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Apple's iTunes DRM Dilemma
An anonymous reader writes "Understanding how Apple's FairPlay DRM works helps to answer a lot of questions: why it hasn't been replaced with an open, interoperable DRM that anyone can use, why Apple isn't broadly licensing FairPlay, and why the company hasn't jumped to add DRM-free content from indie artists to iTunes."
How can you have open DRM? Doesn't that mean that anyone can make a program use it and then not put restrictions on the user? And isn't the point of DRM to be obscure and inscrutable by all but the most dedicated?
Inventions have long since reached their limit, and I see no hope for further development.-- Frontinus, 1st cent. AD
I think he's a bit biased...calling DVDJohn a profiteer and such.
As for stripping the DRM having little use since you can burn a CD and re-rip...converting AAC to AIFF and then reconverting causes a huge quality loss. I used QTFairUse to strip my AAC encrypted files so I could play them on my Squeezebox. I did it only to play MY music, not to steal any music. But not being able to play my own music on my Squeezebox also made me realize I didn't want to buy iTMS music any more....
"Where quality is like a dead stinking rat - you just can't miss it."
There is at least some content on the iTunes store that need not have the DRM (ie various independent label works), yet it all does
There is at least some content on the iTunes store that need not be in 128kbps AAC and cost $0.99 per track, yet it all does. It all stems from the fact that Apple gives one deal to all the independent labels, no negotiation.
Also consider that any label that doesn't want to use DRM can either stop selling at iTunes (an often ignored option) or sell DRM-free elsewhere.
Don't become a regular here -- you will become retarded.
The "license FairPlay" crowd often overlook this point. Right now it's Apple's DRM monopoly against the labels' music monopoly. They battle it out and prices remain reasonable. If Apple loses, it's just the labels against the consumers directly. No more 99c songs... now you'll pay &4.99 for any reasonably popular song (hey it'll still be cheaper than the CD that has the one song you like and 12 you don't).
In any case, be careful what you wish for. If Apple's forced to open FairPlay expect to pay a lot more for online music.
E pluribus unum
"Translation #1: Now that iPod monopolizes the digital music player market we no longer need the "loss leader" iTMS sales. iTMS has accomplished its mission of pumping up iPod sales. Now it can transition to a new role, perhaps even become a profit center.
... lets say 5 iPods per person for the fun of it... you still are only talking on average 100 songs per iPod owner. With numbers like that it is hard to state that iTMS sales have driven iPod sales in any radical fashion (not much of an investment lock in)... sure it helps but it would be hard to state it helps in any signification amount compared to the other factors involved (xplat device, iTunes software integration, etc.).
Exactly how does iTMS drive iPod sales?
We are talking only about 20 songs sold for every iPod sold so far to date. If you say that some folks have purchased multiple iPods or replaced iPods over time
Also the iPod was rapidly ramping up in unit volumes before the iTMS ever came on the scene.
I am sick of carrying around the 700+ CD's I own everytime I move. I can take all of my CD's music and iTunes Music Store purchases with me wherever I go; either on my iPod or my laptop. My CD's weigh about 100 lbs. My iPod, much less. Also, most of my old CD's are badly scratched.
Apple is successful for a reason. They get it.
Huh? Apple has everything right where they want it.
:-)
:-)
Spare me the Apple fan-boys...
In the past 4 months, I bought a nice 17" Intel iMac and a nice Intel Macbook. With upgrades the two have cost me more than $3,200 USD. So any Mac-Boy that complains about what I am about to say should stand out to the intelligent amoung us
Apple DRM... Where to begin? It sucks. Jobs makes statements about how the "music" industry should change from DRM. Well, I haven't had many problems with Apple's DRM when it comes to music. Yeah, Apple DRM on music sucks. However, you can at least burn an audio CD and grab ogg/mp3/aac files from your music CD.
However, I have gotten burned big-time from Apple this past year from buying TV shows. I have paid Apple way too much money to get several seasons of my favorite shows. Now when I try to convert those shows to watch on my 50" HDTV instead of my little 17" iMac, well, Stevie Jobs will not "let" me. What kind of crap is that?
I paid for this stuff! It is not like I am trying to convert some p2p avi to DVD. I just want to be able to watch the 3 seasons of "The Office" and the other show I have bought off of iTMS on my HDTV!!!
I will never buy anything from Apple again. Period. No hardware, no software and especially no content.
Don't lock down the content I buy from you and expect me to be happy.
I would not have cared if Apple locked down _all_ the TV shows I bought from them... if I could burn a DVD/VCD to watch on my TV.
However, as it is, the DRM on the content from iTMS is way out of line.
As I stated above, I have spent close to $4,000 USD in 4 month on Apple stuff. So please, spare me all the Apple zealots who just want to shill for Apple.
I liked Apple before I actually had to deal with their limitations.
Right now, my Intel iMac it triple booted with OS X, Ubuntu and WinXP. I spend all of my time on the iMac in Ubuntu and boot to WinXP for some fun games. I haven't booted to OS X for a while now.
If there is anyone out there thinking about getting a Mac. Well, I would say to hold off on that. Just build-your-own, save a boat load of money and dual-boot with Linux and WinXP. You will have the best of the geek-world and the gaming-world.
Peace
General, you are listening to a machine! Do the world a favor and don't act like one.
Change is certain; progress is not obligatory.
Or have entirely filled all their CD storage units, have literally no room for any more and have reached the conclussion that the production values of 99% of the popular music recorded today are so low that the compression doesn't make much difference (the only album I've downloaded from iTMS in the last year that I felt was recorded well enough for me to go buy the CD as well is Ys by Joanna Newsom). I am not very satisfied by this compromise, however, and agree that, given the the prices iTMS charges, all songs should be available as lossless (and be easily convertable to lower bit rates for transfer to your iPod). It's very irritating when an album (and this is especially true for old albums, at least in the UK) is actually cheaper on CD then from iTMS.