How DRM Will Kill Mobile Music
from the not-the-other-way-around dept
In the past, we’ve noted that the whole process of trying to get copy protection on mobile devices was doomed to failure because it was based on the concept of getting device makers to pay more to make the devices less valuable. Now, our own Carlo Longino has written up a longer piece explaining why copy protection may kill mobile music. He notes that when we’ve reached the point that people have to be concerned about “compatibility” with the music they buy, they’re simply going to not buy the music. In other words, the copy protection is hurting sales, not helping them. The only reason the technology is supposed to be there, of course, is to stop unauthorized copying — but that’s clearly not working. The music from copy protected CDs is still be traded just as much as in the past (it only takes one copy, after all). So, it’s hard to see how the copy protection makes any sense at all. It discourages buyers and does nothing to stop files from being shared. And, yet, the industry is still focused on making us all spend extra to pay for this technology.
Comments on “How DRM Will Kill Mobile Music”
slippage
Its time for the RIAA and MPAA to realize what
most other retailers have had to endure – slippage.
There sill always be a certain amount of product
that is lost, goes walkabout, etc.
Re: slippage
this is exactly why I stopped buying from iTunes. I was happily buying from them and enjoying it, until I decided to switch from using windows to linux, then it became a pain in the ass in a number of ways.
I still havent converted all my iTunes music over to a format that doestn crash my linux music players. They seem to all take exception to the .m4u unprotected AAC music that I got when I stripped the protection off the .m4p.
Now Im going to have to reconvert them to .ogg or something, which means the already lower quality I bought from iTunes will be degraded again because of a new lossy compression.
Why not just get it from a non-protected source where I can get it high quality and without protection and play it wherever I want?
Music companies arent losing out yet with me, because right now that source is CDs, but if they protect more of those and make that hard, I’ll just have to steal what I want if it’s protected.
I cant feel bad about taking something I cant buy reasonably, theres too many real problems in the world and theyre not exactly starving.
paying for MP3s
This is so true, is with me anyway. I thought about buying MP3s, but I noticed that you can’t really buy them, it is always some other kinda file that I need to have some special software to use and cannot copy onto disk for enjoyment in my car etc. Id gladly pay a buck a tune, but not if I have to pay for the CD anyway, screw it!
Yep
That’s why I’ve bought music from allofmp3.com. Not that I care about getting music so dirt cheap from them because I can get it free on p2p, but that I get it in a nice mp3 file unencumbered by DRM, and it’s maximally portable, and I support that.
Copy Protection hurts music sales
I agree totally with this from my own personal experience. I normally buy at least 5 albums a month and bought a cd of one of my favourite artists a couple of years ago (online) only to discover, to my chagrine, that I could not play it on my computer. Now this is the way I tend to listen to my music the vast majority of the time.
I buy a cd then copy it to other more convenient formats e.g. mp3 or onto minidisc, for my own personal enjoyment at my convenience.
Having bought this cd and loved it I have had to find other means of listening to it which has caused so much hassle, I now no longer buy any of this artists material in case the same happens again and I am very wary of buying any music unless I have seen the packaging first. I certainly will not download any DRM material for exactly the same reason.
Once I have paid for a copy of the music I should be able to listen to it however I please not as dictated to me by the music industry!