Whither DRM?
Finally.
It appears that Apple will be selling all music through the iTunes store without DRM. It's about freakin' time. While the FairPlay DRM scheme used by Apple was one of the more flexible out there as far as restrictions and the ability to use your music on a number of computers and iPods, it was still not without it's problems. Those who failed to make proper backups or lost their original accounts by some means would have no access to their music (except through a one-time re-download from Apple), and could not use software/hardware not provided by Apple to play the songs they bought. Now people will be able to use the music they buy however they see fit.
Of course, there's bound to be an HUGE increase in piracy, right? Riiiight.
There will be, of course, a fair amount of 'sharing' going on. But it will be no different than what's going on currently, and that is no different than the countless millions of cassette dubs and what-have-you that had been going on for years prior to the 'net.
To be able to use however they see fit with their purchases is ultimately what consumers want. It's starting to happen, albeit slowly.
It appears that Apple will be selling all music through the iTunes store without DRM. It's about freakin' time. While the FairPlay DRM scheme used by Apple was one of the more flexible out there as far as restrictions and the ability to use your music on a number of computers and iPods, it was still not without it's problems. Those who failed to make proper backups or lost their original accounts by some means would have no access to their music (except through a one-time re-download from Apple), and could not use software/hardware not provided by Apple to play the songs they bought. Now people will be able to use the music they buy however they see fit.
Of course, there's bound to be an HUGE increase in piracy, right? Riiiight.
There will be, of course, a fair amount of 'sharing' going on. But it will be no different than what's going on currently, and that is no different than the countless millions of cassette dubs and what-have-you that had been going on for years prior to the 'net.
To be able to use however they see fit with their purchases is ultimately what consumers want. It's starting to happen, albeit slowly.