back-words... apple's jobs calls on music industry to drop drm...

Wednesday, February 7, 2007
apple's jobs calls on music industry to drop drm...
I think Jobs has a point beyond the scope of Apple or iTunes. Copyright protection, in general has actually become damaging to the average music consumer in that it is a consumer's right to back up his own music- music that he has paid for. As for DRM and other protection removal- the sooner the better, as far as I am concerned.

For example, if I purchase an album and it becomes damaged, then the last thing I want to do is have to shell out for another album. It is my right to be able to back up, or copy, my purchase for my own personal use. Protection tactics often render a track or cd uncopiable, or even unplayable from a computer, negating ways the consumer may enjoy his music. I collect electronic dance music from the 90's. A lot of it is out of print or imported. I have to pay more for this music because of its limited availability. I should not be penalized with limitations when I have done nothing wrong. I should be able to play a cd from my computer if I so choose. I should be able to save a cd to my computer if I so choose. I should be able to burn tracks I have purchased online to cd if I so choose. Preventing me from doing these things takes away my freedom as a music owner. I have so much music, I prefer to save all my music to an external hard drive and play my music through my computer linked to my home theater. Because of problems with reformatting and such, I like to burn the music I purchase online to cd as a back up so I do not lose what I have paid for. After I should not have to pay for it again if I have already paid for it once. Preventing me from burning tracks and saving tracks is an annoying hindrance to my functionality as a music consumer, enthusiast, and connoisseur.

Apple's Jobs calls on music industry to drop DRM

By Yinka Adegoke and Duncan Martell Wed Feb 7, 7:27 AM ET

NEW YORK/SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Apple Inc. (Nasdaq:news) Chief Executive Steve Jobs on Tuesday called on the four major record companies to start selling songs online without copy protection software to thwart piracy known as digital rights management (DRM).

Jobs said there appeared to be no benefit for the record companies in continuing to sell more than 90 percent of their music without DRM on compact discs, while selling the remaining small percentage of their music encumbered with a DRM system.

"If such requirements were removed, the music industry might experience an influx of new companies willing to invest in innovative new stores and players. This can only be seen as a positive by the music companies," he said in a statement posted to his company's Web site.

Apple has been under pressure in Europe to make iTunes music compatible with players other than the iPod. On January 25 Norway's consumer ombudsman said Apple must open access to iTunes by October 1 or face legal action. The company has also faced some criticism because songs bought on the iTunes music store play on the iPod and not other digital music players.

"Perhaps those unhappy with the current situation should redirect their energies toward persuading the music companies to sell their music DRM-free," said Jobs about the European action.

Apple also is due to reopen talks with the four majors in early March to discuss terms of their relationships with the iTunes Music Store, according to a source familiar with the discussions.

The four majors -- Vivendi's (VIV.PA) Universal Music Group; Sony BMG Music Entertainment, which is owned by Sony Corp. (6758.T) and Bertelsmann (BERT.UL); EMI Group (EMI.L); and Warner Music Group (NYSE:news) -- all negotiated one-year extensions with Apple last year, according to the source.

Apple's iTunes Music Store is currently the world's largest digital music outlet, having sold around 2 billion songs since its launch in 2003. It has more than 70 percent market share of all digital music sales in the United States.

The songs sold on the service are protected by Apple's proprietary FairPlay software, which prevents users from making multiple copies for distribution. The software only works with Apple's iTunes software and iPod digital media players.

"This is interesting because the greatest beneficiary of DRM-enabled systems is telling an industry you've got to get off this stuff," said Gartner analyst Mike McGuire of DRM.

Analysts also suggested that Jobs might be trying to deflect pressure from the European Union regarding the interoperability question to the record labels.

Jobs said Apple had concluded that if it licenses FairPlay to other companies it could no longer guarantee to protect the music it licenses from the major record companies.

"Why would the big four music companies agree to let Apple and others distribute their music without using DRM systems to protect it?" Jobs wrote on the Apple Web site (www.apple.com/hotnews/thoughtsonmusic/). "The simplest answer is because DRMs haven't worked, and may never work, to halt music piracy."

But senior record company executives disagreed with Jobs' assertions, saying they doubted they would start selling music without protection any time soon.

"How can you be in the digital business of content and say you're not going to protect it?" said one executive who spoke to Reuters on condition of anonymity. "So is the film and TV industry looking at doing this? I can guarantee you they're not."

Jobs estimated that only about 3 percent of the music on the average iPod is purchased from the iTunes store and therefore protected with a DRM. Because of that, "iPod users are clearly not locked into the iTunes store to acquire their music," Jobs wrote.

Jobs also said that more than 20 billion songs were sold DRM-free on CDs in 2006.

Music industry watchers, particularly at independent music companies, have intensified calls in recent months for the majors to sell their music without copy protection.

"Apple's alternative is the only way we're going to get complete interoperability," said Tim Bajarin, president of Creative Technologies, a Silicon Valley consulting firm.