An open letter to Audible.Com
Please stop using DRM.
I was linked to your site from amazon.com and was delighted to see that the audio book that I wanted was available in digital format and for less than what the physical media version sells for!
I was sad to learn that your format is infected with DRM.
None of the devices that I would use to listen to Audio books support your DRM scheme. Even if they did I would not support a business plan that makes it difficult for the customer to use his purchase.
Yes, I know I could burn my audio books to CD and then rip them again and have DRM free MP3 files. This fact is not lost on me, why is it lost on you? You basically document and support a method of subverting your own DRM! Why not just provide the files in MP3 format? Then instead of your files working on 500 players they would work on ALL players.
In the time that it has taken me to write this email I could have gone to a bittorent search engine and downloaded the book I wanted, in the format I wanted! (Hmm, lets see 340MB, ok number of seeds for a three year old book.) Shoot if I wait until tomorrow I could go to the library and get the CD's and rip them from there. So DRM is loosing you a sale in this instance.
I really want to give my money to the authors of the books I read (and listen to) and I don't mind giving some to the publishers and retailers as well. But it is really hard to when it is more CONVENIENT to steal it. It is obviously cheaper to steal something, but it sad when a business plan literally makes it easier to use the stolen version of the product than the purchased one. It is hard for me to want to reward a company that is only subtracting value from my purchase experience.
I will probably end up downloading that MP3 version from that torrent site and then buy a CD version of it off of eBay to keep my collection all legal. Just as fast as using your service, no DRM worries, and probably about the same price. I would pay more, if I could get what I wanted from your service. I appreciate convenience and am glad to pay for it!
I am sorry for ranting at you I imagine it is the copyright holders that want you to continue using DRM. It is just an added cost to you. But please try to make the copyright holders know that the "Genie is already out of the bottle". They are not going to save ANYTHING with DRM.
I was linked to your site from amazon.com and was delighted to see that the audio book that I wanted was available in digital format and for less than what the physical media version sells for!
I was sad to learn that your format is infected with DRM.
None of the devices that I would use to listen to Audio books support your DRM scheme. Even if they did I would not support a business plan that makes it difficult for the customer to use his purchase.
Yes, I know I could burn my audio books to CD and then rip them again and have DRM free MP3 files. This fact is not lost on me, why is it lost on you? You basically document and support a method of subverting your own DRM! Why not just provide the files in MP3 format? Then instead of your files working on 500 players they would work on ALL players.
In the time that it has taken me to write this email I could have gone to a bittorent search engine and downloaded the book I wanted, in the format I wanted! (Hmm, lets see 340MB, ok number of seeds for a three year old book.) Shoot if I wait until tomorrow I could go to the library and get the CD's and rip them from there. So DRM is loosing you a sale in this instance.
I really want to give my money to the authors of the books I read (and listen to) and I don't mind giving some to the publishers and retailers as well. But it is really hard to when it is more CONVENIENT to steal it. It is obviously cheaper to steal something, but it sad when a business plan literally makes it easier to use the stolen version of the product than the purchased one. It is hard for me to want to reward a company that is only subtracting value from my purchase experience.
I will probably end up downloading that MP3 version from that torrent site and then buy a CD version of it off of eBay to keep my collection all legal. Just as fast as using your service, no DRM worries, and probably about the same price. I would pay more, if I could get what I wanted from your service. I appreciate convenience and am glad to pay for it!
I am sorry for ranting at you I imagine it is the copyright holders that want you to continue using DRM. It is just an added cost to you. But please try to make the copyright holders know that the "Genie is already out of the bottle". They are not going to save ANYTHING with DRM.