The Whitworthian

Issue date: 2/20/07 Last Updated: 8/9/07

CD albums sold, in the vast majority of cases, are sold without any DRM encoding to prevent the copying of tracks, which is where most of the files that are shared online originate. Files ripped from CD can be copied a limitless amount of times, and at quality levels that far exceed that of files sold in the iTunes Store. Realizing this, Warner has experimented with DRM-free music, expressing interest in moving further in that direction. The site eMusic.com, in partnership with independent labels, sells all its music as DRM-free MP3s.

The rest of the industry, though, like the anonymous executive too afraid to challenge Jobs on the record, has taken up arms against Jobs to defend DRM. Jason Reindorp, a marketing executive in Microsoft's Zune division, called Jobs' DRM perspective "irresponsible, or at the very least na've."

Others have deliberately misinterpreted his message to cloud the debate. Even though Jobs dismisses the possibility of licensing FairPlay after raising it, the RIAA responded to his letter by enthusing that "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 ... This would enable the interoperability that we have been urging for a very long time."

More widely-spread DRM will not "enable interoperability" - digital rights management is designed to hamper that exact use. Until more users realize that the only path to true freedom with the files they legitimately own is that which Jobs proposes, the music companies seeking to extort them will use all their power to maintain the status quo.

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