Real CEO: iPod Users Steal Music

[Jeremy Charette]

<div class='os_post_top_link'><a href='http://technology.guardian.co.uk/weekly/story/0,,1771605,00.html' target='_blank'>http://technology.guardian.co.uk/weekly/story/0,,1771605,00.html</a><br /><br /></div><i>"Real Networks CEO Rob Glaser says that iPod owners steal music. The majority of music on the average iPod is obtained illegally, with relatively few songs purchased from the iTunes Music Store, Glaser said in an interview with The Guardian. “If you want interoperable music today, there is a very easy solution: it’s called stealing,” Glaser said. “The average number of songs sold for the iPod is 25, and there are many more songs on iPods than 25. About half the music on iPods is music obtained illegitimately either from an illegal peer-to-peer networks or from ripping friends’ CDs, which is illegal. But it’s the only way to get non-copy protected, portable, interoperable music.”"</i><br /><br /> <img src="http://www.digitalmediathoughts.com/images/297-microsoft.jpg" /> <br /><br />What I'd be really interested to know is this: <i>where the hell did he get those numbers</i>?! I don't know what the rest of you are doing, but ALL of the music on my iPod is ripped from my own CDs. I agree with Glaser that Apple's interoperability is not in the consumer's best interest, but Apple has a right to lock their system down and (as a result) drive their own profits up. To attack this lack of interoperability by calling the average consumer a criminal and a thief is entirely the wrong approach. Talk about a sore loser.

[sojourner753]

Glaser is simply playing the piracy card like everyone else. He's using it to get himself into the iTunes/iPod party.

I noticed that he completely omitted the option of ripping your own CDs. I guess his point is that iPod owners don't own CDs.

When I did own an iPod I never bought from iTunes. But I also didn't steal music. Every track in my library is home-grown (Read: Ripped from my own legitimate CD collection).

[Vincent Ferrari]

Here's my breakdown:

50% Ripped
30% From iTunes
20% Illegally obtained through Napster (in the old days) or Morpheus, etc.

I'd love to know where he got his numbers from. As for interoperability, how many devices that you have play Real Media files? Exactly. He pulled those numbers out of his arse so he could keep making the same tired point over and over again in his anti-Apple tantrum.

[jmulder]

To attack this lack of interoperability by calling the average consumer a criminal and a thief is entirely the wrong approach.

If I'm a criminal and a thief, then what do you call installing spyware/adware with RealPlayer? A vandal?

Out of about 1100 songs on my iPod, 1050 are ripped from my own CD's, 50 are from iTunes. I also listen to Audible, but that must be illegal too, since I didn't get it on iTunes. What a moron!

Also, wasn't it RealNetworks that convinced the EU to go after Microsoft? Seems strange that they would show this guy shaking hands with BillG.

[egads]

He is just a sore loser, and he is a theif of my time every time I have to update RealPlayer on my PC and undo all of the crap RealPlayer does to my PC.

I've never understood his crying about how MS plays so unfair. If RealPlayer was not a POS pile of Adware/Spyware I'm sure a whole lot more people would be using it.

[randalllewis]

I don't know what the rest of you are doing, but ALL of the music on my iPod is ripped from my own CDs.

Jeremy- an iPod? Really? I guess it is ok to own one of those things if the music is ripped from your CD's. I still wonder about people who buy iPods and order music from iTunes. I just can't get past Apple's arrogance in forcing owners to buy on-line music only from them. For those folks I want to sell them a car that only runs on the gas I also sell.

[bcre8v2]

Could a poll be created to see which service folks are using?

1. iTunes
2. Napster
3. MusicMatch
4. What's a subsciption service?

I am curious about satisfaction levels.

Thanks!

-Steve

[pacemkr]

I've been a subscriber to DRM to-go service with Yahoo for a while. My impression? I about to go and download everything illegally and show all of them a finger. Yahoo software is 20 mb of bugs and garbage. Apparently they have a shortage of decent programmers.

I hope Windows Vista's built in DRM subscribtion service (the one from MTV) is priced the same as Yahoo. Otherwise I'd just buy music the "traditonal" way or download off p2p. Reals to go service is not that cheap.

[pacemkr]

If RealPlayer was not a POS pile of Adware/Spyware I'm sure a whole lot more people would be using it.

amen.