Blast From The Past: Oh Look, New Business Models Didn't Require DRM
from the thank-goodness-for-that dept
Sometimes it's fun to look back on predictions from a few years back. lavi d writes in to point out a 2001 Microsoft press release that he came across while looking for something else. The press release touts new DRM technologies coming out of Microsoft, which is amusing if you know anything about Microsoft's history with DRM. But the really key part of the press release was a VP from the record label EMI insisting:"Nearly all the new media business models require a robust DRM solution to be successful. Microsoft's continued innovation and commitment to quality sound in Windows Media is helping us develop profitable new ways of connecting music fans with the artists they love."And how did that turn out? Well, as we're increasingly discovering, very few new media business models require any sort of DRM, and in fact, DRM seems to damage business models a lot more than it helps them. And, Microsoft's forays into the space have hardly done very much in helping musicians develop "profitable new ways" to connect music fans to artists.
Thank you for reading this Techdirt post. With so many things competing for everyone’s attention these days, we really appreciate you giving us your time. We work hard every day to put quality content out there for our community.
Techdirt is one of the few remaining truly independent media outlets. We do not have a giant corporation behind us, and we rely heavily on our community to support us, in an age when advertisers are increasingly uninterested in sponsoring small, independent sites — especially a site like ours that is unwilling to pull punches in its reporting and analysis.
While other websites have resorted to paywalls, registration requirements, and increasingly annoying/intrusive advertising, we have always kept Techdirt open and available to anyone. But in order to continue doing so, we need your support. We offer a variety of ways for our readers to support us, from direct donations to special subscriptions and cool merchandise — and every little bit helps. Thank you.
–The Techdirt Team
Filed Under: business models, drm
Companies: emi, microsoft
Reader Comments
Subscribe: RSS
View by: Time | Thread
....
So uh... I agree in theory, except... theory doesn't match reality. And I really wish it weren't so.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: ....
I personally seek out no DRM or buy CD's and rip the MP3's just to avoid DRM.
There is nothing like losing your music collection because the people I bought the music from didn't trust me enough.
-Chris
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: ....
go TPB
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: Re: ....
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: iTMS
I believe iTMS isn't actually the largest source of legal downloadable music. That honour goes to the ring-tones business, which is several times larger than iTMS.
OK, so iTMS is the largest source of complete musical pieces.
And of course, both of them would be dwarfed by illegal downloads.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: ....
Look at the history of the record industry, and you'll find that the major labels have been trying desperately to control the price of digital downloads. Apple had so much power in the fledgling industry that they're overridden these attempts. So, when music has started to go DRM free, they've not licenced DRM-free music to Apple but rather to competitors like Amazon in an attept to level the playing field. It's not working as far as I can see, because Apple's DRM-controlled store is too widely used at the moment.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Of course, whether you could call resigning oneself to the fact that a certain amount of lost direct income was inevitable no matter how hard one tried to prevent it and settling in to make the best of things a new business model is questionable; didn't we go through all this with home taping?
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
iTunes is in a way anti-drm
It's always been trivially easy to get around, so much so that even Richard Stallman refers to it as only "Digital Inconvenience Management"
And because Apple won't license the technology, anybody who wants to sell music online and have it playable on the iPod has to sell it without DRM. (Although I think DVD-Jon has a workaround for this now)
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
ITunes and DRM
Everything is about making money though (can't blame them for trying). The record labels are not poor, but they are not making money like they used to, and that scares them. They refuse to update and change how the industry works and so technology has now left them behind. Personally I say screw them, they are an aging dinosaur, and unless they adapt to the new climate they are done for.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: ITunes and DRM
Do you have anything at all to even remotely back your claim up?
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: Re: ITunes and DRM
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Also for apple and DRM
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
hahahahaha
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
DRM can be Good for the internet!!!
http://www.internetevolution.com/author.asp?section_id=561&doc_id=144603&F_src=flftwo)
[ link to this | view in chronology ]