Reaction to the DRM debate
01/03/07 14:58
The debate on iTunes music and copyright protection...
If you have been following the recent debate on DRM, you will see the way in which the various parties have begun to set out their stalls. The debate was started by Steve Jobs, Apple Inc. CEO, when his open letter was posted on Apple's website. "Thoughts on Music" suggested that DRM free music was the future for selling tunes on the internet.
DRM, or digital rights management, is the bundled copyright protection software which is included in every track sold by Apple and Microsoft. Apple use a system called "FairPlay" and every track downloaded from the iTunes Store has DRM protection included, preventing this track from being freely distributed. The "FairPlay" DRM limits the number of computers and iPods which the track can be played on.
The reason DRM was introduced was to allay the fears of the music industry who were concerned about online selling. Jobs in his open letter points to this, and the fact that Apple had to use DRM to get the big music companies to agree to selling music online.
However now that we are over three years into online music sales in iTunes, Jobs argues that it may be time to reconsider the role of DRM. He points to the sales of CDs, still by far the most popular way of selling music, all of which are DRM and copyright protection free. Jobs argues that selling music online without DRM would not lead to increased piracy.
We agree with Jobs. We don't think copyright protection is the future of music sales, and don't think that people will be more or less likely to steal music with the removal of DRM. We think the key is the offering itself- the iTunes Store is a great way to shop. Punishing the sites which sell illegal copies of music is the way forward, rather than punishing and restricting music for those who buy legally.
We have been following this debate over the last few weeks and here are our favourite comments, both the good and bad out there:
MacWorld's good review of the coverage of the DRM debate
The knuckle-headed approach form the music industry, as demonstrated by Warner music
Macrovision espouse DRM and all its virtues!
John Gruber's excellent interpretation of this view from Macrovision
Simon Spence/2007
If you have been following the recent debate on DRM, you will see the way in which the various parties have begun to set out their stalls. The debate was started by Steve Jobs, Apple Inc. CEO, when his open letter was posted on Apple's website. "Thoughts on Music" suggested that DRM free music was the future for selling tunes on the internet.
DRM, or digital rights management, is the bundled copyright protection software which is included in every track sold by Apple and Microsoft. Apple use a system called "FairPlay" and every track downloaded from the iTunes Store has DRM protection included, preventing this track from being freely distributed. The "FairPlay" DRM limits the number of computers and iPods which the track can be played on.
The reason DRM was introduced was to allay the fears of the music industry who were concerned about online selling. Jobs in his open letter points to this, and the fact that Apple had to use DRM to get the big music companies to agree to selling music online.
However now that we are over three years into online music sales in iTunes, Jobs argues that it may be time to reconsider the role of DRM. He points to the sales of CDs, still by far the most popular way of selling music, all of which are DRM and copyright protection free. Jobs argues that selling music online without DRM would not lead to increased piracy.
We agree with Jobs. We don't think copyright protection is the future of music sales, and don't think that people will be more or less likely to steal music with the removal of DRM. We think the key is the offering itself- the iTunes Store is a great way to shop. Punishing the sites which sell illegal copies of music is the way forward, rather than punishing and restricting music for those who buy legally.
We have been following this debate over the last few weeks and here are our favourite comments, both the good and bad out there:
MacWorld's good review of the coverage of the DRM debate
The knuckle-headed approach form the music industry, as demonstrated by Warner music
Macrovision espouse DRM and all its virtues!
John Gruber's excellent interpretation of this view from Macrovision
Simon Spence/2007
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