AfterDawn: News

Universal denies DRM-free download plans

Universal Music Group, the world's largest record company, has denied rumors that the company is about to offer music downloads without digital rights management (DRM) restrictions. The rumors, which surfaced yesterday, indicated that the company would follow EMI Group by selling DRM-free tracks via Apple Inc.'s popular iTunes download service.

"The rumor is completely untrue," Peter LoFrumento, Senior Vice President at Universal Music Group told Pocket-lint.co.uk. Many in the market for music downloads hope that the record industry will eventually scrap Digital Rights Management. Steve Jobs pointed out in an open letter earlier this year that DRM on downloads of tracks that are available on unprotected CDs is unnecessary.



EMI is currently selling its catalog, DRM-free, through iTunes at a premium rate. However, Apple has been criticized for quietly embedded personal information (users name and account email details) into each DRM-free track sold. The move was made to discourage file-sharing of DRM-free downloads, as the downloads aim to remove restrictions on personal use, not to permit unlimited sharing.

Source:
Pocket-Lint.co.uk

Written by: James Delahunty @ 9 Jun 2007 5:34

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• 12 comments

• venomX05

  Quote:owever, Apple has been criticized for quietly embedded personal information (users name and account email details) into each DRM-free track sold.See..crap like that is the one reason why I won't pay for songs...every single freaking time, if it were to benefit the public as a whole, they have some sneaky $hit up their sleeves. I am come on, enough is enough...
  
  Honestly, everyone ask themselves, if you had an option to either: A)download with no strings attached (hopefully) or B)get a DRM "free" song and think that everything is ok...so in essence you are paying them to invade your privacy.

  9.6.2007 09:19 #1

• borhan9

  For me i always wonder who starts these silly rumors. If they are not going to bring out DRM free MP3's its going to be detrimental for them and they will lose in the long run.

  9.6.2007 18:55 #2

• duckNrun

  Actually the DRM free songs having your name and email embedded into the data doesn't seem restrictive or invading-- as long as you do not post the file to the internet.
  
  This file will play in any device that supports AAC and is not stopping you from doing whatever you want with it. You can even UPLOAD it to P2P however doing so allows you to be identified as sharing copyrighted works.
  
  Doesn't sound like a bad 'trade off' to me: Give me DRM free songs and provide a way to prosecute those who are illegaly sharing these songs on the internet. Of course just hope that when you give copies of these to your brother, sister of friends that THEY don't put them up on the net...

  9.6.2007 20:42 #3

• webe123

  Originally posted by duckNrun:Actually the DRM free songs having your name and email embedded into the data doesn't seem restrictive or invading-- as long as you do not post the file to the internet.
  
  This file will play in any device that supports AAC and is not stopping you from doing whatever you want with it. You can even UPLOAD it to P2P however doing so allows you to be identified as sharing copyrighted works.
  
  Doesn't sound like a bad 'trade off' to me: Give me DRM free songs and provide a way to prosecute those who are illegaly sharing these songs on the internet. Of course just hope that when you give copies of these to your brother, sister of friends that THEY don't put them up on the net...So you actually BUY the "company line" that they will not DO anything with that information on the tracks they sell to you? You are being VERY niave if you believe that garbage!
  
  Just wait though ...the time will come when someone will find a way to strip out the personal info from these tunes. It always works that way.
  
  If they will invade people's privacy, people will find a way to prevent it.
  
  As far as "trusting" an industry download? NO WAY! I am not that stupid! They don't trust me, as a consumer, so why should I BUY their garbage with my personal info on it? Because they say so? They had better think again!
  
  Anyone who does buy this stuff, is being stupid in my opinion. They are only feeding a dinosaur that needs to die and have something else take it's place. Look at what they have done....they STILL do not trust anyone even when they PAY for a DRM free (supposedly) download and weather you want to admit it or not it IS an invasion of privacy!

  10.6.2007 00:18 #4

• ZippyDSM

  we know why the info is there to track and sale off to the miafiaa when the time comes also other tracking and info gathering routines the corporations use to try and understand the life of creatures they never see daily,weekly or monthly.

  10.6.2007 06:08 #5

• aone

  haha, spam-a-lot anyone? i know someone's gonna get their hands on that list, or underlings will sell it for a little side money to the spammers and boom, goodbye inbox.

  10.6.2007 07:13 #6

• duckNrun

  People, ITUNES is embedding non active code into your mp3. It's like placing an ID3 tag in the file only this tag is encoded into the file so you cannot see it. Soon somebody will make an update to jHymm or such and it will remove this data like they remove the fair play key restrictions.
  
  webe123 no I am not naive. I am however able to reason and to think. You fear that the data (your email addy and name) once encoded in the mp3 will be used to spam or track you or whatever you. Am I understanding what you said?
  
  If so then as for the fear of selling your data, collecting your data, spamming your email etc etc etc I believe that what you 'fear' already is a possible reality, and if possible now why fear the possiblity of what MAY happen in the future-- you should be worrying about what MAY BE HAPPENING now. iTunes (or your music store of choice hereafter iTunes will mean any online music store) ALREADY has your music preferences and so does the RIAA who collects the stats and royalties. iTunes already has your email addy... and it would not surprise me if this was not shared with the RIAA.. have you read the fine print in iTunes EULA on who they share data with? Did it say 'our partners' or 'only as required to provide you the services requested by you' guess what...it could be required
  
  Guess what-- they also ALREADY have your name! And **GASP** your email address, as well as your credit card info, and YOUR home address! They could already have a HUGE profile of you just from the info YOU ALREADY GAVE THEM when you signed up to iTUnes! Oh no... the world is going to end... did you JUST NOW realize they have this?
  
  But up until now you have been not crying about breach of privacy or nothing of the sort. WHY WORRY NOW? All they are doing is placing YOUR name and YOUR email in YOUR mp3 bought for YOUR personal and non sharing use. This is no more information than they already have on you, given to them by YOU. Any of their possible and sure to be performed nefarious uses with this data HAVE ALREADY BEEN PERFORMED on you!
  
  Do I believe the party line from the RIAA, The Governement, or anybody else? NO
  
  But reasonable measures taken by the industry that moves them away from DRM is good. Having iTunes tag the song to give the authorities a place to start in a violation of copyright distribution claim is reasonable-- all you have to do to keep the info private is NOT SHARE your music online.
  
  For this data to end up on the internet (assuming that these bad evil corps havent already done so since they have had this data from the moment YOU gave it to them) means that a person actually has to post the song on the net, it has to be downloaded by somebody who then has to access the file (mp3) to find the tag within it. This person after doing this has placed their 'private' data out there for the world to see and use and spam...by sharing their purchase online in a P2P group. This person has no right to complain if he starts to receive more spam based upon spammers stripping the tag out of the file he illegaly distributed online.

  10.6.2007 10:32 #7

• duckNrun

  @ aone:
  
  they alreeady have their hands on 'the list'
  
  it is NOT a new list
  
  it is called a member's list and it has been vulnerable to being sold or stolen by employess from day 1.
  
  Nothing new here

  10.6.2007 10:42 #8

• windsong

  No DRM-free = No Purchase

  10.6.2007 11:05 #9

• webe123

  Originally posted by duckNrun:People, ITUNES is embedding non active code into your mp3. It's like placing an ID3 tag in the file only this tag is encoded into the file so you cannot see it. Soon somebody will make an update to jHymm or such and it will remove this data like they remove the fair play key restrictions.
  
  webe123 no I am not naive. I am however able to reason and to think. You fear that the data (your email addy and name) once encoded in the mp3 will be used to spam or track you or whatever you. Am I understanding what you said?
  
  If so then as for the fear of selling your data, collecting your data, spamming your email etc etc etc I believe that what you 'fear' already is a possible reality, and if possible now why fear the possiblity of what MAY happen in the future-- you should be worrying about what MAY BE HAPPENING now. iTunes (or your music store of choice hereafter iTunes will mean any online music store) ALREADY has your music preferences and so does the RIAA who collects the stats and royalties. iTunes already has your email addy... and it would not surprise me if this was not shared with the RIAA.. have you read the fine print in iTunes EULA on who they share data with? Did it say 'our partners' or 'only as required to provide you the services requested by you' guess what...it could be required
  
  Guess what-- they also ALREADY have your name! And **GASP** your email address, as well as your credit card info, and YOUR home address! They could already have a HUGE profile of you just from the info YOU ALREADY GAVE THEM when you signed up to iTUnes! Oh no... the world is going to end... did you JUST NOW realize they have this?
  
  But up until now you have been not crying about breach of privacy or nothing of the sort. WHY WORRY NOW? All they are doing is placing YOUR name and YOUR email in YOUR mp3 bought for YOUR personal and non sharing use. This is no more information than they already have on you, given to them by YOU. Any of their possible and sure to be performed nefarious uses with this data HAVE ALREADY BEEN PERFORMED on you!
  
  Do I believe the party line from the RIAA, The Governement, or anybody else? NO
  
  But reasonable measures taken by the industry that moves them away from DRM is good. Having iTunes tag the song to give the authorities a place to start in a violation of copyright distribution claim is reasonable-- all you have to do to keep the info private is NOT SHARE your music online.
  
  For this data to end up on the internet (assuming that these bad evil corps havent already done so since they have had this data from the moment YOU gave it to them) means that a person actually has to post the song on the net, it has to be downloaded by somebody who then has to access the file (mp3) to find the tag within it. This person after doing this has placed their 'private' data out there for the world to see and use and spam...by sharing their purchase online in a P2P group. This person has no right to complain if he starts to receive more spam based upon spammers stripping the tag out of the file he illegaly distributed online.
  
  Next time ASK IF I HAVE itunes BEFORE you make assumptions! I do not have itunes at all! I am not that stupid. Why would I trust a company, when I can get my tunes elsewhere?
  
  I get my songs from other scources.
  
  So that makes your rant about what info they have on me null and void! They have ZERO info on me period.
  
  And as far as the info on the .mp3 tags, if you really believe that all they want to do is to harmlessly let you have an DRM free mp3 file just as long as you don't share it online, would be EXACTLY the kind of corporate mentality they want you to have! It sems to me that apple and other companies like Microsoft are being hypocrytical when they say they are against DRM, yet they embed their products with it anyway! It seems they are willing to make statements to the consumer on one side, but be totally the opposite when it comes to implimenting the convictions they say they have. To me, THAT is a hypocrite!
  
  Show me someone who is willing to only sell DRM free tracks at a reasonable price and WITHOUT STRINGS attached and I will show you a company that will grow. Until then, I will stand by what I have said... that these companies are NOT to be trusted. Period.

  11.6.2007 06:23 #10

• plutonash

  Agreed fully, also what happens if your computer get virus spy-ware, virus, or god-forbid stolen. This little tracking ID thing is a very bad idea.

  11.6.2007 07:44 #11

• ZippyDSM

  webe123
  alloff was growing rather well till the mifaa got jealous 0-o

  11.6.2007 11:59 #12