Sony BMG Dropping DRM

Lally Singh writes "BusinessWeek is reporting that Sony BMG is planning on dropping DRM from their music. Salon's Machinest had an interesting take on this; 'Actually, what's happened is quite ironic. It was the industry's own DRM mandates that tied many music-lovers in to Apple's music storefront (we all had iPods, and the only way to buy digital music for the iPod was from Apple). Now Apple's become too powerful for the labels. They need an alternative distribution channel — they want to get music to our iPods, but they don't want to go through Apple to do it. The only way to do that is to offer retailers like Amazon the chance to sell songs as plain, unrestricted MP3s, which are iPoddable.'"

Comments

I Preferred the Root-Kit

[Anonymous Coward]

Back when Sony was putting root-kits in it's music CDs I felt justified in pirating their music.

Now I just feel OK about it.

Re:That crackling sound you hear..

[TaoPhoenix]

This is THE company known for proprietary ways to do everything. Skies help them if they make an accidental mistake after their "intentional" ones.

And what's with the timing? "We didn't want to ( ?? ) to Christmas sales, so we saved this announcement for the day people got back from vacation / finished inventory."

P.s. Is there a rootkit in your skates?

What's the news?

[prostoalex]

AllofMP.com has been pioneering the model all along.

when?

[pak9rabid]

So they either shaft the consumer with DRM, or shaft Apple by removing DRM. Granted the latter is friendlier to the consumer, but when will the labels put and end to shafting people and just give their customers what that want without ulterior motives? Probably when their shit turns purple and smells like rainbow sherbet.

Re:Travesty, thats all I have to say.

[mce]

In Soviet Russia, where the real hacking studs live, hackers soon will massively distribute DRM-ed versions of Sony's DRM-free music, just to show the world how much they hate the established music industry, irrespective of what it does.

In the US, some wannabe high-school hackers will briefly attempt the same, but will be sued into the ground by RIAA laywers intent on showing who still owns the copyrights to and patents on the DRM concept.

Re:Handbrake for Windows doesn't handle CSS

[Anonymous Coward]

I didn't even know Handbrake ran on Windows until just now; on a real OS it works just fine In other words, "I'm a smug asshole and you're all inferior to me."

Re:Morals aside - what's the end result?

[ConceptJunkie]

Frankly, if nobody pays to see movies, no movies will get made - or at least, only cheap movies where the person making them can afford to eat the cost. No more magical Hollywood special effects.

Good. Maybe they'll go back to making movies that are actually worth watching and wouldn't insult the intelligence of even a Congressman. Not that I condone piracy, even if what you are copying is worthless.

You're not going to see Lord of the Rings get produced under a Creative Commons license.

It's already been done. But, wait, "The Hobbit" is being made now. Oh noes! Hopeless... Fanboy... Must... Allow Corporate Overlords To Do Whatever They. Want. In... Order. To. See. More. Hobbit Action. [drool]

Curses, foiled again.

Re:Horribly uneconomic production?

[bitingduck]

No. I watch movies because I'm paid to. In my case, the people who pay my rent will stop paying my rent if I do not accompany them to theaters. Your parents will throw you out of the basement if you don't go to the movies with them?

That's harsh.