Bill Gates: DRM Is Not Where It Should Be

[Ed Hansberry]

<a href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/6182657.stm">http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/6182657.stm</a><br /><br /><i>"DRM is not where it should be," said Mr Gates, reported blogger Steve Rubel. "In the end of the day incentive systems (for artists) make a difference," said Mr Gates. "But we don't have the right thing here in terms of simplicity or interoperability," he added."</i><br /><br />Oh really? :roll: It also isn't where it needs to be in terms of just working as advertised. It is way too easy to lose your license or have a track stop playing, which is why after my one year experiment with Yahoo Music I dumped it and haven't missed it one bit. I'll continue to buy my CDs thank you.

[paschott]

And of course, no CD's from Sony and mostly used CD's when I do buy them (or directly from the Artists).

I have no problem paying for music that I like, but CD prices are insanely high compared to the cost to make them and the artists just don't see that $$. I like the idea of buying music online, but just about the first thing I do is convert it to a format without DRM - either by burning to a CD and re-ripping to a format I can use or some other method. And with the DMCA in the USA, that's all fun to work with because it pretty much kills our fair use rights if the company took any sort of steps to protect the content.

I have the same problem with eBooks. The only format I can see being somewhat useful is the format put out by PeanutPress (or whatever they're called now). Activation is tied to the credit card # used for the book - easy to remember, use, etc. Definitely discourages sharing of the media. I'm sure that it can be broken, but it's non-intrusive enough as not to matter. Of course, I still think the biggest drawback there is price - most publishers will give an eBook for the cost of the hardcover and never lower the price, even when a paperback is out. Sorry - you're saving the money on printing, materials, storage, shipping, and even the overhead of another store making a profit. It just shouldn't be that expensive.

Also, with the embedding of DRM into Vista and tying things to the hardware level (a "feature" that seems to have made it in the final release as far as I know), I've pretty much decided that my next PC OS will not be from MS. So far they're the best game in town for a mobile device, but I'm considering my options for my home PC. If I could just get the .Net Framework working with WINE, I'd be moving to Linux rather quickly. I still like quite a few MS products (they keep me employed for one thing), but the various implementations of DRM are just getting to be too much to handle and result in too much trouble if something happens to your licenses.

OK, enough ranting. I think if the companies were to really listen to the people they'd realize that lower prices, better content, and no DRM would result in more sales. People who pirate will do so regardless. Normal consumers don't really care about that. They just want to listen/view/read what they paid for without any hassle.

-Pete

[whydidnt]

OK, enough ranting. I think if the companies were to really listen to the people they'd realize that lower prices, better content, and no DRM would result in more sales. People who pirate will do so regardless. Normal consumers don't really care about that. They just want to listen/view/read what they paid for without any hassle.
-Pete

I have to agree. Like Ed, I canceled my Yahoo! Music subscription after the first year because the DRM implementation made it too flaky for me to reliably listen to the music when and where I wanted to. I would gladly pay the subscription fee to get unfettered access to their library on any mobile device I want. As it is, the music industry probably gets less of my money because of the DRM, as I don't buy many CD's any more and tend to listen to my existing collection or XM.

[frankenbike]

I've never bought downloadable music, and doubt I ever will. I buy CDs, used mostly. DRM is wrong on so many levels it's amazing that it's tolerated by anyone.

With a CD, you can take it and play it on any CD player. With DRM, you're eventually stuck. What are people supposed to do when they buy new computers and iPods and whatnot? Buy their whole music catalog again?

It will be interesting in the next few years, when people start replacing their equipment and finding out they're losing their entire music libraries. Enough people have been buying into this nonsense, that if that prediction comes true, it will represent a politically significant constituency, large enough to swing an election. Then it might be curtains for the DMCA.

One thing is certain: anyone that abuses power as is being done by the media companies with the DMCA, will find the tide turning against them. And Microsoft has a big stake in that, because by wholeheartedly supporting it, they will make enemies with people who really have no other interest in the OS wars. They're as subject to the ebb and flow of politics as any other large company, and their fanatical protection of their own intellectual property will probably be right up there in the voting booth.

What surprises me is that the rebellion hasn't already begun in Europe.

[x51vuser]

That Billy Hillbilly can be funny. He never graduated so he does not know how computers run and now he opens mouth about DRM - but at the same time he demands you to pay for watching his Windows over and over whenever you buy new PC.
I am just returning second TV Tuner PC card that has 'designed for Windows' logo but of course does not work after laptop went standby and neither timeshifts on secondary display ....
Billy it is time for you to go back to school !!!!!

[Ed Hansberry]

That Billy Hillbilly can be funny. He never graduated so he does not know how computers run and now he opens mouth about DRM

that is one of the most ridiculous things i've heard. some of the biggest idiots I know have college degrees, and undoubtedly, some of the brightest people this world has known never attended or completed college or even high school. :roll:

[martin_ayton]

I agree that DRM is a broken idea, even in some of its better implementations (e.g. eReader, as mentioned under Peanut Press above). However, that shouldn't remove the notion of downloading music legally. I've been quite impressed by what Magnatune (http://www.magnatune.com/) and Beatpick (http://www.beatpick.com/) are doing: High quality previews of entire albums; no DRM; creative commons licences; downloads in several formats; the right to re-download forever; the explicit right to share stuff you have downloaded with a limited number of friends; and you get to choose what you pay, knowing the 50% goes to the artist. To be honest, I haven't found much on Beatpick that I want to listen to yet, but I've downloaded several albums from Magnatune. You won't find the well-known artists there (yet) but a great deal of what is there is very good. Perhaps this is the beginning of a new wave?

Oh, I have nothing whatsoever to do with either website, except as a listener / purchaser.