CCCD stands for "Copy Controlled CD." Avex started using them in March in an
effort to stop piracy and declining sales figures. Avex's goal was to fully
convert their releases to CCCD's by September, and they succeeded. Other Japanese
since decided to follow suit causing CCCD's to become more and more abundant.
Avex uses the "Cactus Data Shield system." Quoted from
Midbar information sheet,
"Midbar’s CDS-200 technology exploits the concept of a multi-session
shielded CD. While maintaining a high and flexible level of protection, it allows
audio players to access the audio session only, and PCs to access the data session
for playback only." In other words, the point of the technology is to prevent
you from playing the CD's your computer without using the provided player. The
drawback? All you get to hear this way is a 47 kbps WMA file.
Another drawback is that these are not actually compact discs. They are
data discs. As such, some CD players and DVD players do not recognize them
as audio discs even though the labels claim they can. In fact, Philips, the
inventor of "compact discs," refuses to allow record labels to display the
"compact disc" logo that most people are familiar with and will not give support
if the discs fail to work in any kind of player.
Oddly enough, some people are still able to use the CCCD's in their computers,
particularly if they have an old CD-ROM drive or a DVD-ROM drive, even if the
computer is a Mac which is supposed to be incompatible with the technology.
However, even though some Mac users have had success with playing the CD's, I
do not recommend trying out the CD unless you know for sure that the CD will work,
If you are a Mac user, please read this AppleCare
Document before trying anything.
Starting in January of 2003,
Sony started to release copy-protected CD's. However, they use
a technology different from Midbar. Their method, known as Label Gate, is more
similar to a subscription service. You will have to obtain a key from the
internet which would allow you to download the music. After one free download,
each subsequent download will cost approximately 200 yen. It is unknown whether
this service will be available to people outside of Japan.