[FC-discuss] What really kills DRM in music?

[Oliver Day]

I thought the spore incident was one of the interesting points in DRM's 
demise.  I know that isn't related to music but it did seem to be the 
time when power consumers of gadgets/media/etc decided they would start 
outwardly complaining about DRM.
This sentiment seemed to stem from the fallout of the Sony rootkit 
debacle.  Maybe it was Sony that saved the music industry from DRM by 
getting caught with DRM so invasive and debilitating that public outrage 
ensued.
All the issues before that I feel like stayed within certain circles 
(change advocates, technologists, high geeks) and was never part of 
larger public conversations. (am thinking about shift key hacker, black 
marker hack, etc)
Ever since the event I've wanted to write about this :)



Kevin Driscoll wrote:
> Yes! Sorry for trolling all of you but I really wanted to hear some
> raw thoughts on this. People on this list have been agitating against
> DRM for a long time (Def by Des, in particular! *)
> 
> http://freeculturenews.com/2009/01/07/itunes-drops-drm/
> 
> Tell us more specific events you know of. Let's make a big list of
> past anti-DRM activities.
> 
> Kevin
> 
> * Back in 06, I hung your images in my classroom and incorporated them
> into a lesson about digital music sales.
> http://flickr.com/photos/believekevin/259871655/
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> On Wed, Jan 7, 2009 at 11:28 AM, Conor Schaefer
> <conor.schaefer at gmail.com> wrote:
>> I agree here. How does DRM benefit Apple directly? If it does at all, I
>> don't think it possibly could long-term.
>>
>> Implementing DRM was very likely a bargaining chip with the major labels. It
>> made them feel safer in the spooky waters of the pirate-infested internet.
>> It also mandated that people buy individually from the store, curbing
>> sharing and leaks and ensuring a swelling consumer base for Apple.
>>
>> Now that consumers swarm to the iTunes Store in droves, DRM doesn't really
>> serve a purpose anymore.
>>
>> And it's only thanks to activism by groups like SFC and DBD that Apple is
>> being lauded as a hero in the industry. We've been saying for years that DRM
>> is evil, and that corporations should abandon it. They did what we wanted
>> them to do. Why aren't we celebrating?
>>
>> On Wed, Jan 7, 2009 at 9:49 AM, Fred Benenson <fcb at fredbenenson.com> wrote:
>>> I don't want to give Jobs more credit than he deserves, but I actually
>>> think he hates dealing with the music industry and probably would not have
>>> chosen DRM if they didn't force his hand initially. As far as I understand
>>> it those were the conditions for iTunes even existing.
>>>
>>> Again, not calling him an hero, but I do think he understood at least the
>>> practical (if not the ethical) objections to DRM in the store.
>>>
>>>
>>> ~ ~ ~
>>> thoughts / http://fredbenenson.com/blog
>>> work / http://creativecommons.org
>>> sights / http://flickr.com/fcb
>>> sounds / http://www.last.fm/user/mecredis
>>> status / http://twitter.com/mecredis
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> On Wed, Jan 7, 2009 at 9:42 AM, Clifford Conley Owens III <ccowens at vt.edu>
>>> wrote:
>>>> Random rant on this discussion:
>>>>
>>>> Does anyone find it really annoying how everyone acts like this is Apple
>>>> sticking it to the recording industry?  As though they couldn't have
>>>> done this from the minute iTunes started?  Even Wired said: "Since the
>>>> dawn of time, or so it seems, Steve Jobs and the major labels have been
>>>> at war on two fronts: digital rights management and pricing. Apple wants
>>>> to sell music without DRM, so that it's easier for consumers to use.
>>>> Meanwhile, the labels want Jobs to budge on pricing to let them sell
>>>> songs in iTunes at prices other than 99 cents."
>>>>
>>>> Remember that letter Jobs wrote about DRM.  Afterward, everyone acted
>>>> like he was such a hero.  Give me a break.
>>>> http://www.apple.com/hotnews/thoughtsonmusic/
>>>>
>>>> ~Conley
>>>>
>>>> --
>>>> office: Torgersen 3180
>>>> email: ccowens at vt.edu
>>>> cell: (540) 597-8820
>>>> xmpp: conley at jabber.org
>>>> aim: vtconley
>>>> sip: conley at ekiga.net
>>>> _______________________________________________
>>>> Discuss mailing list
>>>> Discuss at freeculture.org
>>>> http://freeculture.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/discuss
>>>
>>> _______________________________________________
>>> Discuss mailing list
>>> Discuss at freeculture.org
>>> http://freeculture.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/discuss
>>>
>>
>> _______________________________________________
>> Discuss mailing list
>> Discuss at freeculture.org
>> http://freeculture.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/discuss
>>
>>
> _______________________________________________
> Discuss mailing list
> Discuss at freeculture.org
> http://freeculture.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/discuss