I posted the following on my personal blog, MrBaconpants.com. I am posting it here too because I would like to see what this crowd thinks about the issue. The issue deals with copyrights and what companies should do to protect them.
I think I am one of the few people that did not jump on the iTunes band wagon. The main reason was I didn’t like the fact that the music you buy on iTunes can only be played on an iPod and you have to log on to iTunes to play it on another computer. That can be tricky if you plan on playing your music on a machine that doesn’t have network access.
I understand what they were trying to make the major labels happy by over protecting there music. But it limited the consumer and the people that were going to steal away are unaffected. That’s why I went to eMusic to get my music. They allow you to download unprotected mp3’s that you can play on just about anything. The only drawback is that most major labels would not support them because they are afraid of losing control of the music if it had no copyright protection. This may soon change.
Apple has heard the cries of people like me and they are now trying to push the major labels in allowing them to sale unprotected tracks. In this article on CNN you can find out how Jobs is using the popularity of the iPod and iTunes to pressure the Labels in to giving in. And it’s working! One label has already agreed to allow Apple to start selling unprotected tracks.
This is why a free-market is great. You have the consumers demanding change and a business backing them up because it’s in the business’s best interest to make us happy even if that means standing up to a giant. Consumers have the power to change the market and we need to understand that. — MrBaconpants.com
After I posted this article I found out that Amazon is also fighting for the consumers and will be offering DRM-free music too. The main reason I am posting this is because it shows you how in a free-market even the rich record labels have to give in. Opponents to capitalism say that in a free-market the rich and powerful companies will rule over us, but this clearly shows that’s false. It’s the consumers that are getting their way.
Some people have a problem with benefit-as-side effect nature of capitalism.
Even if the consumers are benefitting from the corporation’s greed, there is still greed being practiced.
Some people would prefer to benefit from actions they perceive to not be motivated by greed, such as benefits provided by government or non profits.
[I always assumed eMusic was strictly independent labels by choice.]
My opinion is, if you want unprotected music, then buy the CD at a store and copy away. I didn’t mind the protected file thing; slightly agrravating I guess, but not unmanageable (although after moving all my iTunes music to my laptop without first authorizing it I got a rude awakening).
I hope that doesn’t sound like I disagree, because I don’t; I just think it wasn’t a huge deal.
The thing that makes me mad is the DVD-protection laws. [The idea that you can rip your CD, which you bought, to any computer you want does not apply to DVDs. It’s disgusting.)
Will get a new fun fact for next topic, though.
Welcome to the forums, Andrew!
Don’t hold your breath waiting for the next topic.
Steve,
The next topic is on the why! If you listen to last show you will have an idea what the next post will be about.