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Britons Frustrated by DRM
thesp writes "The BBC is reporting that UK music lovers are 'frustrated' with DRM restrictions and pricing of online music purchases. The confusion over file formats and player compatibility are being compounded with the desire to 'own' rather than 'license' an album or track, leading to widespread concern. This debate has recently been the province only of the technologists and the media companies, with the consumer being regarded as unaware and unwitting. Is this a sign that this picture is changing, with consumers begining to realise and leverage their own market power?"
It's called a "tea party". Throw your music into the Thames!
You know about tea, right??
The UK may be regarded by some as the 51st state, but I don't think the Recording Industry Ascociation of America carry much weight here.
It's the British Phonographic[1] Industry we need to worry about.
[1]: Feel free to mis-read that as Pornographic. Most people do.
It's the beginnings of a massive world wide revolt where everyone starts downloading their music from bittorrent.......
Oh wait....
Mod me up, mod me down, flame me, praise me -- whatever you do, you help prove I exist...
Wanna buy an 8-track tape?
I got tons of 'em
That's true.
We're British; we like to moan about things; that's what we do.
Hell, we've been moaning about the weather here for centuries but nobody does anything about it, what makes you think this will be any different?
We find something to moan about, we complain that "somebody" should Do Something about it, and then we get on with our lives.
We never actually intend for Something to be Done - we'd lose something to moan about!
People should not be afraid of their governments - Governments should be afraid of their people.
I'm American.
Stop moaning about the weather before I buy an SUV and do something about it.
Yeah an iPod shuffle is to the iPod as a Fiero is to a Ferrari.
... a frustrated consumer doesn't automagically turn into a consumer that is aware of his/her own market power.
If that were the case, consumers would be able to program their VCRs (because only usable VCRs would be sold), Windows would be a lot safer, spyware would be non-existant, etc, etc.
And even if consumers were aware of their market power, they'd need a vendor that would provide what they want.
Maybe that was just the iMacs' way of protecting innocent victims?
Well, that's what you get for listening to Celene Dion!
"(darn pund symbol =oP)"
Here's a few, try not to spend them all at once:
£££££££
"The labels are trying to maintain prices comparable to the physical world."
While everyone here is noting
The Public is trying to maintain interoperability comparable to the physical world.
All this DRM crap is result of MAN's law, not PHYSICAL law.
It can evaporate just as fast as Grey Davis's California Governorship.
For now, we need Government and the music industry to swing this pendulum HARD, so they will frustrate many, many, many people. Get 'em all riled up and get them off their asses.
Let Government bring themselves into the limelight - let them be like the neighbor which goes amok and irritates an entire neighborhood - upon which time all thats on everybody's mind is how to get those "bad people" out of the neighborhood. When people meet and swap stories commiserating bad politics, not sports, we are gonna see some change - big change - happen fast, as nothing the politician's head can hock out will be listened to, just as nothing Grey Davis' head could hock up would get people to ignore the energy crises he was instigating in California.
Every lawsuit filed against children over listening to a song becomes noticed - with the public fully aware that a politician's signature put that law in place.
Get the public riled enough, and DRM will go the way of the saucy deals Grey Davis cut with the bigwigs out here in California. If the politician in office won't fix the law, by golly, throw out the bastid and put someone else in there who will.
Yeh, heads will be bleating all over the place, just as heads are bleating now. Politicians will be faced with the choice of making the labels happy - but to do so will cost them their job, retirement, and any legal influence they have to make any sort of law.
For now, let 'em push the pendulum far out, so it will swing back,... HARD!!!!
Let's let everyone get burned really good so they have a good taste of what it feels like to lose what they thought were basic freedoms and rights.
You never miss the water 'till the well runs dry - but if the well ever does indeed run dry and you get really thirsty, one now has incentive to pay attention to the well and fiercely protect it.
I, for one, will rest much peacefully when the voices of the DRM-crowd carry just about as much weight as the head of Grey Davis hocking up words. Lots of blah but stripped of its administrative power by an irritated and angry populace.
"Prove all things; hold fast that which is good." [KJV: I Thessalonians 5:21]
Is there a mod for "utter lack of a sense of humor"?
-Eric
SJW: Someone who has run out of real oppression, and has to fake it.
Here's a few, try not to spend them all at once: £££££££
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No, but it's implied when you mention the British Empire.
Sure I'm paranoid, but am I paranoid enough?