> Aphex Twin released a recording that took advantage of this.

Did he? I remember Autechre did (under the name Gescom).

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Minidisc_(album)

For anyone interested in old music media types like these, I highly suggest Techmoan on Youtube.

https://www.youtube.com/user/Techmoan

-Just buy a pro deck, which ignores the SCMS copy protection bits. :)

(I still use a couple of DAT recorders for live recordings of local bands; both the Sony PCM-M1 and the Technics DA-P1 ignore any attempt at copy protection if you tell it to.)

Sony was still fighting copyright when they launched DAT (IIRC, the Japanese DAT players that launched before the US didn't have DRM), it was the US record industry that opposed it vehemently, bringing Sony to testify in front of congress. There's a scathing open letter you can find from the US recording industry basically calling the Japanese invaders trying to kill music.

After losing that battle, Sony said, if you can't beat em, join 'em, and acquired Colombia Records.

edit: found the open letter https://books.google.co.jp/books?id=oCQEAAAAMBAJ&pg=PT10&lpg...