Link: EMI May Sell Recordings Online With No Anti-Copying Software - New York Times.
Oh my goodness, Steve Jobs publishes his thoughts on the problems with DRM one day, and already a major record company is at least discussing the idea of offering DRM-free music. I quote from Mr. Jobs' missive:
The third alternative is to abolish DRMs entirely. Imagine a world where every online store sells DRM-free music encoded in open licensable formats. In such a world, any player can play music purchased from any store, and any store can sell music which is playable on all players. This is clearly the best alternative for consumers, and Apple would embrace it in a heartbeat. If the big four music companies would license Apple their music without the requirement that it be protected with a DRM, we would switch to selling only DRM-free music on our iTunes store. Every iPod ever made will play this DRM-free music.
Today's story doesn't come out and say that EMI is planning to take Jobs up on this idea, but it at least opens the door and proves that the record companies are considering this option. After all, as Jobs points out, it seems ridiculous on its face that the companies demand that music sold online have DRM and music distributed by the record companies on CD is sold DRM-free.
And Jobs goes onto say that Apple would support a DRM-free marketplace:
Convincing them to license their music to Apple and others DRM-free will create a truly interoperable music marketplace. Apple will embrace this wholeheartedly.
Time to embrace the technology and let go of the fear. Deep breath, major record companies. Now exhale. All it takes is one to take that first step and the rest will follow.
4/3/2007 Follow-up: EMI announced DRM-free music on April 2, 2007.
I was walkin’ down the street
In the town where I was born
I was movin’ to a beat
That I’d never felt before
So I opened up my eyes
And I took a look around
I saw it written ‘cross the sky
The revolution starts now
Yeah, the revolution starts now
~Steve Earle, The Revolution Starts Now
Do you really think DRM is the problem with online sales?
I've bought some iTunes. They don't sound bad, but they don't sound as good as a CD do they? The CD comes with actual (and all of the) artwork and liner notes. Not so iTunes (or Rhapsody, Zune, Music Match, or whatever). Real CD's have a larger catalog than any of the online stores. Do a little bargain bin shopping and you can get your favorite CD's for close to online prices with all of the goodies just mentioned; better sound, better artwork, and liner notes.
I've bought iTunes. I've burned 'em to CD and played the CD in my car, in my annoying Windows computer at work, in my daughters boom box (Halloween Mix) while handing out Halloween candy. They worked fine ... no real DRM hang ups. Personally, I think this whole DRM brouhaha is whining started by a bunch of tight wad techno geeks who like their music like they like their software - free and open source! Then media/bloggers looking for ratings/hits rolled this "terrible" injustice into a big deal.
If DRM was such a big, fat, hairy deal Apple's iTunes store would not be the decent sized hit it has become. If the digital download offered a more comparable package to the CD it would probably be an even bigger hit. I like my liner notes: Who is the sax player on that track? Is that Michael McDonald doing background vocals on yet another album? What are the lyrics on that song?
Trust me, it is the value equation. Saving only about five bucks on an digital album (especially when there are not the manufacturing, packaging, or transportation costs for the music labels when distributing online) in exchange for audio quality, nice & complete artwork, and liner notes is the reason downloads haven't completely destroyed the CD - not DRM.
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Thanks for your thoughts. I do think to some extent that DRM is holding back online sales, but I don't think it's necessarily just bloggers who are complaining about it. Don't forget it's the European Union that's been on Apple's back about proprietary DRM. Nor have I noticed any difference in music I buy from a store versus music I listen to on CD (or import into iTunes), but I would grant you that each person's threshold is going to be different in this regard.
Nonetheless, you certainly make valid points and I thank you for contributing to the conversation.
RM
Posted by: Shane | February 09, 2007 at 08:08 PM