DRM still sucks, even after it's dead
In January, Apple announced that all songs in the iTunes Store would be free from DRM. As part of the announcement, the company said that previous DRM-encumbered purchases would be upgradeable to DRM-free versions, with a higher bitrate as well. This isn't just a point of principle with me--I have a Zune player that automatically adds all the songs in my iTunes library, including AAC files, but which cannot see or play DRM-protected songs.
Today, while doing some shopping for songs I love but don't own (or have only on--gasp--cassette, which I can't digitize because of the way my stereo's set up), I finally got around to upgrading my previous DRM-encumbered purchases. iTunes found three of them, and let me upgrade to DRM-free versions for 30 cents a track. So far so good. Then, I went to buy "Bela Lugosi's Dead" by Bauhaus. iTunes told me I already had it in DRM-encumbered form, and asked me if I'd like to convert to iTunes Plus. Say what? I thought I did that already. But when I actually tried to convert it, iTunes said my conversion process was finished. I looked further, and found there were about 20 songs that iTunes wouldn't let me upgrade. Why not?
Psych! Fooled ya!
I had to do some digging but found the answer in this MacWorld article: these were all free songs I'd received through promotions, mainly when I bought concert tickets through Ticketmaster and for the Monterey Jazz Festival. It's not like these songs were never paid for--presumably the promotional partners paid some fee to Apple, thinking that these free downloads would create positive associations in their own customers' minds. (Ticketmaster can always use more good P.R.) But now I'm stuck--either I pay full price for a new download or accept that they'll never leave my iPod.
I wouldn't have minded so much if Apple hadn't tempted me by offering me the chance to upgrade, only to dash my hopes when I actually tried to complete the process. That's an annoying bug, but the policy itself is the real offender.
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Matt Rosoff is an analyst with Directions on Microsoft, where he covers Microsoft's consumer products and corporate news. He's written about the technology industry since 1995, and reviewed the first Rio MP3 player for CNET.com in 1998. He is a member of the CNET Blog Network. Disclosure. You can follow Matt on Twitter @mattrosoff. 
Just buy the song already.
"Bela Lugosi's Dead" is a goth classic worth buying a second time.
Also, buy your remaining songs from Amazon DRM-free and be done with the Apple foolishness.
After all of this time, people are finally realizing that the iTunes/iPod juggernaut is just as flawed as everything else out there.
Buyer Beware!
The observation I've made is that the drm free story has actually been the 'raising prices' story. From what I read amazon and walmart have followed suit.
Outside the USA buying digital music from amazon is, well where is it. In Australia a person could use bigpond where u pay twice as much because they give you a 'free' version to play on your phone. You could also with plenty searching find smaller labels that sell direct online, if you want that artist.
So I wonder what the next price hike will bring. Lyrics?
As for promo music. That's a new thing on AU iTunes. Thanks for the heads up not to waste time with them as it will just end with a quick jab to the kidneys when least expected.
Y'all raved about amazon and how it would change the game, lower prices and give Apple a challenge. So what happened then... Prices went up, more iPods were sold... and the dumb publics ire is focused on apple vs ms vs amazon.WELL there is no VS fools, cause they are all outlets for the 3 labels who have been screwing us since before iPod was a word. Apple makes peanuts out of selling for the labels but they don't care.
So why would the labels want to give amazon more money, they are the ones wanting more money. The only price war is the one between the labels and the listeners. iTunes is just a conduit for the battle.
Low overheads, crap quality, no material product with pricing that extracts more profit because of the lower costs and prices that will only go up. When no more up can be extracted they will offer a HD upgrade to everyones digital music collections so it will be more like cd quality. Then for no more 'cost' we'll all pay more than we ever did.
- by tbsteph April 14, 2009 6:23 PM PDT
- Burn - rip: bye bye drm.
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