"Like a creeping fog, DRM smothers more and more media in its clammy embrace, but the sun still shines down on isolated patches of the landscape."
(Ok--so I have to give credit to my intro to Nate Anderson ...but I thought these words might just entice you to read further).
Hacking Digital Rights Management
http://arstechnica.com/articles/culture/drmhacks.ars
I am not a music downloader. I listen to all my music on pandora.com and if I like the music I buy the cd. But...my six-cd changer has a habit of breaking and so I like to burn a copy of the real cd in case it gets stuck in my car. Imagine my suprise when I bought a cd recently and tried to burn a copy for my car and couldn't...I just paid $15 for ten songs and now I can't even make myself another copy...in a word...ridiculous.
In a perfect world DRM might work. But I agree with Jeremy Allison in his Tech News article on ZDNet that in our world it just won't work. People are sick of for many years paying for music that was mass-burned onto 50 cent cds and then marked up 25 times and the artist isn't even the one getting the money. So, they turn to file-sharing.
But in a perfect world maybe we wouldn't have to have stores carry cd's and charge overhead and it could be an ITunes model where you just pay for the songs you want and get them on your computer and you can use them how you like. However, there is always going to be illegal downloading of music...period. I agree with Allison in that, "engineers should simply refuse to create DRM for customers." These companies are in denial and it is still going to go on. Invest your dollars in other ventures as DRM isn't able to fully restrict anyway.
Even though artists' profits might be down a bit, exposure to their material is always a good thing. Getting their song out to thousands that would not pay for the music could pay dividends down the road in the form of concert tickets, t-shirts, souvenirs, posters, etc.
I do realize that people in the entertainment industry still need to make a living, but taking the time to establish complicated encryption models hardly seems worth the time, money, and frustration for all parties...but that's just my two cents.
DRM--not just music--now Google and books! http://www.drmwatch.com/legal/article.php/3781701
When I was perusing the web to see what type of commentary there was on DRM I came upon this website that tracks current news on DRM http://www.drmwatch.com/legal/
Also, if you have an opinion and would like to share it this would be a great place. They say that a 16-year old's comment is as good as Microsofts--so give it a shot!
The All Party Parliamentary Internet Group (Apig) is taking a closer look at digital rights management (DRM).
The group, which aims to promote discussion between lawmakers and the new media industries, has launched an inquiry into the issues surrounding DRM, the results of which will form the basis of recommendations it will make to parliament on how to deal with the burgeoning technology.
http://management.silicon.com/government/0,39024677,39154238,00.htm
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There is a significant move by the major record labels to DRM-free music. Itunes Plus is a prime example of mainstream online music store standing up against restrictions placed on when and how music can be played. It's a matter of time before DRM in its current form becomes extinct.
If only the movie industry started moving in the same direction..
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