http://www.engadget.com/2008/04/23/microsoft-turns-the-drm-screw-on-msn-music-owners/ Engadget Comments for http://www.engadget.com/media/feedlogo.gif http://www.engadget.com en-us Copyright 2012 Weblogs, Inc. The contents of this feed are available for non-commercial use only. Blogsmith http://www.blogsmith.com/http://www.engadget.com/2008/04/23/microsoft-turns-the-drm-screw-on-msn-music-owners/http://www.engadget.com/2008/04/23/microsoft-turns-the-drm-screw-on-msn-music-owners/Apr 23rd 2008 7:12AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/04/23/microsoft-turns-the-drm-screw-on-msn-music-owners/http://www.engadget.com/2008/04/23/microsoft-turns-the-drm-screw-on-msn-music-owners/Apr 23rd 2008 10:19AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/04/23/microsoft-turns-the-drm-screw-on-msn-music-owners/http://www.engadget.com/2008/04/23/microsoft-turns-the-drm-screw-on-msn-music-owners/
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.]]>Apr 23rd 2008 10:29AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/04/23/microsoft-turns-the-drm-screw-on-msn-music-owners/http://www.engadget.com/2008/04/23/microsoft-turns-the-drm-screw-on-msn-music-owners/Apr 23rd 2008 10:45AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/04/23/microsoft-turns-the-drm-screw-on-msn-music-owners/http://www.engadget.com/2008/04/23/microsoft-turns-the-drm-screw-on-msn-music-owners/
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.]]>Apr 23rd 2008 10:58AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/04/23/microsoft-turns-the-drm-screw-on-msn-music-owners/http://www.engadget.com/2008/04/23/microsoft-turns-the-drm-screw-on-msn-music-owners/Apr 23rd 2008 8:13PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/04/23/microsoft-turns-the-drm-screw-on-msn-music-owners/http://www.engadget.com/2008/04/23/microsoft-turns-the-drm-screw-on-msn-music-owners/
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.]]>Apr 23rd 2008 1:56PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/04/23/microsoft-turns-the-drm-screw-on-msn-music-owners/http://www.engadget.com/2008/04/23/microsoft-turns-the-drm-screw-on-msn-music-owners/Apr 23rd 2008 2:06PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/04/23/microsoft-turns-the-drm-screw-on-msn-music-owners/http://www.engadget.com/2008/04/23/microsoft-turns-the-drm-screw-on-msn-music-owners/
Look it up]]>Apr 23rd 2008 2:24PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/04/23/microsoft-turns-the-drm-screw-on-msn-music-owners/http://www.engadget.com/2008/04/23/microsoft-turns-the-drm-screw-on-msn-music-owners/

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

]]>Apr 23rd 2008 7:16AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/04/23/microsoft-turns-the-drm-screw-on-msn-music-owners/http://www.engadget.com/2008/04/23/microsoft-turns-the-drm-screw-on-msn-music-owners/
YARRRRRRRRRRR. SHORE UP THE SAILS, MEN, WE'RE OFF TO THE CYBERSEAS!]]>Apr 23rd 2008 8:31AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/04/23/microsoft-turns-the-drm-screw-on-msn-music-owners/http://www.engadget.com/2008/04/23/microsoft-turns-the-drm-screw-on-msn-music-owners/Apr 23rd 2008 8:55AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/04/23/microsoft-turns-the-drm-screw-on-msn-music-owners/http://www.engadget.com/2008/04/23/microsoft-turns-the-drm-screw-on-msn-music-owners/Apr 23rd 2008 7:21AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/04/23/microsoft-turns-the-drm-screw-on-msn-music-owners/http://www.engadget.com/2008/04/23/microsoft-turns-the-drm-screw-on-msn-music-owners/
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.]]>Apr 23rd 2008 10:33AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/04/23/microsoft-turns-the-drm-screw-on-msn-music-owners/http://www.engadget.com/2008/04/23/microsoft-turns-the-drm-screw-on-msn-music-owners/
A few million dollars will buy them loyalty. Saying, "sorry but you're SOL" buys Amazon or Apple new customers.]]>Apr 23rd 2008 11:40AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/04/23/microsoft-turns-the-drm-screw-on-msn-music-owners/http://www.engadget.com/2008/04/23/microsoft-turns-the-drm-screw-on-msn-music-owners/
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 =\]]>Apr 23rd 2008 1:43PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/04/23/microsoft-turns-the-drm-screw-on-msn-music-owners/http://www.engadget.com/2008/04/23/microsoft-turns-the-drm-screw-on-msn-music-owners/
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.]]>Apr 23rd 2008 7:21AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/04/23/microsoft-turns-the-drm-screw-on-msn-music-owners/http://www.engadget.com/2008/04/23/microsoft-turns-the-drm-screw-on-msn-music-owners/Apr 23rd 2008 7:23AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/04/23/microsoft-turns-the-drm-screw-on-msn-music-owners/http://www.engadget.com/2008/04/23/microsoft-turns-the-drm-screw-on-msn-music-owners/He's talking about the internet, not about itunes and vista, you rabid fanboy idiot.

Cheers,
Darius]]>Apr 23rd 2008 8:06AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/04/23/microsoft-turns-the-drm-screw-on-msn-music-owners/http://www.engadget.com/2008/04/23/microsoft-turns-the-drm-screw-on-msn-music-owners/
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.)]]>Apr 23rd 2008 8:56AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/04/23/microsoft-turns-the-drm-screw-on-msn-music-owners/http://www.engadget.com/2008/04/23/microsoft-turns-the-drm-screw-on-msn-music-owners/
iTunes VS Vista: Battle of the... operating... music...

...the, uh...

...you're a dick.]]>Apr 23rd 2008 9:58AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/04/23/microsoft-turns-the-drm-screw-on-msn-music-owners/http://www.engadget.com/2008/04/23/microsoft-turns-the-drm-screw-on-msn-music-owners/
Personally I would never buy anything else than plus editions on iTunes tho.]]>Apr 23rd 2008 7:21AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/04/23/microsoft-turns-the-drm-screw-on-msn-music-owners/http://www.engadget.com/2008/04/23/microsoft-turns-the-drm-screw-on-msn-music-owners/Apr 23rd 2008 8:22AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/04/23/microsoft-turns-the-drm-screw-on-msn-music-owners/http://www.engadget.com/2008/04/23/microsoft-turns-the-drm-screw-on-msn-music-owners/
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.]]>Apr 23rd 2008 10:38AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/04/23/microsoft-turns-the-drm-screw-on-msn-music-owners/http://www.engadget.com/2008/04/23/microsoft-turns-the-drm-screw-on-msn-music-owners/Apr 23rd 2008 12:19PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/04/23/microsoft-turns-the-drm-screw-on-msn-music-owners/http://www.engadget.com/2008/04/23/microsoft-turns-the-drm-screw-on-msn-music-owners/
Price, ease of use and selection is whats gonna win the market. I only buy off Itunes cause things are right there. If Amazon comes with the better price and is more easy to use then they will win. Heck with MS. ]]>Apr 23rd 2008 8:35AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/04/23/microsoft-turns-the-drm-screw-on-msn-music-owners/http://www.engadget.com/2008/04/23/microsoft-turns-the-drm-screw-on-msn-music-owners/
Like I said before, if the actual album can be bought for the same price as Apple or wherever or a few bucks more, I am buying the ALBUM. But I get most of my current albums at Emusic for around $3, great quality, DRM free, and I can access my downloads from any computer. So take that Apple.

]]>Apr 23rd 2008 9:48AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/04/23/microsoft-turns-the-drm-screw-on-msn-music-owners/http://www.engadget.com/2008/04/23/microsoft-turns-the-drm-screw-on-msn-music-owners/Apr 23rd 2008 7:22AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/04/23/microsoft-turns-the-drm-screw-on-msn-music-owners/http://www.engadget.com/2008/04/23/microsoft-turns-the-drm-screw-on-msn-music-owners/Apr 23rd 2008 8:21AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/04/23/microsoft-turns-the-drm-screw-on-msn-music-owners/http://www.engadget.com/2008/04/23/microsoft-turns-the-drm-screw-on-msn-music-owners/Apr 23rd 2008 9:40AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/04/23/microsoft-turns-the-drm-screw-on-msn-music-owners/http://www.engadget.com/2008/04/23/microsoft-turns-the-drm-screw-on-msn-music-owners/
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]]>Apr 23rd 2008 7:21AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/04/23/microsoft-turns-the-drm-screw-on-msn-music-owners/http://www.engadget.com/2008/04/23/microsoft-turns-the-drm-screw-on-msn-music-owners/
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.]]>Apr 23rd 2008 7:27AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/04/23/microsoft-turns-the-drm-screw-on-msn-music-owners/http://www.engadget.com/2008/04/23/microsoft-turns-the-drm-screw-on-msn-music-owners/
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.
]]>Apr 23rd 2008 11:15AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/04/23/microsoft-turns-the-drm-screw-on-msn-music-owners/http://www.engadget.com/2008/04/23/microsoft-turns-the-drm-screw-on-msn-music-owners/
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?
]]>Apr 23rd 2008 2:02PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/04/23/microsoft-turns-the-drm-screw-on-msn-music-owners/http://www.engadget.com/2008/04/23/microsoft-turns-the-drm-screw-on-msn-music-owners/]]>Apr 23rd 2008 7:22AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/04/23/microsoft-turns-the-drm-screw-on-msn-music-owners/http://www.engadget.com/2008/04/23/microsoft-turns-the-drm-screw-on-msn-music-owners/Apr 23rd 2008 7:27AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/04/23/microsoft-turns-the-drm-screw-on-msn-music-owners/http://www.engadget.com/2008/04/23/microsoft-turns-the-drm-screw-on-msn-music-owners/
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.]]>Apr 23rd 2008 8:45AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/04/23/microsoft-turns-the-drm-screw-on-msn-music-owners/http://www.engadget.com/2008/04/23/microsoft-turns-the-drm-screw-on-msn-music-owners/Apr 23rd 2008 8:59AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/04/23/microsoft-turns-the-drm-screw-on-msn-music-owners/http://www.engadget.com/2008/04/23/microsoft-turns-the-drm-screw-on-msn-music-owners/Apr 23rd 2008 9:51AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/04/23/microsoft-turns-the-drm-screw-on-msn-music-owners/http://www.engadget.com/2008/04/23/microsoft-turns-the-drm-screw-on-msn-music-owners/Apr 23rd 2008 7:28AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/04/23/microsoft-turns-the-drm-screw-on-msn-music-owners/http://www.engadget.com/2008/04/23/microsoft-turns-the-drm-screw-on-msn-music-owners/
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.]]>Apr 23rd 2008 7:34AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/04/23/microsoft-turns-the-drm-screw-on-msn-music-owners/http://www.engadget.com/2008/04/23/microsoft-turns-the-drm-screw-on-msn-music-owners/
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.]]>Apr 23rd 2008 7:52AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/04/23/microsoft-turns-the-drm-screw-on-msn-music-owners/http://www.engadget.com/2008/04/23/microsoft-turns-the-drm-screw-on-msn-music-owners/Apr 23rd 2008 11:36AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/04/23/microsoft-turns-the-drm-screw-on-msn-music-owners/http://www.engadget.com/2008/04/23/microsoft-turns-the-drm-screw-on-msn-music-owners/
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)]]>Apr 23rd 2008 7:42AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/04/23/microsoft-turns-the-drm-screw-on-msn-music-owners/http://www.engadget.com/2008/04/23/microsoft-turns-the-drm-screw-on-msn-music-owners/Apr 23rd 2008 7:52AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/04/23/microsoft-turns-the-drm-screw-on-msn-music-owners/http://www.engadget.com/2008/04/23/microsoft-turns-the-drm-screw-on-msn-music-owners/
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?]]>Apr 23rd 2008 8:01AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/04/23/microsoft-turns-the-drm-screw-on-msn-music-owners/http://www.engadget.com/2008/04/23/microsoft-turns-the-drm-screw-on-msn-music-owners/Apr 23rd 2008 8:04AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/04/23/microsoft-turns-the-drm-screw-on-msn-music-owners/http://www.engadget.com/2008/04/23/microsoft-turns-the-drm-screw-on-msn-music-owners/Apr 23rd 2008 8:11AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/04/23/microsoft-turns-the-drm-screw-on-msn-music-owners/http://www.engadget.com/2008/04/23/microsoft-turns-the-drm-screw-on-msn-music-owners/Apr 23rd 2008 8:12AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/04/23/microsoft-turns-the-drm-screw-on-msn-music-owners/http://www.engadget.com/2008/04/23/microsoft-turns-the-drm-screw-on-msn-music-owners/Apr 23rd 2008 8:13AM