Microsoft turns the DRM screw on MSN Music owners

Ever wonder why we loath DRM around here as much as we do even when companies come along offering free, all you can eat deals? Well, if the Sony ATRAC debacle didn't serve as a warning there's always this: Microsoft just announced that it will no longer supply authorization keys for songs purchased from the defunct MSN Music service. That means that the PlaysForSure music you purchased will only play on your registered computers (up to 5) for as long as they shall live. As Microsoft puts it, "If you attempt to transfer your songs to additional computers after August 31, 2008, those songs will not successfully play." It's worth noting that the move also locks the registered PC into whatever OS it's running -- any major update or switch to Ubuntu for example, would kill all your music, dead. Now imagine what would happen if iTunes shuttered its store -- Steve won't be around forever you know.

[HuntWorks @ Apr 23rd 2008 7:12AM]

I knew this was coming. Just burn off everything to CD before August 31st and you'll survive.

[crho85 @ Apr 23rd 2008 10:19AM]

I'm not very familiar with drm's.... what if you burn to a cd and then rip said cd? I'm not making a joke, I just am ignorant on the issue?

[Neal @ Apr 23rd 2008 10:29AM]

This is exactly what you can do to get around it. DRM won't follow the music to a CD, so you can burn it all to CD, re-rip it and you are fine, in fact you could do that now and not deal with the DRM again.

I can't say this is surprising, the service is defunct, and with Zune and Amazon offering DRM free stuff, I think that the large companies are finally "getting" it.

[adrian @ Apr 23rd 2008 10:45AM]

Should you have to do this?, Microsoft should just unlock it for all their users,By doing this they are being outright bastards.

[Neal @ Apr 23rd 2008 10:58AM]

Should they do this? I think so.

Can they do this? That's something else entirely. No, contractually they can't. The recording label owns the music, not you, not Microsoft. They signed agreements on what they would offer, charge, and pay to the music companies. There is a HIGH degree of certainty in the statements that

A) You never write in caveats in business agreements about what you will do if the business fails - that will never get you business partners, but will make them scatter. Failures are a reality, but no one wants to address them or talk about them, especially when a new business is starting.

B) When you think about failures of a company, there is never jargon entered into contracts about how to handle things in the event that the business fails (see point A).

I highly doubt MS want's to piss people off or inconvenience potential future customers, but that said, they also cannot legally give the music away now.

[Khurt Louis Francis Elliot Williams @ Apr 23rd 2008 8:13PM]

Yes. You can burn to CD. But ripping the music back compressed it again resulting in loss of quality. It's like take a photocopy of a photocopy of a photocopy. So if you are happy with taking your 128kbs file and making it into a 96kbs

[Josh Warner @ Apr 23rd 2008 1:56PM]

@Neal, first comment:

Burning and re-ripping introduces two more format transitions. If you started with 128 kbit (yuck) music, now you're probably at 96 kbit levels (terrible). People give the companies too much slack for the "burning loophole" - it's not a 1:1 conversion, people! It could be, if the original format was lossless, but we haven't had the option to buy lossless music online since AllOfMP3 disappeared. I do not accept that as a valid option or excuse for DRM.

@Neal's second comment:

Let's take this to its logical conclusion. Hypothetically, all media (including books) could become digitally distributed at some time in the future. A modern analogue of Shakespeare comes along, signs a contract and begins writing for a particular company whose products cannot be displayed without a check to a DRM server. He isn't recognized as a literary great immediately, his work doesn't make much money, and the company goes under taking their DRM servers with them. Suddenly, we AS A CULTURE have irretrievably lost part of our history.

That is unacceptable. There should be LAWS on the books that any implementation of DRM can and will be completely removed from every file it infects when:
A) The work in question transitions into the public domain
B) The owner of the work in question ceases to distribute / attempt to profit off of the work (this covers corporate failures & policy changes as in TFA's case)

Anything else is simply unacceptable. Disclaimer: I have never once purchased music online and never will until non-DRM-infected, lossless options become legally available. Until then, it's CDs (not from Sony/BMG) or nothing.

[jollyllama @ Apr 23rd 2008 2:06PM]

If you want to end up with the mp3 or whatever compressed format you choose, you don't want to do this. Taking a compressed format, expanding it to CD audio, then re-ripping it is going to leave you with terrible sounding files. It's like running jpeg compression on top of a jpeg, you only want to compress once.

[the.seth.kirby @ Apr 23rd 2008 2:24PM]

fairuse4wm

Look it up

[Genjinaro @ Apr 23rd 2008 7:16AM]

So the funeral for this Music Service is today?


Seriously, not just this but we need to stop supporting DRM everywhere.
Amazon is gonna chew this market if they dare to advertise.

[Ignatius @ Apr 23rd 2008 8:31AM]

This is probably why companies are scratching their heads, wondering why people are still pirating music.

YARRRRRRRRRRR. SHORE UP THE SAILS, MEN, WE'RE OFF TO THE CYBERSEAS!

[Ghen @ Apr 23rd 2008 8:55AM]

Yea, until it becomes easier to purchase music than download it (minus the monetary transaction part).

[Jack @ Apr 23rd 2008 7:21AM]

You know, I've been wondering how I'll describe the internet of my day to my children of the distant future:

It will go one of two ways:
1.) The early days of the internet were wonderful. You could get anything you wanted for free! It was like the Wild West. I had all the music in the world.

or

2.) The early Internet was complete shit compared to what you kids have now. Companies used to sell you music at a ridiculous price, tell you where you could play it... and when they decided they couldn't make a profit anymore -- they make all the music you bought useless!

or maybe 3, now that I think of it:

3.) You almost didn't happen because Daddy was addicted to porn during college.

[nano3glover @ Apr 23rd 2008 7:23AM]

ha ha ha ha.......who cares??? itunes rocks........vista suxxxx.........

[Tits @ Apr 23rd 2008 7:56AM]

ha ha ha ha....... my computer is more powerful than your for a fraction of the price!!!

[Darius @ Apr 23rd 2008 8:06AM]

nano3-
He's talking about the internet, not about itunes and vista, you rabid fanboy idiot.

Cheers,
Darius

[bondsbw @ Apr 23rd 2008 8:56AM]

nano: That's stupid... you look like you're being sarcastic, but I'm just not sure.

tits: That's dumb too... Macs may be pricey, but you get your dollar's worth. (Just so you know, I have a Macbook at home and a Dell Latitude for work. The Dell is newer and has about the same specs, but it cost more.)

[Chebwa @ Apr 23rd 2008 9:58AM]

@nano3glover

iTunes VS Vista: Battle of the... operating... music...

...the, uh...

...you're a dick.

[fr @ Apr 23rd 2008 7:21AM]

It's amazing they can get away with this really, when DRM stores withdraw authentication services they should be forced to provide drm free copies of everything you have purchased from them.

[Neal @ Apr 23rd 2008 10:33AM]

I totally agree, however, what is blocking this from happening is the legal agreement with the owners of the music (the recording labels I mean) and what they are allowed to do, which likely is to never allow it non-DRM'd through MSN music.

I have to say I am glad to see the death of PlaysForSure. It was a noble idea to attempt to get everything to a single DRM platform, but then that was before they realized that DRM is the devil.

[Tank @ Apr 23rd 2008 11:40AM]

Microsoft is sitting on a large enough pile of cash that they could offer replacement songs from their Zune music store.

A few million dollars will buy them loyalty. Saying, "sorry but you're SOL" buys Amazon or Apple new customers.

[Neal @ Apr 23rd 2008 1:43PM]

Good thought, but does zero good for someone who doesn't own a Zune. Most of people using MSN do not own Zune, since it would be redundant, and you have to use the Zune application to transfer music anyway.

Unfortuantely this would just be turned into another negative saying "Yea right bait and switch! Now you want me to have to buy your damn ZUNE to play music I already paid for!"

No win situation =\

[Tiran Kenja @ Apr 23rd 2008 7:21AM]

Hopefully iTunes Plus will keep expanding, and eventually cover all of the music on it, so it won't be as much of an issue.

Personally I would never buy anything else than plus editions on iTunes tho.

[Jared @ Apr 23rd 2008 8:22AM]

It's called Amazon MP3s, they offer everything itunes plus offers and more. Not to mention amazon is less evil then apple

[Dave B @ Apr 23rd 2008 10:38AM]

@ Jared

Exactly how is Amazon less evil than Apple? They both are out to get your money. I remember a time when Microsoft was evil because of its sheer size/market share and Apple was just the lil guy that everyone felt sorry for. Apple has some years of success and BAM they're evil.

They have been fighting DRM, and the fact is the real 'evil' companies are the labels that won't grant Apple iTunes DRM-free access like they do for Amazon to promote 'competition.' That to me is pure evil, disallowing people to buy certain music in one place and being forced to go to other websites. Let the people decide where they want to shop, not the companies.

I don't remember the brick & mortar (Sam Goody, FYE, Strawberry's, Tower, etc) record shops being like that, generally I could find the same stuff at all but perhaps they would be out of copies at one.

Just my humble opinion.

[fanman @ Apr 23rd 2008 12:19PM]

Amazon mp3 is US only, and 7digital is better anyway.

[Notung @ Apr 23rd 2008 7:21AM]

I'm gettin' too ol' for this sh*t

I wonder who builds a music collection from a "lame" digital copy coming from a music service like iTunes or the rest. Not to speak about DRM joining the party of frack the consumer motto all these guy's have. Being the so called "Jobso" the first in line for that.

This industry is seriously ill

[Notung @ Apr 23rd 2008 7:27AM]

For the record,

The word "OWNER" is inaccurate, as it stands today you own nothing, you only have limited rights of usage

So no MSN subscriber is deprived of any right he/she already had.

[minimalist @ Apr 23rd 2008 11:15AM]

I’d be willing to bet that there are certain consumer rights and expectations you can’t just sign away away by clicking through some EULA. None of this has been tested in court and something tells me the court will uphold that the word “buy” does not equate to “we-can-turn-you-off-at-the-mothership-anytime-we-feel-like-it”.

When people buy music they have certain expectations about its use. Maybe it will take a high profile class action lawsuit to finally blow the doors open on DRM for purchased media. Google Video did the same thing by deactivating all the video they sold when they shut their doors but at least they refunded their customer’s money.

[Notung @ Apr 23rd 2008 2:02PM]

You are seriously right.. no question about that

But I am too, so:

The music industry and their players are hurting consumers, sure? is it a question about their rights against ours? I am not sure about that...

Are they getting it right?, NO NO NO (frakin' Amy Winehouse)

The thing is that almost everybody new that when you "BUY" a song you get a digital file with a DRM protection to limit usage. They don not tell you that in explicit way?, also true

So my recomendation to all customers really annoyed about these newly discovered usage limitations:

Always buy a CD first, rip it at best quality, and store your CD wherever you like close to that old Hi-Fi equipment of yours

If you are anxious to listen to a song, and can't go to the nearest store to buy the CD, or you don't like to buy the whole album because you always like buying singles on the cheap, go to "standard procedure" iTunes, Napster, or whatever and buy it, download it, burn an audio CD and rip it back. Best place to try first, if you live in the States, AMAZON so you can live without the down-burn-rip process for a while.

If you are a music lover, and like to listen to music anytime without the need of buying it, and from time to time you go to a store to buy some CD's, apart form acting like described above, subscribe to a stream-all-u-can eat service. This will be for you the safest way to enjoy that music you suddenly like and discovering new one without buying a CD or listening to broadcast radio. Best choice Rhapsody, hands down, if you are on a low budget, LAST.FM will do.

If you don't like CD's, you don't like DRMed files, you don't like to pay for things that give you pleasure, you are mostly lazy, but you really like whining, ok then, write a blog about this and tell us how you feel. Still, you will have the option of piracy, hey, you don't pay, you don't have usage restrictions and you now you can't complain about it

Who said things were easy?

[Johan S @ Apr 23rd 2008 7:22AM]

DRM must truly be the worst technological idea in history.

[Leon @ Apr 23rd 2008 7:22AM]

So, that means, PlayForSure music wont play, for sure...

[nh @ Apr 23rd 2008 8:21AM]

The whole PlaysForSure brand was some kind of ironic joke, given that the entire purpose was to make sure that it didn't.

[Backwards People @ Apr 23rd 2008 9:40AM]

So... the lesson we learned today is... don't trust Microsoft!

[nano3glover @ Apr 23rd 2008 7:27AM]

but what abt the fact dat itunes sold 4 billion copies last quarter??

[Esat Dedezade @ Apr 23rd 2008 8:45AM]

*Crickets chirping whilst tumbleweed gracefully rolls on by*

Hear that?

That's the sound of no one giving a shit.

Sorry to be rude, but stuff like this has to be said sometimes.

[Ghen @ Apr 23rd 2008 8:59AM]

You'd probably get a better reaction if you used proper spelling nano. This isn't halo multiplayer. You have all the time in the world to type a sentence without fear of getting your head shot.

[Craig @ Apr 23rd 2008 9:51AM]

@Ghen: How do you know he wasn't typing that while driving on the LA freeway?

[Jack @ Apr 23rd 2008 7:28AM]

So I'm going to toss this at the top: Just ignore him. Don't feed him. Any of his comments below, don't even dignify them with a response. Don't attempt to argue logic or reason. It's useless. Maybe it'll go away if we discuss the article.

[Trent @ Apr 23rd 2008 7:34AM]

Thank god for emusic.com!!!

DMR free, good quality, and I get 25 cents a song. I can download from any pc as all my downloads are kept on file. Take that APPLE and everyone else.

I absolutely refuse to pay Apple, etc $9.99 for a downloaded, compressed, DRM album when I can get the actual album at for $9.99 then rip it at a higher quality compression.

Songs should run about 30 cents a pop or $3 per album considering we lose about 15 times of it via compression.

Yea, songs on an album are around 45MB each, not 3MB.

[Kelmon @ Apr 23rd 2008 7:52AM]

The only thing that I have against iTunes is that most of the music continues to be in encrypted with FairPlay. The iTunes Store is pretty great when used in combination with an iPod, both in terms of navigation and getting the music onto your device, the price is fine for me, and I'm damned if I can tell the difference in sound quality between music bought from there or ripped from a CD. The announcement from Microsoft does, however, illustrate just what DRM really means, and in this case it's the equivalent of someone locking up your CD collection so you can't access it anymore. If that were to happen to my iTunes music collection (about 300 tracks these days, less those that are iTunes Plus) then I'd be really annoyed and this is evidence that it could happen, although no doubt there would be a much stronger backlash given the current iTunes market (did they pass 3 billion tracks yet?).

DRM seriously needs to go away, although that really is pointing out the obvious. I can only hope that once the studios think Amazon is doing well enough that they'll finally get on-board with the iTunes Plus tracks and I can upgrade the rest of my collection to dump the DRM. I can also hope that Amazon will get an international service out there sometime.

[minimalist @ Apr 23rd 2008 11:36AM]

Except that about 15 percent of the stuff I have bought from eMusic has been yanked at a later date for “licensing reasons” (read: we decided we could get more money through amazon and iTunes now and don’t need you people anymore). The entire Vice Records catalog was yanked . As was the entire Anti catalog.. two of the best known independent labels. Which means the stuff you buy on eMusic is not infinitely downloadable. It’s still a great service. I am just not trusting them to be my sole backup.

[BigBloke @ Apr 23rd 2008 7:42AM]

Talk about customer support! Seriously, it would have been nicer if they had contacted all their MSN customers and asked them to come to Redmond and bend over.

I know why this sort of sh*t is happening. Because they are forcing DRM down out necks, people will eventually get jack of it, and go back to buying CD's or (insert favorite meduium here) and be done with all the bullshit.

There is no f*cking way that Microschrott or any other company is going to dictate when my music will still be valid, what OS to use, and how times I can play it.

The other brilliant stroke of genius, is that after August 30 I have to commit to an MS OS and 5 machines. Like that is really well thought out. What happen when Win7, Win8 or whatever f*cking OS comes out, and I have upgrade my machine because it wont work on anything else other that a 5GHz 20GB RAM, and I am still plodding in with XP? Bunch of a$$holes...

Phew!...(gets off box and troddles of back to the cubicle)

[bobbywigs @ Apr 23rd 2008 7:52AM]

burn to CD. rip. repeat. kinda sucks, but does the trick.

[L. M. Lloyd @ Apr 23rd 2008 8:01AM]

Wow, this will really screw all five of the people who bought music off the MSN store!

Seriously, who pays for DRMed music, and doesn't tear out the DRM first thing? Are there really people out there with huge music collections from MSN, or for that matter iTunes, or any of the other DRM services, that haven't ripped the whole collection to CD? If so, people are a lot dumber than I thought. It is bad enough to get suckered into paying a dollar for a highly compressed song, but it is just staggering stupidity to then rely on the goodwill of the provider of said rip-off compressed song for your continued ownership. What do you people do when you have exceeded the device limit, even if the service doesn't shut down? Do you buy the songs all over again every few years?

[Guy @ Apr 23rd 2008 8:04AM]

I don't exactly buy a lot of music, and I can tell you when I do buy it I would never ever buy it with DRM end of storey. I'll go back to taping it off the radio if I have to, lol

[TRAFFICBLOWS @ Apr 23rd 2008 8:11AM]

iTunes protected songs? umm Hymm? duh.

[TRAFFICBLOWS @ Apr 23rd 2008 8:12AM]

err Hymn. yah.

[AutoTom @ Apr 23rd 2008 8:13AM]

can we please please stop with the 'steve is apple' analogies?

[telepheedian @ Apr 23rd 2008 8:21AM]

This is why the only DRMed music I accept is subscription music. When the service goes down, you simply find another. You didn't lose anything you permanently paid for.