Playogg template letter: please comment

[Holmes Wilson]

Wanted to share a letter I sent to a publisher offering mp3s but not oggs
of an author podcast. Eager for your thoughts on using this as a template
in future campaigns.

Holmes
--

Dear []:

I noticed that your service only provides books in MP3 format. MP3 is a
format covered by software patents, and it doesn't work on my GNU/Linux
computer, since free software developers face penalties for distributing
players for patented formats--even when they write those players
themselves.

There's a new audio format called Ogg Vorbis that is not restricted by any
patents. It also achieves a much higher sound quality for a given file
size than MP3, and it works in a wide range of portable audio players,
cellphones, and car stereos. It also works--without the need for any
special plugins like Flash or Quicktime--in almost 25% of the world's web
browsers. Wikipedia is exclusively using Ogg Vorbis (and a similar video
format Ogg Theora) for all its audio and video offerings. In other words,
this is something that is proven to work on large sites, at a large scale.

The costs of converting your audiobooks to Ogg format are pretty minimal,
it could be a small project for your team, and I'd be happy to provide
them with some tools that could help.

My organization, The Free Software Foundation, has an interest in
promoting adoption of these free formats, and we may be able to arrange
publicity for your announcement and your ongoing offering, if you decide
to undertake this project.

Please let me know if you can commit to offering your books as Ogg within
the year.

More info here:

http://playogg.org/

Thanks,

Holmes Wilson

FSF Campaigns Manager

[Holmes Wilson]

Cool, I like all these changes.

Anybody else want to jump in?

Post by Holmes Wilson
There's a new audio format called Ogg Vorbis that is not restricted by any

It isn't really "new", saying this gives a connotation of "unproven",
"not widely
used", etc. Maybe "more recent" ?

Post by Holmes Wilson
patents. It also achieves a much higher sound quality for a given file
size than MP3, and it works in a wide range of portable audio players,

Not sure about the "much", might sound fishy to a reader. Maybe
"substantially" ?

Post by Holmes Wilson
cellphones, and car stereos. It also works--without the need for any
special plugins like Flash or Quicktime--in almost 25% of the world's web

Implies it does not work on 75%. Maybe drop a line saying it works on much
more than 25% if allowing plugins, like you need for MP3 (I think ?) in the
first place ?

Post by Holmes Wilson
browsers. Wikipedia is exclusively using Ogg Vorbis (and a similar video

s/similar/related/

Post by Holmes Wilson
format Ogg Theora) for all its audio and video offerings. In other words,
this is something that is proven to work on large sites, at a large scale.
The costs of converting your audiobooks to Ogg format are pretty minimal,
it could be a small project for your team, and I'd be happy to provide
them with some tools that could help.

Maybe mention it can be automated for existing and future audiobooks, such
that any hit will not recur ?

Post by Holmes Wilson
Please let me know if you can commit to offering your books as Ogg within
the year.

Maybe state clearly that they can offer both, so they would not alienate any
clients who would, for any reason, prefer MP3, and could only gain new
clients by offering Ogg/Vorbis too.

[Jeff Shippen]

Post by Holmes Wilson
Cool, I like all these changes.
Anybody else want to jump in?

Post by Holmes Wilson
There's a new audio format called Ogg Vorbis that is not restricted by any

It isn't really "new", saying this gives a connotation of "unproven",
"not widely
used", etc. Maybe "more recent" ?

Agree

Post by Holmes Wilson

Post by Holmes Wilson
patents. It also achieves a much higher sound quality for a given file
size than MP3, and it works in a wide range of portable audio players,

Not sure about the "much", might sound fishy to a reader. Maybe
"substantially" ?

Or maybe "... achieves a comparable, if not better sound quality..."

Post by Holmes Wilson

Post by Holmes Wilson
cellphones, and car stereos. It also works--without the need for any
special plugins like Flash or Quicktime--in almost 25% of the world's web

Implies it does not work on 75%. Maybe drop a line saying it works on much
more than 25% if allowing plugins, like you need for MP3 (I think ?) in the
first place ?

Post by Holmes Wilson
browsers. Wikipedia is exclusively using Ogg Vorbis (and a similar video

s/similar/related/

Post by Holmes Wilson
format Ogg Theora) for all its audio and video offerings. In other words,
this is something that is proven to work on large sites, at a large scale.
The costs of converting your audiobooks to Ogg format are pretty minimal,
it could be a small project for your team, and I'd be happy to provide
them with some tools that could help.

Maybe mention it can be automated for existing and future audiobooks, such
that any hit will not recur ?

Post by Holmes Wilson
Please let me know if you can commit to offering your books as Ogg within
the year.

Why to this sentence? Why within the year / time limit? Maybe chance
"commit to" to "consider". Commit seems kind of strong, and then they
will seemingly have large negative resistance should they decide ogg
isn't working in their best interest.

Post by Holmes Wilson

Maybe state clearly that they can offer both, so they would not alienate any
clients who would, for any reason, prefer MP3, and could only gain new
clients by offering Ogg/Vorbis too.

Agree this is usually a concern...

- -----

A side note, you may want to briefly address the m4a format as well...
as that is also gaining wider adoption, especially with iTunes

[Joshua Gay]

This looks good. I added a few suggestions below -- not sure if they are
better ideas, but, maybe they can spin things in a different direction.

Post by Holmes Wilson
MP3 is a
format covered by software patents, and it doesn't work on my GNU/Linux
computer, since free software developers face penalties for distributing
players for patented formats--even when they write those players
themselves.

This is a bit cumbersome. Perhaps split it up into two parts, one covering
the who, and the other covering the why. Maybe something like.

Although widely used, MP3 format poses an issue for many software users and
developers -- especially those who are committed to using the GNU/Linux free
software system. The reason MP3 is problematic is because it is encumbered
by software patents that prevent developers from freely and openly being
able to create software that create and plays MP3 files.


There's a new audio format called Ogg Vorbis that is not restricted by any

Post by Holmes Wilson
patents.

I wouldn't emphasize that it is new. Instead emphasize that is a mature and
well adopted format at the beginning, and in the same line mention that
Wikipedia exclusively uses it. Then in the next sentence, align yourself
with Wikipedia and then start using the phrase "We" instead of "I". e.g.,
"We choose Ogg because it is unencumbered by patents. We choose Ogg because
it works without special plugins in browsers. And we choose it because ...."

Post by Holmes Wilson
My organization, The Free Software Foundation, has an interest in
promoting adoption of these free formats, and we may be able to arrange
publicity for your announcement and your ongoing offering, if you decide
to undertake this project.

Perhaps you could wrap up with a quick story. Tell how the Free Software
Foundation worked with WBUR (Boston's NPR news station) in their efforts to
provide an Ogg Vorbis stream and that you helped to promote them afterward,
etc (you don't have to emphasize the protest aspects of it ;-)).

[o***@public.gmane.org]

Post by Holmes Wilson
There's a new audio format called Ogg Vorbis that is not restricted by any

It isn't really "new", saying this gives a connotation of "unproven",
"not widely
used", etc. Maybe "more recent" ?

Post by Holmes Wilson
patents. It also achieves a much higher sound quality for a given file
size than MP3, and it works in a wide range of portable audio players,

Not sure about the "much", might sound fishy to a reader. Maybe
"substantially" ?

Post by Holmes Wilson
cellphones, and car stereos. It also works--without the need for any
special plugins like Flash or Quicktime--in almost 25% of the world's web

Implies it does not work on 75%. Maybe drop a line saying it works on much
more than 25% if allowing plugins, like you need for MP3 (I think ?) in the
first place ?

Post by Holmes Wilson
browsers. Wikipedia is exclusively using Ogg Vorbis (and a similar video

s/similar/related/

Post by Holmes Wilson
format Ogg Theora) for all its audio and video offerings. In other words,
this is something that is proven to work on large sites, at a large scale.
The costs of converting your audiobooks to Ogg format are pretty minimal,
it could be a small project for your team, and I'd be happy to provide
them with some tools that could help.

Maybe mention it can be automated for existing and future audiobooks, such
that any hit will not recur ?

Post by Holmes Wilson
Please let me know if you can commit to offering your books as Ogg within
the year.

Maybe state clearly that they can offer both, so they would not alienate any
clients who would, for any reason, prefer MP3, and could only gain new
clients by offering Ogg/Vorbis too.

[Paweł Cisło]

Good idea, I think.
I believe it would be better to say directly which browsers it works in, since e.g. 'Firefox' sounds more convincing (being a widely known name) than 'almost 25%' - you could mention the market share in the brackets.

Pawel

---- On Wed, 11 Nov 2009 20:58:34 +0100 Holmes Wilson <holmes-***@public.gmane.org> wrote ----

Wanted to share a letter I sent to a publisher offering mp3s but not oggs
of an author podcast. Eager for your thoughts on using this as a template
in future campaigns.

Holmes
--

Dear []:

I noticed that your service only provides books in MP3 format. MP3 is a
format covered by software patents, and it doesn't work on my GNU/Linux
computer, since free software developers face penalties for distributing
players for patented formats--even when they write those players
themselves.

There's a new audio format called Ogg Vorbis that is not restricted by any
patents. It also achieves a much higher sound quality for a given file
size than MP3, and it works in a wide range of portable audio players,
cellphones, and car stereos. It also works--without the need for any
special plugins like Flash or Quicktime--in almost 25% of the world's web
browsers. Wikipedia is exclusively using Ogg Vorbis (and a similar video
format Ogg Theora) for all its audio and video offerings. In other words,
this is something that is proven to work on large sites, at a large scale.

The costs of converting your audiobooks to Ogg format are pretty minimal,
it could be a small project for your team, and I'd be happy to provide
them with some tools that could help.

My organization, The Free Software Foundation, has an interest in
promoting adoption of these free formats, and we may be able to arrange
publicity for your announcement and your ongoing offering, if you decide
to undertake this project.

Please let me know if you can commit to offering your books as Ogg within
the year.

More info here:

http://playogg.org/

Thanks,

Holmes Wilson

FSF Campaigns Manager