iTunes DRM-Free Tracks: Not So Easily Stolen
And funny enough, people are mad about this
Monday, June 4, 2007 by Zoomba | Discussion: WinCustomize News
Last month, Apple launched a new iTunes service for DRM (Digital Rights Management) free songs. These songs, which not only lacked copy-protection software to prevent purchasers from easily transferring tracks between computers and digital players, also come encoded at a higher quality. So not only are you getting a music track that doesn't limit how you use it, it also sounds better. Win-win, right?
Well, evidently not if you're on the extreme side of the anti-DRM debate.
You see, while there's no code in the file to limit users on how and when they can play the music, there is a little bit of information tacked on. Specifically? The name on the account used to purchase the song. The idea is that if you upload your newly downloaded track to some music piracy site, if anyone on the law enforcement side of things picks up the file, they'll know exactly who uploaded it. Pretty smart, if you ask me. You're not limiting use in any way, but you're putting in a major deterrent to anyone who wants to use this new-found freedom to redistribute the track.
However it's caused a small firestorm online as people complain that Apple is doing something truly heinous and evil. When in reality, Apple is doing nothing more than they always have. That info has been embedded in every song sold through the store since its launch. Seems some people not only want DRM-free, they want piracy-protection-free too. Which they aren't likely to get anytime soon.
Reply #2 Monday, June 4, 2007 2:32 PM
Reply #3 Monday, June 4, 2007 2:55 PM
Reply #5 Monday, June 4, 2007 3:08 PM
Reply #6 Monday, June 4, 2007 3:50 PM
Reply #7 Monday, June 4, 2007 4:39 PM
I'm using my iTunes library with Xion.
Reply #8 Monday, June 4, 2007 6:47 PM
Use IP masker.... sign up with one time use credit cards..... Use a disposable email address like from Walla.com.... Fake Name and Addy
Works wonders
Reply #9 Monday, June 4, 2007 7:23 PM
Reply #10 Monday, June 4, 2007 7:29 PM
Purchased songs? It's only playing ones Ive ripped from CDs.
Reply #11 Monday, June 4, 2007 7:40 PM
). also i dont like the way it infiltrates itself into my system just like the way quicktime does. But like i said, if your happy with the program there is no reason why you should stop using it, as for DRM. draconian socialist comes to mind i dont want to be limited to what software i can use to play my mp3's and as i have 60,000 mp3's at this time i like to have a multitude of software at my beck and call to play them. i should mention that all my mp3's are for my own personal use and i don not participate in sharing or serving them.
Reply #12 Monday, June 4, 2007 9:35 PM
Sounds like Apple got something right at last....
First time for everything...
Reply #13 Monday, June 4, 2007 10:29 PM
Reply #14 Monday, June 4, 2007 11:34 PM
Reply #15 Tuesday, June 5, 2007 1:11 AM
Of course this won't stop the real scene, but I'd guess that over 70% of music downloaders are not getting scene releases anyway. Keep in mind the scene groups can easily release cracked or clean files regardless of what the music companies try to do, so fighting that with obtrusive DRM does more harm than good overall.
Kudos to Apple, finally we can have fair use while they can still keep an eye on those people who take files directly to p2p.
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Reply #1 Monday, June 4, 2007 2:26 PM