ifirit

No, it doesn't, actually. "Hikari," which includes "Simple and Clean" by extention, was released from EMI Music Japan as a single before the game came out (granted, only 7 days earlier). The song later appeared on Utada Hikaru's album "Deep River" that year, also released by EMI Music Japan. EMI Music is not directly affliated with Disney Music Group or Square-Enix Music, as the music was licensed, meaning that the music copyrights clearly belong to Utada Hikaru and EMI Music Group, which falls outside of the gray area that OCR uses to distribute its videogame arrangements. You might argue that the songs both appear on the Original Soundtracks along with the rest of the game's music, but you'll also have to remember that the soundtrack was released by EMI Music Group. Unfortunately, this means that the songs "Hikari," "Simple and Clean" and the subsequent orchestrations are outside of OCR's rules about eligible submissions pieces. (The orchestrations being arrangements that belong to Square-Enix.) It's pretty much the same for most of the music from that soundtrack as most of it comprises of arrangements of other popular Disney music. Honestly, the KH soundtracks are a nightmare to deal with legally. The same goes for "Passion," "Sanctuary" and its orchestrations which are also copyrights of Utada Hikaru and EMI Music Japan, with "Passion" being released prior to Kingdom Hearts II and appearing on Utada Hikaru's album "Ultra Blue." There are still other tracks from the KH soundtracks that were composed originally for the game and eligible for OCR submissions, such as the previously mentioned Traverse Town theme.

Silent Hill: Homecoming Update: Circuit City Pre-Order Bonus for Silent Hill: Homecoming - Red Pyramid Thing Keychain: As of September 24th, 2008, Circuit City locations in the USA offered a pre-order bonus with copies of the console versions (XBOX360 & PS3) of Silent Hill: Homecoming.*[1] The pre-order bonus was a metallic keychain in the shape of the Red Pyramid Thing from the Silent Hill film/Silent Hill: Homecoming. The keychain is etched on the front side and flat on the back, but features the title of the game engraved on the back. While the initial pre-order period has since passed, as SH:H was released on Tuesday, September 30, 2008, offers are still available while supplies last at participating locations.*[2] *[1] Footnote: This offer has only been advertised through the official Silent Hill: Homecoming website (in the News section) and does not show up on the Circuit City pre-order webpage. *[2] Footnote: The offer is currently only available for in-store pick-up at locations in the lower 48 states of the USA. (Personal Note: I'm sure you'll be able to locate the item on ebay or other auction-based sites.) Konami Digital Entertainment, Inc. - Silent Hill: Homecoming Official Website Play Interactive Launches "Official Silent Hill: Homecoming Pre-Order Program" in Malaysia: In an effort to increase sales of Silent Hill: Homecoming in Malaysia, Play Interactive Software Sdn Bhd (an official Konami products distributor) launched the "Official Silent Hill: Homecoming Pre-Order Program," which offered gamers the ability to obtain three very nice pre-order bonuses when placing their purchases through the select game retailers or their "premium online reseller."*[3] According the website, Pre-orders were placed by obtaining a pre-order card from one of the select game retailers in Malaysia,*[4] and either placing the pre-order with the retailer or by mailing it in to the online reseller (provided it was stamped by the store who provided the card). The promotion began on August 25, 2008, with pre-order cards limited in their distribution. Pre-order cards had to be completed and returned by September 28, 2008 to be eligible. The pre-order bonuses were available for those looking to purchase either console version (PlayStation3 or XBOX360). On release day, people who participated in the pre-order program received a Silent Hill: Homecoming T-Shirt *[5], a SH:H tumble mug, and six collector's postcards. Pre-Order Card (Front) Pre-Order Card (Back) *[3] Footnote: The Premium Online Reseller was www.consolegame.com.my *[4] Footnote: The select retailers are listed below: Kedah- Hyper Animetion G Enterprise; Lot 39, 2nd Floor, Complex City Plaza - Soo Ming Enterprise; Lot 52, Tingkat 3, City Plaza - STR; S-45, Tingkat 2, Kompleks Star Parade Penang - Gamemart; Midlands Park - Games Tower; 33-1 (Atrium 01-04, Prangin Mall - Ace Electrical & Electronics Sdn Bhd; Level 3, 33-3-02, Prangin Mall - Beyond Electronics; BII, Lot 18, Level 4, Komtar - Marionet Trading; 3A-G-08, Kompleks Bukit Jambul - Gameworld Electronic Enterprise; 2F-23 (North Zone 2nd Floor), Queensbay Mall - GameWorld Electronics & Toys; Lot G 70A-71A, Megamall Penang Kuala Lumpur - J & D Game Trading ; Lot G-136, Ground Floor, Sungei Wang Plaza - Play On Enterprise; T008, 3rd Floor, Sungei Wang Plaza - Esprit Appliances Technology; Sungei Wang Plaza - Tech Two Enterprise, Lot T-094; 3rd Floor, Sungei Wang Plaza - Super Game Trading; LG 079, LG Floor, Sungei Wang Plaza - Perniagaan Jen Giap; T-064, 3rd Floor, Sungei Wang Plaza - Game Wave Enterprise; TC 037 & TC 038, 3rd Floor, Sungei Wang Plaza - Games Hypermart; 8F-17A, 6 Floor, Sungei Wang Plaza - Imbi Mario Trading Sdn Bhd; Lot 1.35, 1 Floor, Imbi Plaza - CLT Game Enterprise; KA 1/3, 2nd Floor, Plaza Low Yat - Gamers Solution; Lot B45, City Bazaar Ground Floor - Games Segment; S&M Shopping Arcade - Smart Choice Enterprise; Lot No. 3.38 & 3.39; 3 rd Floor, S&M Shopping Arcade - Star Game Station Sdn Bhd; Mid Valley Megamall - Gamester Sdn Bhd; No. 42B, 2 Floor, IT World, Mid Valley Megamall - Titanium Games; Lot 22, Ground Floor, Tesco Extra, Cheras - Titanium Games; Lot F12, First Floor; Tesco Extra Selayang Selangor- Multimedia Computer System; Subang Parade - USJ TV Game Trading; Summit USJ - Infinity Game Station, Summit USJ - New Solution; Sunway Pyramid - Genius Game Enterprise; Sunway Pyramid - HG Time Enterprise; Carrefour, Klang - Ranger Family Games - Dream Games Sdn. Bhd.; Lot S201C, 2 Floor, 1 Utama Shopping Centre - Titanium Games; Lot G29, Giant Hypermarket Bandar Kinrara, Puchong - Titanium Games; Ground Floor, Tesco Extra, Shah Alam - Titanium Games; 117 & 118, First Floor Sunway Pyramid - Titanium Games; Ground Floor, AIMPointPlaza, Tesco Banting Negeri Sembilan- VK Calibre; Teminal 1, Seremban Sabah- Game Station; Wisma Merdeka, Kota Kinabalu Sarawak - Gamemania Hangout; Wisma Saberkas; Kuching East Peninsular Malaysia Agent (Terengganu, Kelantan, Pahang) - New Tech,Old Klang Road (Contact No: +603- 7891 9302) *[5] Footnote: T-Shirt is only available in one size, listed as "free size." PLAY Interactive Software Sdn Bhd - Events - Silent Hill: Homecoming Pre-Order Program Amazon.com Offering Free MP3 Tracks from Original Soundtrack with Orders for Silent Hill: Homecoming: When online shoppers purchase the console version of Silent Hill: Homecoming (PlayStation3 / XBOX360), Amazon.com will provide digital copies of three select tracks from the Silent Hill: Homecoming original soundtrack as a bonus. Amazon.com will send instructions to the shopper about how to access the files from the Download section of the Amazon Media Library. The tracks featured are "The Sacred Line" (featuring Mary Elizabeth McGlynn), "Witchcraft" and "Cold Blood" (the song from the 1up.com video feature about SHV back in 2007). Amazon.com - Silent Hill: Homecoming (PlayStation3 version) Amazon.com - Silent Hill: Homecoming (XBOX360 version) Silent Hill (DVD) as Pre-Order Offer from Third-Party Retailers: For those that placed pre-orders for the console versions of Silent Hill: Homecoming from either GameStop, GameCrazy or EB Games Canada, they received a copy of the Silent Hill film on DVD (Full-screen), while supplies were available.*[6] *[6] Personal Note: My instincts are telling me that this wasn't so much a promotion, but a chance for GameStop to unload a mass quantity of unpurchased Silent Hill DVDs. Konami Digital Entertainment - Silent Hill: Homecoming

This looks really cool, but how does one go about developing games for this little box? And for that matter, how does one load them onto the system? Is it cartidge based? Or do the games have to be loaded onto the system directly? How would one go about distributing games for this system anyway?

I've ordered the CD from PlayAsia.com when it first came out, but it seems that it sold out after I ordered it. I'm still waiting for it to arrive here. I hear that Akira Yamaoka and Norihiko Hibino's performance was outstanding.

> Push Hausdog

Actually, I'm wondering if there are any good music creation programs available for linux.

Seems you and me are in the same boat. Ubuntu has been a lot more stable for me than Windows and I really like it's interface. And despite what other people might say, I like the fact that the menu commands are grammatically correct, i.e. verb = command, noun = object/location.

O', no, 'ou di'n't.

That's a pretty awesome spot. So, do you get a residual check everytime they play it, or was it one of those things where they "bought" the song for a flat fee?

I like the idea, definitely has potential. Still, as you said, the presentation is shakey and really needs some improvement. The animation, too, is inconsistant, being that it's very slow and jerky in the beginning, while speeding up too quickly at the end. Keep working at it though. There's plenty of room to grow.

Silent Hill: Homecoming Update: New Trailer Released: So, there's a new Silent Hill: Homecoming trailer released from the E3 demo version of the game. While this is the video that plays at the title screen, it seems to be, for all intents and purposes, the official game trailer. Looks like Konami and Double Helix Games are going to have this ready by late September as promised. The trailer is spoiler-free for those fans that are interested in watching without having anything spoiled. It also features a new theme song for the game composed by Akira Yamaoka, with lyrics by Joe Romersa and vocals by Mary Elizabeth McGlynn. The song is a rock ballad in a similar vein as "Your Rain" but with a slower tempo and more expressive vocals. I'll post more information later and try to catch up on all the news I've missed this summer. Enjoy. GameTrailers.com - Silent Hill: Homecoming - Attract Mode

Happy Birthday, Jimmy. Best wishes to a good guy with lots of drive and focus. Hope you can spare some time toward enjoying that Big Giant Cake.

Guys and gals, that was an awesome meet-up. I got to find out a lot more about the people behind the forum names and it was really fun hanging out with everyone. Despite the complications and numerous turnabouts , everything ended up working out and I'm glad I could spend some time getting to know Sinewav, Nekofrog and Ashley on the car ride up. (Don't let me forget to send you those Tees, Ashley.) It's a little disappointing that BGC couldn't save me a T-shirt (I know you tried your best), but I guess I'll just order one through the OCR store directly and support the site. I'll get my pictures posted soon, everyone.

Here's a map of public parking places in downtown Louisville. Scroll over the location to get more detail on pricing and hours. 529 W. Market street (about 2 blocks from the hotel) has weekend parking available for $2, although it's just a surface lot. Otherwise, you're looking at parking costing about $6-$7 at any other location. Again, street parking is available for free after 6pm tomorrow. Louisville Parking Map BGC, would you mind adding the Louisville Parking Map to the first post?

Come on, it's gonna be sweet. Plus, we'll be saving some green by carpooling. I called to double-check the parking rates. While the standard valet costs $21 at the hotel, parking on the street is free after 6pm on the weekends. There are also a few public parking garages in the area. I'll get a more detailed list before tomorrow. Thanks, Jimmy.

I'm planning on being in Louisville about 3pm, barring traffic. CHECK-IN IS AT 4PM, I REPEAT, CHECK-IN IS AT 4PM. We'll just be waiting until that time. You're invited to come hang-out with us before or after the concert, or to see The Dark Knight. (I purchased 1 too many tickets and so we've got an open seat.) We'll be meeting in the lobby of the 21c Museum Hotel. BGC, would you please update the front page of this thread with the information that I posted before? I'm renting a car, so if worst comes to worst, I can provide transportation. However, I'll have to change my pick-up time to accomodate, which won't be a problem if I know before tomorrow. I'm cool with picking-up sinewav, too. PM me the details if you decide to pick-up my offer.

tweek, I got your payment. Thanks for letting me know so soon.

Well, I've not made any plans in regards to exactly when and where we would eat. I just figured that we'd decide as a group at the meet-up. However, to give you an idea of what there is to eat in the downtown area, food runs the gammit from pretty cheap, e.g. McDonald's, to fairly expensive, e.g. fine dining restaurants. I think our meal plans are just going to depend on who's hungry and what they would like to eat. Personally, I have no particular preference on food. Everything's cool. I've checked my PayPal account and it's not showing any transaction, even a pending transaction, regarding an online payment for the hotel costs. (I have already received your payment for the concert tickets, if that's what you mean.) If you've got that email, you'll need to send me a copy. It could be a problem on PayPal's end. I don't want you to lose any money that you've sent. Make sure that the email address on your receipt says trayag@hotmail.com. If you end up staying with us at the hotel, which I'd recommend, I can drive you back. I know what it's like to have no reliable means of transportation, so I don't want to see other people go without. Cool, wear your OCR T-shirt and we'll keep an eye out for you. Or, just look for a bunch of people with OCR shirts on. We'll be sitting in Row H, Seats 12 - 20. PM me. I might be able to help you out there.

I've bought tickets for The Dark Knight, which will be at the Cinema de Lux 20: Stonybrook at 12:45pm on Saturday, July 19, 2008. The seats are for Rows F & G, Seats 5 - 8. If you guys have any more questions or need more information, let me know.

Agreed. Check-in, as I told BGC in that email Monday, is at 4:00pm. Anyway, here's a review of the meet-up info: (Format copied from Philly Meet-up thread) Louisville Meet-Up: Where: Downtown Louisville, KY When: Friday, July 18, 2008 4:00pm @ 21c Museum Hotel Lobby, 700 W. Main St. (Parking located across the street on 7th Street in covered garage) What: Friday: Video Games Live! concert @ 8:00pm T-Shirts (OCR Black) will be available for purchase ??? Special Surprise Event held by big giant circles and Tommy Talarico Video Games and Jam Session at 21c Museum Hotel Saturday: The Dark Knight (IMAX) viewing @ 12:45pm Attendees: (Look-out for us wearing OCR T-Shirts) big giant circles tweek Audix +1 Nekofrog + gf Sinewav dPaladin ifirit Possible Attendees: Tai_Zidek Nario I'll be arriving a little early to greet everyone and to check-in to the hotel. So, if you'd like to just hang-out for a little while that'd be awesome. Here's an updated sheet of information for everyone. Attendees: ||OCR T-Shirt (Wearing): ||OCR T-Shirt (Purchase): ||OCR T-shirt (Size): ||Helping Mr. Tallarico: || BGC ______ ||Yes (Black)___________ ||No (Selling)___________ ||N/A _______________ ||Yes __________________ || tweek ____ ||? ____________________ ||Yes ___________________ ||? _________________ ||Yes? _________________ || Audix +1 _ ||No ___________________ ||Yes ___________________ ||? _________________ ||Yes __________________ || Nekofrog+1 ||No ___________________ ||Yes ___________________ ||? _________________ ||Yes __________________ || Sinewav __ ||Yes (Black) __________ ||Pending _______________ ||? _________________ ||Yes __________________ || dPaladin _ ||No ___________________ ||Yes ___________________ ||Large _____________ ||Yes __________________ || ifirit ___ ||Yes (Jersey) _________ ||Yes ___________________ ||Medium ____________ ||Yes __________________ || Attendees: ||IMAX Dark Knight: ||Ticket Payment:_ ||Hotel Payment: ||Showtime: || BGC ______ ||Yes _____________ ||Pay at Meet-up _ ||Pay at Meet-up ||12:45pm _ || tweek ____ ||No ______________ ||N/A ____________ ||PayPal _______ ||N/A _____ || Audix +1 _ ||Yes _____________ ||Pay at Meet-up _ ||Pay at Meet-up ||12:45pm _ || Nekofrog+1 ||Yes _____________ ||Pay at Meet-up _ ||Pay at Meet-up ||12:45pm _ || Sinewav __ ||Yes _____________ ||Pay at Meet-up _ ||Pay at Meet-up ||12:45pm _ || dPaladin _ ||Yes _____________ ||Pay at Meet-Up _ ||N/A __________ ||12:45pm _ || ifirit ___ ||Yes _____________ ||Online Purchase_ ||Credit Card __ ||12:45pm _ || I'm going off the assumption that tweek will be going to see The Dark Knight, as BGC implied, and I'm going ahead with the ticket purchase. I'll let you guys know once I've bought them.

There's a bunch of new SH:H videos at silenthill5.net. Check 'em out, but be warned about spoilers.

If you guys want me to purchase tickets for the IMAX version of The Dark Knight, I'll need to know from everyone else ASAP. tweek is currently the only one who hadn't agreed to see The Dark Knight at all; dPaladin, Audix and his +1 haven't said anything about the IMAX version, so I'm reluctant to purchase tickets for 9 people (~$100 out of my pocket) unless they tell me that they are going to attend. tweek, Audix and dPaladin, let me know as soon as you can! Attendees: ||IMAX Dark Knight: ||Ticket Payment:_ ||Hotel Payment: ||Showtime: || BGC ______ ||Yes _____________ ||Pay at Meet-up _ ||Pay at Meet-up ||? _______ || tweek ____ ||? _______________ ||? ______________ ||? ____________ ||? _______ || Audix +1 _ ||? _______________ ||? ______________ ||? ____________ ||? _______ || Nekofrog+1 ||Yes _____________ ||Pay at Meet-up _ ||Pay at Meet-up ||? _______ || Sinewav __ ||Yes _____________ ||Pay at Meet-up _ ||Pay at Meet-up ||? _______ || dPaladin _ ||? _______________ ||? ______________ ||? ____________ ||? _______ || ifirit ___ ||Yes _____________ ||Online Purchase_ ||Credit Card __ ||12:45pm _ ||

Advanced tickets for Stonybrook can be purchased online or over the phone. There are showings for 12:45pm and 4:00pm during the afternoon. Tickets purchased through movies.com (the site which the Stonybrook website directs you to) can be printed out immediately after purchase and used at the theater. Tickets purchased over the phone have to be picked up at the ticket office, which could have a line waiting. If needed, I can purchase the tickets and everyone can pay me the day of the show. However, not everyone here has stated if they want to see The Dark Knight. I would only buy tickets for everyone who has stated that they agree to seeing the IMAX version. So far, only nekofrog and BGC have expressed that interest. BGC, that's cool with me, if you'd rather pay on the night of the concert. Anyone else who wants to pay the night of the concert can, but you'll have to tell me directly, otherwise I'll assume that you're using the PayPal page. And I'll nag you about the deadline.

Do you mean getting an extra room? Because that depends on their availability, which they don't seem to lack at the moment. Or do you mean just paying for the rooms that I've already reserved? No, there's no charge to pay that night, since the rooms are reserved under my credit card. I end up paying for them anyway at the price I was quoted. I am flexible enough to let you guys pay me that night, but everyone will have to pay me personally, i.e. cash. I had set the date for the Wednesday before, in case we had any drop-outs and needed to cancel the room or make any changes before then, so that I wouldn't be charged for it. But, if there are changes made that Thursday or Friday, I will owe the balance on the rooms regardless. However, if anyone has money problems right now, I'm flexible enough to let you pay then. There appear to only be three theaters in a 15-mile radius of where we're staying in Louisville that are showing The Dark Knight. The closest of these is the Cinema de Lux 20: Stonybrook, which is also showing the IMAX version of the film. According to their website, tickets are still available for the Saturday showtimes, though seating is limited. Tickets for the IMAX version cost $9.75, tickets for the regular version cost $6.50. Well, if people are bringing their instruments with them and you guys feel like streetwalking, I say we do street performances after the concert. Guitar, saxophone, some keys, some vocals, and a little percussion sounds like a really fun street jam session.

To me, it seems to mean that the site is charging users for the service of providing a download link/access to their server, but not for the ownership or licensing of the contents they are providing. As such, it's not really violating a copyright law, but more of exploiting what can be defined as digital distribution services. According to that statement posted, they're charging users for the bandwidth and not the music. While it seems like bad business ethics, it's not a violation of copyright law. It's as if instead of DJP covering the cost of the servers and bandwidth for OCR from ads and sponsors, he began charging the users directly to cover these costs. Technically, he isn't violating the copyright law, since he would presumably not be making profit from it nor preventing the copyright holders from earning funds. However, I can't see how this Russian site couldn't be making money from this kind of service. In addition, OCR has an anti-third-party-distribution policy in place on the site, which means that while this Russian site isn't necessarily violating copyright law, they are violating OCR's policies about redistribution. Whether or not that constitutes legal action, I don't know.