Posted by James on 11/22/07 14:30

On Wed, 21 Nov 2007 21:58:21 -0700, "Technobarbarian"
<Technobarbarian-ztopzpam@gmail.com> wrote:

>
><rminv@yahoo.com> wrote in message
>news:dbb3407c-25c2-4111-a0c6-6394006eb877@s19g2000prg.googlegroups.com...
>> Just got an MP3 player and I'm trying to understand DRM.
>>
>> Looks like MP3 files are fully transferable without any effort.
>
> True, there's no provision in the MP3 format for DRM
>
> >WMA
>> downloads seem protected with restricted copying ability.
>
> Sometimes yes, sometimes no. There are WMA files that are not
>restricted. AAC files are the same story.
>>
>> But I see that there are scores of software applications that will
>> transfer the WMAs to MP3 (which are presumably also then able to be
>> copied).
>>
>> Two questions:
>>
>> 1) Are the above statements correct?
>
> Mostly yes, see above.
>
>> 2) If yes, then why all the controversy? Seems like the protected
>> (DRM) songs are easily thwarted. Why do the record companies put them
>> in this format if they are so easy to bypass?
>
> You would have to ask the record companies. Some of them are moving
>away from DRM because it doesn't work and because they're hoping it will
>increase sales. From their point of view it's a big shift, and a big gamble.
>It's possible that their business model is no longer viable or only viable
>on a greatly reduced scale. Naturally they would like profits to grow. So
>far the thinking seems to have been that DRM would, to some extent, protect
>their profits. To some extent it probably does.
>
>TB
>
I agree with the above. the only problem I find with DRM is that if
something changes on your computer like hardware or you have to do a
restore you can lose the ability to play the DRM WMA files. You can
re-download the licence but only a limited number of times. If I buy
DRM I burn them to CD immediately and then rip them to MP3 Files..
Regards
James

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