The Impact Of CDDB

(Mis)Uses of Technology

from the whoops dept

Most computer CD player software these days have an automatic connection to CDDB, now owned by Gracenote, to look up what songs are on the CD, who it’s by and the name of the CD itself. That data, of course, is entered in by other people who listened to the CD before you. I know that I often find mistakes that people made in entering the CD information, but it’s usually not that big of a deal. However, when the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra sent out a promo CD, someone who received it named all the songs using “bathroom humor” (the only example they give is calling a song “Maybe I Fart on Your Face”). He thought those names were just showing up on his girlfriend’s computer (which he was using at the time). Instead, they went into the database, and everyone who popped the CD into an internet connected computer saw his chosen names. And, of course, just like the guy, most of them didn’t necessarily understand how the names get there, and blamed the NZSO. Eventually Gracenote was contacted and fixed the names. They said only 11 people saw it (which is why no one at Gracenote had checked over the titles for “accuracy”).