Comments on: iTunes Store goes DRM Free, offers over-the-air downloads http://www.roughlydrafted.com/2009/01/06/itunes-store-goes-drm-free-offers-over-the-air-downloads/ Daniel Eran Dilger in San Francisco Wed, 17 Mar 2010 07:51:09 -0400 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.2 hourly 1 By: daGUY http://www.roughlydrafted.com/2009/01/06/itunes-store-goes-drm-free-offers-over-the-air-downloads/comment-page-1/#comment-16483 daGUY Thu, 08 Jan 2009 19:20:09 +0000 http://www.roughlydrafted.com/?p=2981#comment-16483 Forgot to mention - the one big downside is the $0.30/song "upgrade" fee to remove DRM from songs you already own. True, you do get a higher-quality copy, but they should also give you the option to *just* remove the DRM, for free. Forgot to mention – the one big downside is the $0.30/song “upgrade” fee to remove DRM from songs you already own. True, you do get a higher-quality copy, but they should also give you the option to *just* remove the DRM, for free.

]]> By: daGUY http://www.roughlydrafted.com/2009/01/06/itunes-store-goes-drm-free-offers-over-the-air-downloads/comment-page-1/#comment-16482 daGUY Thu, 08 Jan 2009 19:15:23 +0000 http://www.roughlydrafted.com/?p=2981#comment-16482 There goes the argument about Apple keeping DRM for iPod/iTunes "lock in" like all the pundits have been claiming. Apple made it quite well-known that they didn't want to do variable pricing. The fact that they finally caved on this proves that the labels were withholding DRM-free music as "punishment" for the lack of variable pricing. So it was the labels that insisted on DRM, not Apple. And Apple obviously saw DRM-free as a bigger selling point than consistent prices, otherwise this wouldn't have happened. It will now be impossible for any other store *with* DRM to compete with iTunes. It looks like music DRM is officially over. That's one battle. Now we need to work on video... There goes the argument about Apple keeping DRM for iPod/iTunes “lock in” like all the pundits have been claiming.

Apple made it quite well-known that they didn’t want to do variable pricing. The fact that they finally caved on this proves that the labels were withholding DRM-free music as “punishment” for the lack of variable pricing. So it was the labels that insisted on DRM, not Apple. And Apple obviously saw DRM-free as a bigger selling point than consistent prices, otherwise this wouldn’t have happened.

It will now be impossible for any other store *with* DRM to compete with iTunes. It looks like music DRM is officially over.

That’s one battle. Now we need to work on video…

]]> By: John E http://www.roughlydrafted.com/2009/01/06/itunes-store-goes-drm-free-offers-over-the-air-downloads/comment-page-1/#comment-16459 John E Wed, 07 Jan 2009 03:07:47 +0000 http://www.roughlydrafted.com/?p=2981#comment-16459 two great things about this: (a) no longer any problem copying purchased songs between multiple computers - before, even when all were "authorized," it was hard; (b) now i can stream my entire library to my iPhone or a friend's computer anywhere, anytime with SimplifyMedia. the DRM blocked that before. one bad thing about this: i'll have to see what it costs to upgrade about 2000 songs! two great things about this: (a) no longer any problem copying purchased songs between multiple computers – before, even when all were “authorized,” it was hard; (b) now i can stream my entire library to my iPhone or a friend’s computer anywhere, anytime with SimplifyMedia. the DRM blocked that before.

one bad thing about this: i’ll have to see what it costs to upgrade about 2000 songs!

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