Steve Jobs urges end to DRM

radiospan

This is great news:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/6337275.stm

Steve Jobs, the boss of Apple, has urged the world's largest record companies to begin selling songs online without security software.

He said the abolition of copy protection software known as digital rights management (DRM) would be good for consumers and music suppliers.

Copyright protection had failed to tackle piracy, he argued.

The firm behind the iPod has been under pressure to make its iTunes music store compatible with other music players.

Consumer rights groups in several European countries have lodged complaints with the firm over the incompatibility of iTunes with other music players.

'Best alternative'

The abolition of DRM would enable all MP3 users to access music from any online music store, including iTunes, Mr Jobs said.

"This is clearly the best alternative for consumers and Apple would embrace it in a heartbeat," he said in a statement on Apple's website.

Analysts said such a move would benefit Apple as the market leader in the digital music marketplace.

Apple's iTunes store has sold about 2 billion songs since launching in 2003, and accounts for more than 70% of the US digital music market.

Mr Jobs said that if DRM safeguards were dropped, Apple would be in a position to create a download system that could work with devices other than iPods, including Microsoft's recently launched Zune music player.

He called on the world's four biggest music labels - Universal Music, EMI, Sony BMG Music and Warner Music - to begin selling their music catalogues without DRM restrictions.

"I think Steve is finally saying something he has wanted to say for a long time," said James McQuivey, an analyst with Forrester Research.

"He is not saying this just to grandstand. He really thinks this could open up the market."

Soundman

Is it April 1st already??

Slutmonkey57b

It would be great news if it weren't being spouted by the high messiah of DRM - infected music himself. Pot and kettle to say the least - iTunes is the single worst offender for DRM and vendor lock-in.

Ghost Train

Really down to the music companies to allow the music to be drm free. Good to see steve pushing for it, but i'd say it's just because he doesn't want ipod sales effected if apple drm'd music gets banned from european countries for not allowing competition, or other players to use itunes.
apple options

1.stop selling apple stuff in some european countries(other companies gain something)
2.allow licencing of apple drm to other companies(other companies gain something, acces to itunes)
3.get all music drm free(other companies loose their drm too which apple doesn't want to licence from them anyway because it not as good, but at least all music players effected equally).

ie if apples going to loose its drm advantage, or be forced to stop selling in some eu contries, lets get rid of drm.

Makaveli

He's not pushing for it. He's really only justifying why Apple sell music with DRM through iTunes.

I'm sure if they thought they could get away with it they would sell the music without DRM because more people would be willing to buy it. It's the record companies that are holding things back. Apple don't make the music so they'll more than happily sell it without restriction given the opportunity.

DRM aside though, the fact that they sell music in crappy 128KBps m4a format is enough alone to not want to pay for music through iTunes. They can keep their crappy bit rates and proprietary codecs.