a check?
Well of couse it bounced, if I had 2 million dollars do you think I would have been working for you for $7 an hour in the first place!!!!
Re:Public Performance != Fair Use (Score:2)
I could see them getting fired at least. One must wonder what their corporate policy is on this or if they even have one.
Re:Public Performance != Fair Use (Score:2)
In any event SB would spend very little time getting them put into jail. They would spend a considerable amount of money working with the DA's office to provide them with the evidence to convict the employees. Instead, SB would probably rather sue them. This would look good in a lawsuit from the company's box who has been hacked. It would solidify the point that SB did not condone the actions of its employees (even though they may be held responsible for them.)
Remember that there is a huge difference between criminal and civil laws.
Re:Public Performance != Fair Use (Score:2)
you're missing the point... (Score:1)
Sorry, I suggest you forget this endeavor.
Your argument is factually correct, but you make the fatal error of assuming that someone making $6.25/hr with no benefits might give a fuck about what is good for the company as a whole.
He just wants to listen to something besides kiddie pop- the same kiddie pop that they've been subjecting him to all day, every day, for weeks and weeks on end! If you've ever been a wage slave forced to listen to someone else's music, you'll know that it amounts to torture after the first repeat rolls around. He appeals to
Seems to me it ain't his problem, especially if they can't pin it on him when he makes the swap. Worst thing that happens from the employee's perspective is that he has to find a new job... it may be that changing CD's at Starbucks is a firing offence.
come on people... (Score:2, Insightful)
Re:come on people... (Score:2, Insightful)
Secondly, there is nothing wrong legally if they only played thier custom cds before they open or after they close, when there arent any customers around.
Lastly, you all should be ashamed for turning your back to these poor underapeciated, undertrained barrista. You know, those poor kids have to wake up pretty early so that you can have your damned Frapachino. They get paid shit, and your measly tips barely buy them lunch. Dont they deserve to hack thier own music.
Lastly again, no they wont sue this kid, you cant get blood out of a turnip. You gotta rember, he works at starbucks, hes probaly only 17 years old, with a crackling voice and zits on his face. After all the times he's burnt his hand on the steam wand for you people, every one of you completly turns thier back on him. What a lame excuse too --"im scared of the laywers" is what you should say.
Wake up people! He didnt ask you what the fine was, he asked how to hack the damned machine. The question wasnt weather he'd be allowed to do this. Infact, scince he asked about "hacking" the machine, he probably knew there was risk involved. So everybody, if you have any ideas how to circumvent the music protection, then post away, otherwise, SHUT UP.
Almost forgot, im sure this will get modded down, my spelling sucks.
Have you tried asking them? (Score:3, Insightful)
Have you tried finding out what both customers and staff prefer to listen to, then sending it to the people that organise the music for Starbucks? That would seem to make the most sense to me...
Hacking Star$s (Score:1)
Let's examine the real issue (Score:1, Offtopic)
I suppose it's somewhat "hip" music, picked by a demographer at Starbucks to appeal to their yuppie customers and above all not to offend customers or in any way frustrate those customers in their quest to give Starbucks $5.00 for a cup of coffee.
And that's a good thing. I'm no fan of corporate blandness or lowest common denominator marketing, but...
A Starbucks employee is often a pierced-nosed, tattooed counter-culture wanna-be, and there is no way I'm going to enjoy my Venti Mocha Frap listening to what that employee wants to hear.
I know this makes me sound old and curmudgeonly, but I've always been this way.
[OT] Cookies? (Score:2)
Yes, but they would probably be terminated (Score:1)
I am betting that the second the District Manager (or who ever) walked in pink slips would fly.
Starbucks pays a lot of money to licence both the rights to play the music and getting the music that they feel helps build the atmosphere that will bring in more custommers... What makes you think they would like you playing with their formula anyway... ie. The music isn't there for the employees, it is there for the custommers
After Hours? (Score:1)
By the way, I'd love to see an image (and damnit, not a scan of one;) of one of these disks, if only for shits and giggles.
Report as fault . (Score:1, Offtopic)
Easy. Use Consumer Activism. Report a fault to the equipment supplier each time it refuses to play a CD. This drives up their costs, therefore their prices and reduces their competitiveness. Eventually Starbucks will get the message and start using not fault equipment.
play network disc contents and a small hack (Score:4, Informative)
data.txt
playdisc.aud
data.txt reveals this.....
[Playlist]
Version=3.1
ID=219091
Title=Your company name DISC 20
Programs=3
Songs=389
ProgramAdvance=0
Song
Expiration=2003/02/12
StartTime=05:00
[Program1]
ID=13522
Title=Club & Dance & Pop 1
StartTime=05:00
EndTime=08:30
ProgramPlay=Ne
MaxPlayTime=0
SongPlay=Random
Songs=49
Comm
[Program2]
ID=13523
Title=Modern Adult Contemporary
StartTime=08:30
EndTime=21:00
Pro
MaxPlayTime=0
SongPlay=Random
Son
Commercials=0
and so on, it lists the songs that are in each program too. As you can see, modern adult contemporary(translated "crap") is played most of the day. However, there is the redeeming club and pop that starts after a certain time of day. I considered replacing the unit with a cd changer and choosing my own music but instead just changed the time of day programed into the player so it would play the club and pop music earlier in the day. You'll have to take one of the discs home to find out what your discs are configured like but if you want to change the time on the player(there has to be a disc in it to do this) press the menu button repeatedly until "press select to set the current time of day" is displayed on the menu screen, hit select then use the view button to change the number, hit select again to accept the change then use the view button to do the same with minutes if desired...........
hope this helps ya out.