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Puretracks Music Store Drops DRM
khendron writes "The Canadian online music store Puretracks (a store I have generally avoided because of their Microsoft-specific solutions) has announced that it will immediately start selling part of its catalog as DRM-free MP3 files. The site's unprotected catalog, which includes artists such as The Barenaked Ladies and Sarah McLachlan, will initially feature only 50,000 of its 1.3 million tracks, but their number will grow weekly. The Globe and Mail says the move will likely profit Puretracks because its DRM-free-music will be playable on iPods. It quotes one industry watcher saying 'We're seeing the death of DRM.'" Essentially Puretracks is relaxing the major-label mandated DRM rules that it had initially applied to all labels, even the indies that wanted no part of DRM.
Even if 90% of their music was DRM free, if I don't find out until I get to the song in question, it's going to be a very aggravating browsing and shopping experience. Imagine finding a song you want to here, only to discover you can't use it. Unless they offer a way to filter out the stuff I can't use, why should I waste my time looking through their stuff? It would be bad enough if it was mostly DRM-free - but given that it's mostly stuff I can't listen to, why would I waste my time?
It's not wasting time, I'm educating myself.
I still only buy used CDs, they are cheaper and still let me make DRM free MP3s.
I often have trouble remembering which way is out of bed in the morning.
Why on earth should I buy from Puretracks when I already buy from other sites that offer DRM-free downloads (emusic and dgmlive mostly) and physical CD's for things not available DRM-free.
That makes me a hypocrite because I am not buying from one specific store? Do I have to buy milk at every store in town to prove I believe in a free market?
They are not the first: Emusic was first to sell (mostly) indy music in a large-scale DRM-free way.
Will AllOfMp3.com do? No DRM, bitrate and format of my choosing, lots of metadata and a huge selection. What's that? The RIAA isn't getting money from any sales there? Oh, it's because of their own thuggishness and refusal to accept payments because by doing so, they'd be agreeing to the compulsory licensing and definition of broadcast media according to Russian Law? Well, that sounds like it's their own damn fault. Weird that the Russians would manage to put together such an amazing business model and service while the major American corporations can't get beyond the starting gate. Oh well, off to go listen to the Sigue Sigue Sputnick greatest hits album I just downloaded from there. All I have to do now is decide which device I want to listen to it on.. My iPod? My iRiver U10? My TiVO's music streaming tool? Maybe my mac laptop or my windows system down in the basement. I guess that's up to me.
was a very early adopter of MP3s. I converted much of my collection in the mid to late 90s when conversion took place at 0.5x real time on standard home PC.
.swa wrapper). And back when it cost far more to store your mp3s than it did to just go out and buy the actual CDs...
Ahhh, yes, the good old days of mp3. Back when Audioactive was a decent player. Back when the Shockwave export plugin was the ONLY way to encode an mp3 on a Mac (although it ended up in a
*sniff* You're making me all teary-eyed...
This guy's the limit!
Ah, another enlightened analogy between real property and intellectual property.
W..w..W - Willy Waterloo washes Warren Wiggins who is washing Waldo Woo.
The PARENT is total bullshit. The website specifically states that "MP3 files have no Digital Rights Management (DRM) restrictions and cost the same as the Windows Media Audio (WMA) files that we sell." THough you still can't buy tracks on a Mac, but they are "definitely working on it."
-beep-
No no no. You mean "Warner Executive".
WE: Son why did you copy all these songs we didn't buy?
Son: I wanted them dad.
WE: Well son, you need to apologize and get rid of them and we'll call things square even tho we are suing dead people, people that don't own computers, and computer novices every day. It's an important lesson son- the rules don't apply to you because your in a "better" class of people.
Son: Ah dad, I get it! (Goes off to secretly download songs but now nows to do it more discretely).
She was like chocolate when she drank... semi-sweet at first and then increasingly bitter.
Because the music I have downloaded is copyrighted, and I don't believe in music piracy.
...Open Source isn't the only answer -- but it's almost always a better value than the alternatives...
The Windows Media Player is no longer available for download, and never offered DRM compatibility anyway.
I'm also puzzled by the "We apologize, but www.puretracks.com is not available for Mac OS." message.
What "charges"? Theft? Nothing was stolen. Trademark? If the guy made it himself and didn't sell it, no. So what?
Just say no to car analogies.