AfterDawn: News

RIAA tells Apple to license FairPlay

In a response to the open letter posted by Apple Computer Inc. CEO Steve Jobs yesterday, the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) has urged the company to license its FairPlay DRM technology to other music services. "Apple's offer to license FairPlay to other technology companies is a welcome breakthrough and would be a real victory for fans, artists and labels," the trade group said.

"There have been many services seeking a license to the Apple DRM. This would enable the interoperability that we have been urging for a very long time." In Jobs' open letter, he urged the record companies to stop forcing Digital Rights Management (DRM) use on online retailers, especially since music from unprotected CDs is ripped and put on P2P networks anyway.



The letter followed complaints in Europe, and even the threat of legal action, over the limitations that FairPlay puts on music purchased from the iTunes music store. Apple cannot deny it has benefited greatly from the iPod/iTunes tie that DRM has created. Nevertheless, DRM for now, from a consumer's perspective, is completely useless.

Source:
The Register

Written by: James Delahunty @ 8 Feb 2007 8:21

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• 25 comments

• pcanisius

  I feel that i would be more likely to purchase a song knowing that i could use it where ever i please. Well no mabey not, but if they get rid of it, but it would be nice to have those open to be pirating as well. lets be real the only time i had used their service was to download songs when i had a gift card. good for steve jobs though givin us a hand and all

  8.2.2007 11:20 #1

• aw2600

  I'll be honest; I download much of my music from P2P networks. I do buy the CD if I really like the album or artist. Most of the stuff that I download is listened to once and never touched again.
  
  I have never purchased music from an online retailer like iTunes. I don't like the DRM and the inability to easily move the music between devices. I respect the fact that you don't own the music that you purchase legally. However I would want to be able to easily listen to a song that I have legally "licensed" on a device of my choosing.
  
  If I could easily purchase a DRM-free song for $1.00 or so and have the freedom to listen however I want then I would most likely start downloading legally. It's easier to pay a buck than to search P2P for music of questionable quality.
  
  If the music companies allow DRM-free download then they might actually sell more music.

  8.2.2007 12:01 #2

• solarf

  Im not sure it would help that much. I mean I still download from P2P networks and I have an Ipod.

  8.2.2007 13:05 #3

• DarkJello

  
  

  8.2.2007 13:21 #4

• tabletpc

  i agree DRM doesn't do blank
  
  and if the RIAA thinks it will help then why dont they do DRM on cd's duh

  8.2.2007 14:46 #5

• pisho

  LOL @ DarkJello's pic!

  8.2.2007 16:48 #6

• webe123

  I lived in the 70's. During that time music was purchased out of record stores...but YOU GOT TO DO WHAT YOU WANTED WITH YOUR MUSIC!
  
  This "renting" music online is simply stupid. Period. If I want to "rent" something, I will get an apartment.

  8.2.2007 19:58 #7

• jb2453

  at least they have someone else to fight with instead of their customers

  9.2.2007 00:43 #8

• georgeluv

  its funny but that poster actualy speaks the truth, when you download a song and dont pay for it at all your basicly furthering communism. if we ignored intellectual property and copywrite holders rights, then we will turn into russia, ahaha.
  
  im sure all the old dudes on this site remeber the story about the dude who invented tetris right? the dude was russian and since russia (i think then it was still the ussr even) doesnt spend an ounce of energy protecting copywrites (they didnt have very strict laws to begin with) he made almost no money from it. the dude would have made millions had he just developed and copywrote it in america.
  
  put that in your pipe and smoke it, you filthy pirates!

  9.2.2007 10:48 #9

• dcmorrow

  So your saying that Communism is the right to freedom of information?
  
  I can experiance and know everything without paying for it?
  
  That sounds more like hackerism.
  
  Communists of the USSR were more interested in preventing you from accessing information and they would totally support DRM, but it wouldn't be called that. It would be something like Homeland Security.

  9.2.2007 14:21 #10

• DVDdoug

  Originally posted by tabletpc:and if the RIAA thinks it will help then why dont they do DRM on cd's duh Because when CDs were invented, there were no CD burners or MP3 players. I believe there was come concern about DAT (Digital Audio Tape). Even when I bought my first burner, blank CDs were about $12USD... Almost as much as a commercial CD... more if you count the "coasters". (And coasters, were much more common when computers were slower and burners didn't have buffer underrun protection.)
  
  If they could, they would! But, if you put DRM on a CD now, your CD player wouldn't be able to play it!
  
  SACD and DVD audio do have copy protection. Even though video-DVD encryption has been cracked, they can't put stronger encryption on DVDs because your DVD player couldn't play it.
  
  With software-players the situation is different. Apple can change the copy protection scheme any time and require you to download a player-upgrade if you want to play any new songs encrypted with the "improved" DRM.

  9.2.2007 14:33 #11

• kearney

  er first a note about the communism poster. Almost everyone in the music industry is so socialist its pitiful. If they could resurrect stalin, and have a communist gov't. they would. So, the poster is 100% correct but just needs to be expanded to
  
  "Whenever you listen to an mp3 your listening to communism, and little bit of your soul is going to us. A reminder from the Friendly Caring Recording Industry Association of Communist America"
  
  NOW, BTS. DVDdoug great point. But, the RIAA doesn't care about that. They have enough clout to "nudge" the CD maufs to make DRM compatible CDs and slowly phase out non-DRM media.
  
  aw2600
  am I missing something?
  
  Quote:I respect the fact that you don't own the music that you purchase legally.I download from iTunes all the time, and I "own" my music. I've had some songs for as long as 3 years. And I can burn them to a CD anytime I want. or are you referring to another music service?

  9.2.2007 16:43 #12

• vudoo

  To the person who has used itunes for 3 yrs:
  
  Hope you never have to reformat your computer or your computer never gets destroyed or stolen. Because if so, you've just lost your entire music collection.
  
  On the other hand if you have had Mp3's instead, you could have backed your collection to an external 400 GB hard drive (like I did) and if your computer breaks your still in the clear. Just re copy all the stuff back to your hard drive.
  
  DRM is a JOKE and if the artists really want to make tons of money they chould use my thought up system called AEM (Ads enforcement Management). And with cell phones also being iPods at the same time the AEM file could download NEW ads to keep the industry going. And more jobs could be invented such as Web Maint.
  
  Anyone who supports this DRM idea is a communist indeed. P2P could be super acceptable for the entire world and everyone stands to make a huge profit from it. However the communists won't let that happen. Think of it just like Radio and TV. You see and hear ads all the time however you accept it. If you want the ads to go away you'd pay for the song.
  
  Just to support my theory on how money is being made from this idea just check out:
  
  clearchannelmusic.com Now I don't beleive in ads being in the song itself like their doing, but an ad before and after the song plays or an ad while you Download the song is acceptable.
  
  Renting music is OK too. Just allow all songs from all albums and all artists to be posted on the service. With cellular internet in the future you may never need to Download the music anyway. But if you do decide to Download it you could Download it via a moble broadband connection. However better yet this would even further my support for my marketing idea of AEM (ads enforcement management). And spiralfrog.com maybe the next generation of FREE music to the world. The only thing holding it back is the damn RIAA. Please if there is a God read this idea and implement it immediately. The only one who stands to lose from this idea may be the ISP's because of the major bandwidth people will use when listening and Downloading music legally. A win win situation for everyone in the world. Hell it could get a lot of people off welfare because they could be working at home making ads for the companies wishing to post ads on the legal websites. So if your in favor of getting rid of Welfare, you'll support AEM.

  9.2.2007 17:33 #13

• kearney

  vudoo
  I usually burn my stuff to a cd (takes away the DRM) but some of the newer stuff (like tv shows) well, I'm out of luck there.
  
  I support AEM. I think its great idea. wonder if the record co. think though? I think you should patent the idea. That way they'd have to pay you royalties

  9.2.2007 18:01 #14

• veyron

  Originally posted by DarkJello:
  Ha!That would be a great campaign if it were 1940!

  10.2.2007 13:29 #15

• vudoo

  OK Downloading Music for FREE is not stealing. Stealing is when I borrow your Mp3 player and I take it somewhere and never give it back to you.
  
  Now if I were to take apart your Mp3 player and build my own and put yours back together and give it back to you I copied it I didn't STEAL it. So get it right you idiots out there who think that.
  
  To record DRM video use Tunebite Platinum. Some people would try and stop you from gaining this knowledge.

  10.2.2007 20:26 #16

• DarkJello

  Originally posted by vudoo:OK Downloading Music for FREE is not stealing. Stealing is when I borrow your Mp3 player and I take it somewhere and never give it back to you.
  
  Now if I were to take apart your Mp3 player and build my own and put yours back together and give it back to you I copied it I didn't STEAL it. So get it right you idiots out there who think that.
  
  To record DRM video use Tunebite Platinum. Some people would try and stop you from gaining this knowledge.Thank you for liberating us from the hateful RIAA!
  
  'Stealing' is the issue, by copying intellectual property, you're more or less stealing it. Building your own mp3 player would be more like covering a song.

  10.2.2007 20:31 #17

• dcmorrow

  Quote:Originally posted by vudoo:OK Downloading Music for FREE is not stealing. Stealing is when I borrow your Mp3 player and I take it somewhere and never give it back to you.Thank you for liberating us from the hateful RIAA!
  'Stealing' is the issue, by copying intellectual property, you're more or less stealing it. Building your own mp3 player would be more like covering a song.What would Jesus say?
  
  What is a loaf of bread, vs an MP3?
  
  Can you not take a picture of a loaf of bread? Is that stealing?
  
  Isn't copying an MP3 file, merely a picture of that file? Although quite detailed.
  
  What if you were to take a record, "Vinyl" or even Compact Disc, and photograph that? Let’s say the photograph is of such high quality that you could analyze it with a computer and reproduce the pits or grooves in such a way as to listen to what was recorded. IS that stealing?
  
  What if you listen to the CD and then play it back in your mind over and over again. You take your mind home with you... Have you committed theft?
  
  The true issue is that the whole matter is junk.
  
  We should be paying for materials and labor. Anything else is simply printing money on the part of the publishers. If they want us to pay for knowledge then they should provide teachers. Real people, employed to help us learn.
  
  We should be paying for live performances a true effort, quite unique from day to day. A CD of music a recording of a session is just a lie. Much of it never really existed in life, the result of mathematical formulas and digital editing. Oh yes a lot of work was done, the artist the editors the engineers, but when the day is done and the work is done, for how long does society need to pay?
  
  How much money for my thoughts? What if I had million dollar thoughts, and showed them to you or someone else. The chances are they will not be copied but stripped of my identity and given to someone else, or no one would be interested no matter how much truth there was to it.
  
  It is almost guaranteed that if you produce some idea and show it to someone else without protecting yourself, a movie idea, someone in the movie business will take it.. Guaranteed. You will have no recourse.
  
  Everybody is stealing from everyone else, by definition of intellectual property. The funny thing about it is that your thoughts are not property until someone else wants it. And then you decide to charge for it.
  
  There is no real supply and demand here. You can't produce it any more once it's thought up. But you can disseminate it. That's what we should be paying for. I don't think that costs very much now.
  
  How rich would Jesus be if we had to pay him royalties? Oh yes look at the church. How rich in deed. What did they do? Copied and Copied and Copied and Stole and hmmmm.. It's in our blood for thousands and thousands of years and you will have to destroy us before we cannot do it anymore. But you will then turn around and do it too.
  
  Everyone is guilty here no innocents. Not even a baby. Well you can't blame them.

  11.2.2007 00:41 #18

• DarkJello

  You guys are idiots. While I agree DRM is the devil and CD's shouldn't cost so much yada yada yada I am still quite aware of free file sharing over the interenet is well, piracy. The RIAA is completely right that people are sharing files over the internet and some of them might be willing to buy CD's instead. I agree with the RIAA that sharing of mp3's should be stopped, but they are most certaintly going about it in the wrong way.

  11.2.2007 06:41 #19

• borhan9

  I don't purchase a song. But this is moving in the right direction :)

  11.2.2007 10:46 #20

• johnblaze

  Originally posted by vudoo:To the person who has used itunes for 3 yrs:
  
  Hope you never have to reformat your computer or your computer never gets destroyed or stolen. Because if so, you've just lost your entire music collection.
  
  On the other hand if you have had Mp3's instead, you could have backed your collection to an external 400 GB hard drive (like I did) and if your computer breaks your still in the clear. Just re copy all the stuff back to your hard drive.
  There is an option in iTunes to back up your entire collection to disk, or just stuff you've purchased (including TV shows and movies). Also, you can store your collection on another drive instead of the same drive as your OS, like I do, in case you ever do have to reformat.

  12.2.2007 02:38 #21

• vudoo

  OK I know you can put the songs on your external HDD as long as your OS is not reformatted. I know in windows if your OS is reformatted and you had the files on an external drive your still out of luck. At least Napster will allow you to re license your songs when the OS is reformatted however you’ve lost one of your computers. I was able to get Yahoo to reset my number of computers when I told them I had a crash and they erased the computers I’ve had on the license list before.
  
  It should be easier for someone to do the work around if you ever have to reformat your OS.
  
  ITunes at least has the right idea because they use AAC instead of Mp3 or WMA and that has less loss. And without the DRM I think more people would buy the music legally. Only if they make the price reasonable. I bought the new Bob Seger from iTunes when it first came out.
  
  I agree that the artists should get their fair share however the record companies have been greedy with the whole idea of DRM and not allowing Napster to AEM the music and or put bannar ads in the app while you wait for a Download and the only person getting paid for the bannar ads should be the artists.

  12.2.2007 12:19 #22

• DarkJello

  The moral of the story is, just buy CDs.
  

  
  
  
  

  12.2.2007 13:52 #23

• Xenores

  Indeed. Thats what I do is buy them from the store. If they have more then five good songs on a CD I will buy them.

  13.2.2007 12:29 #24

• duckNrun

  After a new Cd is released go to the 2nd hand store and buy it USED. Or the Library and borrow it for free!
  
  Don't contribute to the waste of additional packaging going into the local dump!
  
  Don't contribute to the waste of the world's limited resources by contributing to the making another CD and packaging!
  
  Don't contribute to the damn RIAA or Music Industry!
  
  Some people may even go as far as to buy a new CD, rip it and then turn around and sell it keeping the music. Others may buy the CD used, rip it, and then turn around and resell or trade it back to the company for another one. Of course some people may say that these people are stealing the music by keeping a copy and selling the CD

  1.3.2007 21:16 #25