Why DRM Is Bad and Killing Online Music

[admin]

You've heard us (and everyone else for that matter) harp on how bad DRM is for consumers. What many readers don't understand is why. Microsoft gave us a perfect example yesterday as they issued an email explaining that users of its now-defunct MSN Music service will need to make any and all authorizations or deauthorizations before August 31. This is just another nail in a slowly descending coffin.

Discuss "Why DRM Is Bad and Killing Online Music" here. Read the article.

 

[jinjuku]

People will keep buying DRM laden material. It's a mass effect thing. The government, who is supposed to serve her people, believe that free markets adjust for the benefit of the consumer vs benefit of the shareholder.

You want this crap to go away, get rid of the DMCA.

 

[fredk]

Interesting article. I had never thought about the implications of downloading and DRM.

Seems the industry has much better aim than I gave it credit for when it comes to shooting itself in the foot.

Punishing early adopters does not seem to me to be the best strategy for market development. I can't imagine those who got burned are going around telling all their buddies how great these new services are.

Could you imagine the uproar and ensuing class action suits if the dvds purchased in stores suddenly stopped working because some license was revoked?

Fred

 

[BBF]

Great article. It's not just online music, its online MEDIA (music, movies, books, games)

Maybe it's time that a law was passed that required all companies that sold DRM'd material to store the ownership records and setup authentication servers at a third party license distributor that guaranteed access to those licenses up to X years after the company that sold you the DRM'd material went belly up. I know, highly improbable, but one can only hope.

That's why I don't buy electronic DRM'd music/movies/games/books anymore. I will rent them, but no longer buy them because they're never really mine. When B&N closed down their MS Reader bookstore, and left me with a few encrypted e-books that I had to backup manually and had to keep on begging Microsoft for more MSReader licenses because I change PPC phones and PC's quite often, I said never again. Download a game from steam and have it not work when the steam authentication servers are down? Nope, I ain't gonna do it.

Honestly, the way things are going now, Apple could suddenly close down iTunes.com today and open up uMoronsWeScrewedULemmingsMusicStore.com tomorrow and require iTunes customers to repurchase all their DRM'd music and break no laws. :-< They *did* allow you to back up all your AAC files onto CD's in CD-AUDIO form, so it's your fault if you didn't do it and you broke your IPOD.

 

[efzauner]

What is DRM?

The worst of it is that a year or so ago I was looking into legal downloads and I spent 30 minutes on the Itunes site to *find out what I could before I make a purchase decision* and there is no mention whatsoever about DRM. I wanted to know if I could make copies and play them in my car... Ya sure!!

The problem is also with software. At my company we replace PCs every 3 years. Well I have to rebuy the personal software I purchased.. I contacted Creative about re-issuing it the license on a new PC and didnt even get a response.
Similar thing happened a few years ago. I got a refurbished PC from my local big box store. well a week after the warranty expired the motherboard blew. I replaced the mother board and the case, reused the CPU, memore, drives etc. But of course my emergency backup CDs that I carefully made when I got the PC would not load on the new motherboard so I ended up using a bootleg copy of Windows. I feel I am completely justified as I legitimatly owned a copy of windows.

I still believe in buying hardcopy. I have colected books for a few decades and my library is pretty big... For any one to borrow. I dont have to worry about licenses, DRM, copying to new formats, making sure my reader works on any pc etc etc.

The problem exists for HDDVD as well. I hesitate to start buying HD as I cannot make copies to play in the car. I have 3 dvd players in the house, one in the car, plus a mp3/mp4 sony walkman. If I buy HD dvds I am stuck to just one player!! The induestry just doesnt get it!!!