01-23-2009, 12:00 AM
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Contributing Editor Emeritus
Join Date: Aug 2006
Posts: 8,228
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Microsoft Brings Back DRM In UK's MSN Mobile Music
"Microsoft yesterday unveiled its MSN Mobile Music service - and a surprise return to digital rights management (DRM). While companies such as Apple and Amazon have finally moved to music download services free of copy protection, MSN Mobile locks tracks to the mobile handset they are downloaded to." What in the world are they smoking over there in the UK? You can't transfer songs between your phone and PC, the price is nearly double that of DRM free music from iTunes, and the music is not transferable to a new phone. I kid you not! You have to read the Q&A between PC Pro Magazine and Hugh Griffiths, the head of Mobile Music. This is not a question of will this service survive, but in how many months will it totally implode unless someone gets bopped with a clue-stick.  How many of our UK friends are chomping at the bit to purchase songs for £1.50. For those of us in the US, that is $2.21 at today's exchange rate. 
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01-23-2009, 02:24 AM
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Pontificator
Join Date: Feb 2002
Posts: 1,043
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Sometimes typed words seem inadequate, when one wishes to expresses certain subtler responses to news items of the day. But, well heck, I'll give it a try....
HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH!
nope, not really adequate. Oh well. I've heard that stupid people have paid something like $3 for ringtones, so I suppose there may be a small niche (stupid people) market for something like this. After all, a few copies of that 'I'm Rich' application did sell to iPhone users before Apple pulled the $999 app, which did nothing but show a startup screen image of a big ruby. There are idiots with access to money, so go figure.
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Gerard Ivan Samija
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01-23-2009, 09:43 AM
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Thinker
Join Date: Feb 2005
Posts: 471
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Hmmmm.... �1.50 for a DRM-laced track or �3 for an entire DRM-free album off Amazon UK. Tough choices. 
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01-23-2009, 02:52 PM
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Contributing Editor
Join Date: Sep 2006
Posts: 524
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Uggggggggggg
Just when I was thinking Microsoft was getting back on track with Windows 7, they run out and do something stupid like this!!!!!!!!!
The choice to use DRM is a great illustration of their disconnect with reality.
The exec's at Amazon UK must be smiling...or laughing.
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01-23-2009, 03:16 PM
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Theorist
Join Date: Aug 2006
Posts: 274
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If anyone was in any doubt that MS has NO CLUE about how to progress in the mobile space, this is proof positive of that. Just last night I downloaded 3 oldies songs from Amazon for $.99 on my laptop, copied them to my Live Mesh, copied them from my mesh to my desktop and synced with my Omnia. With MS's solution I couldnt do that so what madness would motivate me to buy from them?
Think its about time we let MS know its time to get out of the mobile device/services world, they have no idea what they are doing.
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Back to being The Last Windows Mobile Fanboy - now with a Dell Venue Pro!
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01-23-2009, 04:24 PM
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Magi
Join Date: Sep 2005
Posts: 2,341
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It's sad......I have pretty much given up on listening to music. It's just too difficult to do any more. I'm not against DRM. The level of theft in the music industry is unbelievable. DRM is not the problem, and never has been. It is the way it is implemented. For me it just became to frustrating trying to keep DRM intact from one device to another. I GAVE UP. It was DRM methods just like this that led me down the path to where I am now....I listen to music on the radio. I spend zero dollars on music now, and I'm quite content. If I feel this way, I wonder how many others have silently stop financially supporting the music industry, who otherwise would get their music the honest way by paying for it?
Dave
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01-23-2009, 10:51 PM
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Swami
Join Date: May 2004
Posts: 4,396
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Contradiction
Quote:
Originally Posted by efjay
If anyone was in any doubt that MS has NO CLUE about how to progress in the mobile space, this is proof positive of that. Just last night I downloaded 3 oldies songs from Amazon for $.99 on my laptop, copied them to my Live Mesh, copied them from my mesh to my desktop and synced with my Omnia. With MS's solution I couldnt do that so what madness would motivate me to buy from them?
Think its about time we let MS know its time to get out of the mobile device/services world, they have no idea what they are doing.
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First, one stupid decision isn't proof that they can't do anything (or most things) right.
Second, your own example contradicted your claim that it's time for Microsoft to get out of the mobile services world. Live Mesh is a mobile service (and more, perhaps).
Steve
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Hybrid Mode
