Microsoft's Final 'Up Yours' To Those Who Bought Into Its DRM Story
from the playsforwhatnow? dept
Remember a few years back when Microsoft launched a new type of DRM under the name "PlaysForSure"? The idea was to create a standard DRM that a bunch of different online music download stores could use, and which makers of digital music devices could build for. Except... like any DRM, it had its problems. And, like any DRM, its real purpose was to take away features, not add them, making all of the content hindered by it less valuable. Yet, because Microsoft was behind it, many people assumed that at least Microsoft would keep supporting it. Well, you've now learned your lesson. Playsforsure was so bad that Microsoft didn't even use it for its own Zune digital media device. Along with that, Microsoft shut down its failed online music store, and now for the kicker, it's telling anyone who was suckered into buying that DRM'd content that it's about to nuke the DRM approval servers that let you transfer the music to new machines. That means you need to authorize any songs you have on whatever machine you want -- and that's the only place they'll be able to reside forever. And, of course, any upgrade to your operating system (say from XP to Vista) and you lose access to your music as well. By now, hopefully, everyone is aware of why DRM is problematic, but it's nice of Microsoft to give one final demonstration by basically taking away more rights for the music it sold people with the promise that Microsoft would keep the music available.![Hide This Hide this](https://ii.techdirt.com/s/t/i/topclose.png)
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Filed Under: drm, playsforsure
Companies: microsoft
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Way to go, Microsoft
Luckily, Samsung figured this was going to die so they allowed direct transfers of music without the need for WMP.
Thank goodness, or I would have nothing more than a $100 paperweight.
Now, if only Microsoft would fix Vista....
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Re: Way to go, Microsoft
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Wake Up people - Its only going to get worse - Don't forget, this is your country and if for the people and by the people NOT - For the corp by the corp like it is being run - Time for a change!
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Re:
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Sounds like Burn and RIP
I Burned all the DRM albums and Ripped them to MP3.
Not the best but I was free from the DRM ball and chain.
BURN/RIP
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Who didn't see this coming?
I abhor DRM, but the only DRM that is evenly remotely realistic is a scheme that is self-contained. Of course, self-contained DRM is easy to crack. So, you end up with things like this, and like MLB's move a few months ago (or more?) that basically did the same thing.
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Whats that I smell?
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Whats that I smell?
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Re: Whats that I smell?
And there will be an accurate number of people listed because Microsoft has all the records for the DRM.
Should be a simple one to go after.
And the fun part will be the court records - Are they shutting it down because the cost of maintaing old systems and old data are too much?
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And what about DIGITAL COPY?
http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20071016/111820.shtml
Good thing I hate MS and avoided their stupid DRM scheme like the plague...
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Ticking Time Bomb
While a company has a right to discontinue any product, the consumer has an economic investment in that product and companies should not arbitrarily destroy that investment. Consequently all companies should provide the consumer with a "final" CD upon request. I wouldn't mind paying a nominal charge for a final CD.
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Re: Ticking Time Bomb
I mind. Why should I have to pay for the music twice just because M$ decided to abandon its own DRM schema? Could you imagine M$ saying, 'Hey, we decided the older Word formats are no longer supported. You have to upgrade (on your nickel) or loose your data.' Oh wait, they call that that Vista/Office.
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Re: Re: Ticking Time Bomb
It's about paying something like $5 for the final version of Windows98SE or the final version of Age of Empires III. While I don't like the idea of paying "twice" I am attempting to propose a comprise that would make it less onerous for a company to supply a final disk.
I have one old game where the website has been taken down and the company no longer provides the patches. Fortunately, I have the patches, but it still points to the need for any software/hardware company to make available a final version so that the consumer has the ability to use the product.
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Re: Re: Re: Ticking Time Bomb
But even that doesn't save you - eventually you won't have a computer or OS that can run your old game. Non-programmers don't seem to understand it, but binary-only software is basically dead software that cannot be adapted to new systems or hardware. OSS protects you from that. Even if you don't accept the "all software must be free" mantra, it is still pretty obvious that closed-source programs die when the owner goes out of business. BeOS was what convinced me.
Think of the difference between having a digital file of a text document vs. having a paper printout of the same file. The digital version can be easily worked on and adapted. It is clearly more useful. The printed version is basically dead. The same difference exists with regard to having a program's source code vs. having just a binary.
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Re: Re: Re: Re: Ticking Time Bomb
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Re: Re: Ticking Time Bomb
They already did before they pushed through their BS standard OOXML.
read: MS Smacks Office 2003
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Re: Ticking Time Bomb
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re: Steve R.'s Ticking Time Bomb
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Re: re: Steve R.'s Ticking Time Bomb
And they expect to do the same with digital formats. Only problem is, that it's impossible for them to clamp down on that, so they try to force it with clunky DRM.
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Music subscription?
In essence this is similar to paying $13 a month for satellite radio except you're not paying for music you don't like. Essentially you are programming your own radio stations. I thought that was pretty cool (despite initially being turned off by it).
Sure, you lose access to all that music you downloaded if you stop paying the fee (or the store shuts down or, as demonstrated in this story, MS stops relicensing the music) but it's the same story with satellite radio. Once you stop paying you can no longer listen to XM's music library and that radio becomes a useless lump of plastic.
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Re: Music subscription?
I love the online service at work, but don't NEED to pay $13/mo for music
Infact, I have tried [I emphasize tried] to cancel the service twice and they trick me with a month or two of free service; I forget to cancel the contract when the two months is up.
It's a vicious circle.
Oh, and MacroHard has been "pissing on our shoes and telling us it's raining" for two decades, how is anyone suprised by this glorious debaucle?
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Re: Re: Music subscription?
I know it's hard, but just tell them you don't want the free months because you will forget to cancel.
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playforsure DRM
Buy the music. Burn it to a cd-rw. Re-import the music as unprotected mp3, or any other format you like. Delete the original files. Erase the cd-rw and repeat. DRM solved
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Re: playforsure DRM
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Re:
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Re:
Err...this has nothing to do with using Microsoft apps to rip CDs. You can rip to non-DRM formats using WMP if you like (yes, even in Vista).
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video and sound capture cards, makes anyones life easier.
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Re:
so thay have secure end to end transmition of the data
it shows up on your screen and there is no way to intercept it
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Re: Re:
What Hoeppner speaks of is just the analog signal or "analog hole" as the record studios call it. If the signal is analog, which every device will output, than it can be captured somehow.
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Re: Re: by Neil
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you lie down with dogs and you get fleas
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Anything MSN
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Too hot in the kitchen to cook Apple pie
While Microsoft cant get enough people to buy its mechanical fish.
A song comes to mind:
"Give me a song, or rhythm
Make 'em sweat, thats what I'm giving 'em
Now, they know
You talking about the Hammer you talking about a show.
Thats Hype, and Tight.
Singers are sweating so pass them a wipe
Or a tape to learn
Whats it gonna take in the 90's to burn
The Charts? Legit
either work hard or you might as well quit
Thats the word because you know...
You cant touch this
You cant touch this
You cant touch this"
-MC Hammer
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The same fate for XP is only a matter of time
But, have no fear. When your copy of XP dies as the WGA server is shut down, you may have the option of "upgrading" to Windows Vista (for $$$$$).
See, there. American business really is wonderful. And open source really is just a crazy whim, with no purpose whatsoever.
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Re: The same fate for XP is only a matter of time
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Re: The same fate for XP is only a matter of time
http://www.softpedia.com/progDownload/RemoveWGA-Download-42782.html
and windizupdate to get your updates:
http://www.windizupdate.com/
works great for old windows 2000 pro machines that have no updates available on windowsupdate.com
the more of these hoops you have to jump thru, the more attractive ubuntu will become :-)
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Burn And Rip?
Buy the music. Burn it to a cd-rw. Re-import the music as unprotected mp3, or any other format you like. Delete the original files. Erase the cd-rw and repeat. DRM solved.
Sure, but say my time is worth something more than a middle schooler. And every CD I need to Burn and Rip takes about 15 minutes of my time.
Say, for the sake of argument, that my time is worth $60/hr. I just spent $15 of MY VALUABLE TIME to work around this DRM nonsense. The music costs less!
DRM solved my a$$, between MS and your "solution", I've just lost more money. (Not to mention any loss of quality.)
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FairPlay
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Re #35 and 37
All of your time is worth 60$/hr?
Will you charge your wife for those hours you spend with her? Are you saying that is all your time is worth there?
Can't quite put my finger on it but that whole argument feels flawed. You don't get paid to stay home and not work (unless you have some truly awesome job, but the point above still stands). Also feels like your argument could be turned into saying that the money you pay for a song is equivalent to how long you feel it would have taken you to make the song. How much your time is worth doing one thing, is not how much it is worth doing everything.
@37, Mischa
Ubuntu definitely seems to be winning in that arena. =)
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Deal with Microsoft...
Or download it for "free", given that they've already paid for it. Of course, Microsoft and the RIAA are doing their best to criminalize that kind of consumer friendly behaviour. I guess it's not profitable enough for them.
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Thank goodness that Valve Software will never, ever do anything like this and all software bought through Steam will be usable until the end of time!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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Giving it to the man...?
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