[Ed Hansberry]

http://news.com.com/2100-1023-935430.html?tag=fd_top

A few weeks ago, I laughed at the copy protection scheme that Sony had implemented that could be foiled by a magic marker. Their download copy protection schemes are just as Draconian as their CD protection. You can download and listen on your PC, but you can't copy it to a CD or portable music player. Well, it seems they are starting to figure out that that business model stinks. "Universal Music Group and Sony Music Entertainment plan to cut prices for digital music downloads and add new features, including CD burning and the ability to transfer songs to portable devices."

Universal Music Group will make songs available for 99 cents, or $9.99 per album. Sony is dropping their per song download from $1.99 to $1.49. Are they starting to get it? "The labels are making content available at reasonable prices, but more importantly, they're making them available in ways that consumers can use them, and that's where burning comes into play," said Jim Long, chief executive officer of (Sony partner) RioPort. "If you don't offer burning, (consumers) will not buy it. It's simple as that."

I think so. I am all for Digital Rights Management that protects the rights of the artist, record label and consumer. We will see how well these downloads work. Source: Leon Schell

[Ed Hansberry]

http://news.com.com/2100-1023-935430.html?tag=fd_top

A few weeks ago, I laughed at the copy protection scheme that Sony had implemented that could be foiled by a magic marker. Their download copy protection schemes are just as Draconian as their CD protection. You can download and listen on your PC, but you can't copy it to a CD or portable music player. Well, it seems they are starting to figure out that that business model stinks. "Universal Music Group and Sony Music Entertainment plan to cut prices for digital music downloads and add new features, including CD burning and the ability to transfer songs to portable devices."

Universal Music Group will make songs available for 99 cents, or $9.99 per album. Sony is dropping their per song download from $1.99 to $1.49. Are they starting to get it? "The labels are making content available at reasonable prices, but more importantly, they're making them available in ways that consumers can use them, and that's where burning comes into play," said Jim Long, chief executive officer of (Sony partner) RioPort. "If you don't offer burning, (consumers) will not buy it. It's simple as that."

I think so. I am all for Digital Rights Management that protects the rights of the artist, record label and consumer. We will see how well these downloads work. Source: Leon Schell

[Jason Dunn]

Good to see them clueing in.

Next big hurdle that will take them two years to overcome: most people (myself included) don't know what label the artists are on. I shop for CDs at a "music" store, not a "Sony label" store. We need massive online music stores that have ALL the music in one place, not a series of music label sites. :evil:

[Foo Fighter]

Digital copy protection scares the hell out of me. The entertainment industry is going to kill the PC. If Uncle Sam doesn't step in to stop the major labels, we soon won't be able to watch DVD movies or play ANY music CDs on our PCs.

[karen]

I can see them dropping the prices down to .10 a song, but increasing the levies on recording media to $19 a CD. They still get their money (much more, since less than half of all CDs are used for music.

Ripped off in Canada,
Karen

[quote="Ed Hansberry"]http://news.com.com/2100-1023-935430.html?tag=fd_top


Universal Music Group will make songs available for 99 cents, or $9.99 per album. Sony is dropping their per song download from $1.99 to $1.49. Are they starting to get it? "The labels are making content available at reasonable prices, but more importantly, they're making them available in ways that consumers can use them, and that's where burning comes into play," said Jim Long, chief executive officer of (Sony partner) RioPort. "If you don't offer burning, (consumers) will not buy it. It's simple as that."