Steve Jobs To Record Labels: Tear Down Your DRM Wall - Idolator Comments

Steve Jobs To Record Labels: Tear Down Your DRM Wall

mackro — Wed, 07 Feb 2007 11:03:48 EST

You can't outlaw the stereo RCA jack. At least yet. Until that day, people will be copying music for free.

mackro

Steve Jobs To Record Labels: Tear Down Your DRM Wall

Reidicus — Wed, 07 Feb 2007 09:42:31 EST

My guess on why DRM is on everything iTunes sells is technical -- it's much easier to administer a system, from an IT perspective, when you're applying one rule across the board vs. having some stuff DRM'd (major-label music) and other stuff not (indies selling at eMusic.) Less expensive and technically easier just to build DRM into AAC without exceptions.

Reidicus

Steve Jobs To Record Labels: Tear Down Your DRM Wall

sparkletone — Wed, 07 Feb 2007 02:35:03 EST

"I am just curious. If he is anti-DRM and would love to see it removed from the ITMS, how come it is a requirement and not an option? Why isn't FairPlay a check box? I am sure all of the labels who support eMusic and do not have their music crippled by DRM would also love to see them free of "protection" on iTunes as well."

My guess is that it's consistency. Things are easier for the user when you don't have to check to see if the music you're about to buy is FairPlay or not.

An example of what can go wrong when you go the other way: A lot tracks in the Zune store have (or had) a no-sharing flag, so you couldn't even share them with the 3-plays-or-3-days deal. What's worse there was that there was no way to tell if you could share the song or not before buying it.

I'm sure Apple would make it clear beforehand, but still. It's one extra hassle when you want buying from iTMS to be as much a no-thought-required process as possible.

That's just a guess though.

sparkletone

Steve Jobs To Record Labels: Tear Down Your DRM Wall

johndavidson — Tue, 06 Feb 2007 23:09:57 EST

The LABELS require DRM. The only way Jobs could get their participation on the iTMS is to offer DRM. And of course Jobs doesn't care much about DRM: the iTMS doesn't make money for Apple. It's just there to support sales of iPods.

And before you make the argument that iPods benefit from a closed system, don't. They play MP3s just fine.

johndavidson

Steve Jobs To Record Labels: Tear Down Your DRM Wall

noamjamski — Tue, 06 Feb 2007 18:53:12 EST

This is in response to his bitch slapping by several European countries.

I am just curious. If he is anti-DRM and would love to see it removed from the ITMS, how come it is a requirement and not an option? Why isn't FairPlay a check box? I am sure all of the labels who support eMusic and do not have their music crippled by DRM would also love to see them free of "protection" on iTunes as well.

I would love to hear someone with actual power, not an internet poster lugnut like me take him to task on this. I have always felt DRM was benefiting Apple as well as it keeps people locked into the iPod music player, as much as it stops people from making illegal copies.

noamjamski

Steve Jobs To Record Labels: Tear Down Your DRM Wall

Chris Molanphy — Tue, 06 Feb 2007 18:32:50 EST

It's ON, baby!! This is tres hot.

Over to you, Doug "the Thug." You've just been preemptively bitch-slapped.

Chris Molanphy