Apple Tries To Loosen Music Industry's Iron Claw Replacing It With A Slightly Better Cupertino Cage Apple now has a 70% market share of the digital download market despite significant restrictions imposed by the labels, such as the fact you can only download a DRM'd track purchase once, and you can't share it across multiple devices. According to Bloomberg News, Apple is hoping to loosen things up significantly, and is in negotiations with major labels in the hopes they'll allow users to buy a track, then have unlimited access to a cloud copy of that song across multiple devices. iTunes would then work like most other broadband distribution platforms from Valve's Steam to most mobile application stores. Says Bloomberg: The arrangement would give users more flexibility in how they access purchased music. Apple and the record labels are eager to maintain demand for digital downloading amid rising popularity for Internet services such as Pandora Media Inc., which dont sell tracks and instead let users stream songs from the Web, whatever the device. A deal would provide iTunes customers with a permanent backup of music purchases if the originals are damaged or lost, said the people. The service also would allow downloads to iPad, iPod and iPhone devices linked to the same iTunes account, they said. The move would be a step closer to universal access to content centrally stored on the Internet. The fact that this is 2011 and iTunes customers still can't use their music purchases freely across devices is rather staggering, especially considering that "buy once, download as many times as you'd like" has become fairly standard elsewhere not only without the world ending -- but with great financial success. It's also amusing that as most news outlets cover Apple's efforts, they ignore the fact that music pirates have enjoyed this kind of freedom for years. Apparently, you're not supposed to talk about the fact that legitimate services have to compete with piracy.
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 | | yep I, personally, would buy (instead of 'steal') a lot more movies/music if they didn't have that DRM crap. It's annoying to pay for something and not be able to use it how you want to use it...Have there been any studies done on whether media sales (and piracy) would increase or decrease if DRM was done away with? | |
|  |  | | Re: yep said by zackvlion:I, personally, would buy (instead of 'steal') a lot more movies/music if they didn't have that DRM crap. It's annoying to pay for something and not be able to use it how you want to use it...Have there been any studies done on whether media sales (and piracy) would increase or decrease if DRM was done away with? Jeez, dude...be careful what you *admit* to on a public forum.
Just sayin'.
As far as music, I really don't download any. I've gotten hooked on free streaming radio. I don't have to make any decisions about what to play, all I have to do is listen, and I kinda like it that way. It's uncomplicated.  | |
|  |  |  | | Re: yep My ship came in along time ago  | |
|  |  |  |  | | Re: yep said by topgun:My ship came in along time ago  ROTFL 
That was a good one.  | |
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 |  BootesPremium join:2005-01-28 Scarsdale, NY | There hasn't been DRM on music, assuming you're not getting a subscription, for a while now. | |
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 spewakR.I.P DadkinsPremium join:2001-08-07 Elk Grove, CA kudos:1 | The title says it all: "Apple Tries to loosen Music industry's iron claw" is a bit like the old saying: "Pot calling the Kettle black, much?" -- The weekend is here, grab a can of beer!
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|  SLDPremium join:2002-04-17 San Francisco, CA | Amazon = MP3 MP3 or die. Thank you! | |
|  |  | | Re: Amazon = MP3 +1
Fruity-flavored music can rot for all I care. | |
|  |  antdudeA Ninja AntPremium,VIP join:2001-03-25 kudos:2 | I thought Apple sell MP3s, but at higher costs. | |
|  |  |  | | Re: Amazon = MP3
said by antdude:I thought Apple sell MP3's, but at higher costs. Apple's files are AAC (or M4A files). At one point when iTunes Music Store just opened, these files were DRM'd, but for the past few years all the music content that Apple has been selling has been DRM-free. From what I have read, they still embed your iTunes account info in DRM-free files so that if they end up being shared with the rest of the world, they can quickly trace it back to you; but as far as restrictions go, you are no longer limited to 5 machines that you can play these files on as was the case with DRM'd ones.
As far as hardware goes, I think some but not all the manufacturers support this format (I think Sony is one of them), but files will have to be DRM-free, other devices besides iPods/iPhones/iPads will not work with earlier DRM'd files. On top of it, I think iTunes itself offers a function to convert DRM-free AAC files to MP3.
As far as pricing goes, I think there are 3 categories: $0.69, $0.99 and $1.29. My guess is that price depends on popularity, so something that just came out and is hot you will have to shell out $1.29 for whereas something older and not so popular you can get on the cheap. I think Amazon and Napster (both of which sell MP3's) adopted the same model.
The video stuff that Apple sells (movies, TV shows and music videos) are still DRM'd. Supposedly, Apple is trying to convince movie studios to go the same route and drop DRM as they did for music. Not sure when (if ever) that will happen. -- Ask me no questions, and I'll tell you no lies... A MESSAGE to the RIAA and the MPAA: You shouldn't wound what you can't kill... | |
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 | | Dear Amazon Dear Amazon,
I KNOW you can do better than Apple at this. Please get to work. I have faith in you.
sincerely, iPhone owner Axiomatic | |
|  |  SLDPremium join:2002-04-17 San Francisco, CA | Re: Dear Amazon They already do, didn't you see my post right above yours? | |
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 | | iTunes Music is DRM Free I'm no Apple fan any more, but this article isn't entirely accurate.
iTunes Music (not video or apps) went DRM free 2 years ago »en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ITunes_Store
When you buy a song from iTunes now, you get a DRM free 256Kbps AAC file that will play on any software or hardware that supports AAC, which is the vast majority of everything these days. | |
|  |  | | Re: iTunes Music is DRM Free Sweet! So that means that when I take my ipod, iphone, ipad over to my parents, i can just hook it up via usb and copy these drm free songs off to their computer and play them on any player never touching itunes right? Oh and while I'm at it, I'll copy a few of their mp3's i picked up from amazon over to my idevice. :-/
Itunes IS the drm, not m4p. | |
|  |  |  vpokoPremium join:2003-07-03 Boston, MA | Re: iTunes Music is DRM Free You can copy the files from the Windows folder where they're located, and because they aren't encrypted (which is what DRM really means) they will play on any other device. This is not true for files purchased over two years ago. | |
|  |  |  |  | | Re: iTunes Music is DRM Free There is a windows folder on my iphone when i plug it into a computer at my friends house without itunes? And I can access the directory's on my iphone and copy music right out of it onto their computer?
Of course I cant. Virtually every single other phone and mp3 player can though.
Can I download an mp3 right from a website on my iphone and play it? And add it to my library with no itunes or PC around? | |
|  |  |  |  |  | | Re: iTunes Music is DRM Free Stop being so dense.
I'll make this simple for you.
You can copy the music from your friend to a USB stick, take it home, and import it into your iTunes, and then copy it to your iPhone.
Yes, it should be simpler than this, but the point of the OP was that the files are DRM free and can be freely copied.
Plus, you don't have to use iTunes. Apparently that is what you are choosing to use, but it is not required to get songs on your iPod, there are other applications that can do that. | |
|  |  |  |  |  w0go.O join:2001-08-30 Springfield, OR | You can also insert your iPod/iPhone with disc mode enabled, and copy the files from the hidden folder to another computer for backup/sharing (they won't have the original filenames, but you can fix that with a tag reading tool that re-structures the filenames and paths). Or use a third party application to do it. -- www.aimless.us - irc.aimless.us channel #fix | |
|  |  |  |  |  |  | | Re: iTunes Music is DRM Free Guess what's required for disk mode? Yep, Itunes. Is there any other reason that Apple hides and obfuscates your files on your devices? Nope it's their itunes/idevice relationship drm. Not unbreakable, but it's there. | |
|  |  |  |  |  |  |  | | Re: iTunes Music is DRM Free
said by del ftl :Guess what's required for disk mode? Yep, iTunes. You technically only need iTunes once for that. Once you check that box, iPod will show up as an external hard drive on any PC/Mac you connect it to.
However, I think that this feature was made only to supplement functionality of some of the older-style iPod Classics, Minis and Nanos. For example, I still have a 160 GB iPod Classic that I purchased in 2007. I only have about 15 GB worth of music, so the rest of the space is used as an external hard drive.
By no means was that feature meant to replace iTunes, you couldn't just drag MP3 files to the hard drive portion and expect them to play, you still had to import them using iTunes.
Also, this feature has been missing on all iOS devices. I'm sure that Apple got a ton of requests to put it back in, but so far we have been through 4 generations if iPhones and iPod touches and 2 generations of iPads, and I have yet to see that happen. -- Ask me no questions, and I'll tell you no lies... A MESSAGE to the RIAA and the MPAA: You shouldn't wound what you can't kill... | |
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 |  |  neonhomerKK4BFNPremium join:2004-01-27 Edgewater, FL | You can't do it with iTunes, but you can use a program like Sharepod to step away from iTunes and move songs that way. | |
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 |  openbox9 join:2004-01-26 Alexandria, VA kudos:2 | Yep, no problem moving the music content out of iTunes to whatever device one would like. iTunes is where the restriction comes from as far as syncing content to multiple devices.
The server storage cloud model is the future (again) so it would be nice to have access to the content that is purchased. Right now it's more challenging than need be to get content off of iPods back into iTunes after doing a system rebuild. The ability to retrieve content from Apple again would make things a whole lot easier for many.
Oh, and an Apple victory might actually help Google step up its music service for us Android users  | |
|  |  |  joakoPremium join:2000-09-07 /dev/null kudos:5 | Re: iTunes Music is DRM Free So your complaint (as is mine) is the connection of Apple devices to iTunes which is a total nightmare (but it can be worked around) NOT the DRM on the content that is purchased from Apple. -- PRescott7-2097 | |
|  |  |  |  openbox9 join:2004-01-26 Alexandria, VA kudos:2 | Re: iTunes Music is DRM Free I guess. I really don't use iTunes that much, and have never paid for anything through the iTS, so DRM is nonexistent for me. Having said that, after getting my new MBP, I was perplexed at the extra headache I incurred pulling content from my iPod Touch to put on the new MBP. | |
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 |  |  | | Do you really think apple wants you to retrieve your 60+GB of aac's from their servers into itunes when you have a reformat/reinstall? No they want you to rent, er, i mean stream all of your paid for music. | |
|  |  |  |  openbox9 join:2004-01-26 Alexandria, VA kudos:2 | Re: iTunes Music is DRM Free I'm totally fine with streaming from a server the cloud. Many people have been asking for this for a long time. Of course, I've never paid for content through the iTS, so it really doesn't matter to me. | |
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 |  ThalerPremium join:2004-02-02 Los Angeles, CA kudos:3 | Yeah...this article is missing something. I bought CD & few other tracks recently, copied the files to my Android phone, and they play just fine. Maybe some songs are still DRMed, but I think that's more the exception than the rule these days. | |
|  |  ditka_bPremium join:2001-10-05 Barrington, IL | Thye need to let you down load it again tho. | |
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 mobModerhatedPremium join:2000-10-07 | eh One iron claw for another in this case if you think about it. | |
|  amungusPremium join:2004-11-26 America Reviews:
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| whatever I've not bought much from iTunes. 1 song when it first came out for PC, couple videos.
Rhapsody is the way to go for music. Article linked here yesterday on the front page about Spotify was also interesting ...FREE streaming coming to the states supposedly... Rhapsody will have to step up their game 
Either way, I can buy MP3s if I want from Rhapsody (or Amazon, which I recently did for a band who just released an album that wasn't on Rhapsody). Do I have to? Nope. I can stream just about anything, anytime, anywhere ...I can stream Rhapsody from my phone... It's truly "the future." Heck, even iDevices have a Rhapsody app... The ability to stream ANYTHING in their catalog, from the palm of my hand, anywhere there is a cell signal is just amazing.
Really surprises me that iTunes is still the dominant player. Rhapsody FTW. | |
|  TransmasterDon't Blame Me I Voted For Bill and Opus join:2001-06-20 Cheyenne, WY 3 edits | This is story is not quiet right There is no longer DRM on music purchased from iTunes. This issue is all about storing your music purchases in the cloud. and Apple is building a massive new data storage facility in Maiden, N.C. too do just that. The recording companies naturally think this is horrible because somehow storing your purchases and being able to access and play them from your "cloud" iPod is terrible. I guess their idea is if you lose your purchased content for whatever reason you have to purchase it anew. With cloud storage one sale is all they will ever get thus cutting down to what they think is their Congress given rights to screw consumers for every thing. The problem is they are losing and they know it. So at every turn they will have to be dragged kicking and screaming into the future, and in the not so distant future they will be nothing more then road kills left behind. -- I am quite sure now that often, very often, in matters concerning religion and politics a man's reasoning powers are not above the monkey's. - Mark Twain in Eruption | |
|  |  | | Re: This is story is not quiet right and one way is to not buy any music at all from the RIAA asses. that is what i do.artists who sign with them or labels who do are not at all in existence here at my home. lots of good indie bands to support. | |
|  |  |  TransmasterDon't Blame Me I Voted For Bill and Opus join:2001-06-20 Cheyenne, WY | Re: This is story is not quiet right said by gorehound:and one way is to not buy any music at all from the RIAA asses. that is what i do.artists who sign with them or labels who do are not at all in existence here at my home. lots of good indie bands to support. Indeed and iTunes more then any other outlet has fostered this. Artists are directly marketing their efforts on iTunes. They make 70% on their sales which is vastly more then you would make as an endentured servant to a recording label. -- I am quite sure now that often, very often, in matters concerning religion and politics a man's reasoning powers are not above the monkey's. - Mark Twain in Eruption | |
|  |  |  |  Sammer join:2005-12-22 Canonsburg, PA | Re: This is story is not quiet right said by Transmaster:said by gorehound:and one way is to not buy any music at all from the RIAA asses. that is what i do.artists who sign with them or labels who do are not at all in existence here at my home. lots of good indie bands to support. Indeed and iTunes more then any other outlet has fostered this. Artists are directly marketing their efforts on iTunes. They make 70% on their sales which is vastly more then you would make as an endentured servant to a recording label. If Apple really wants to shake up the record industry they should just buy EMI and have its management "think different" and treat the artists with respect. Remember that Steve Jobs was formerly CEO of a company named Pixar where the creative talent was treated with respect. It must scare the other three major RIAA arses that Apple has more than enough cash to do so. | |
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 |  beaups join:2003-08-11 Hilliard, OH | Thank you, this article is probably the most innacurate representation of what Apple is working on that I've seen.
And Karl must've been living under a rock for the past few years to not know that itunes drm is gone. | |
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 | | Where's the DRM? Because they (Amazon, iTunes, Walmart, etc.) removed DRM from their tracks, I now PURCHASE music from these sources as opposed to using 'illegal' sources. Prior to that, I frequently used free sources such as Limewire. I resent someone telling me how and where I can play music that I purchased. None of the DRM-laden tracks that I purchased over the several years prior will play, including those I purchased from online music stores such as Musicmatch, Yahoo, Napster. My money went down the drain! So much for trying to do the right thing. Good thing I burned most of them to CD, then ripped them back to mp3 files. I may have lost sound quality in that process, but at least I didn't truly lose all my purchased music. | |
|  |  SLDPremium join:2002-04-17 San Francisco, CA | Re: Where's the DRM? We applaud your honesty! We'll be sending over a bunch of guys clad in black leather with black rollerskates and black motorcycle helmets sporting red police lights to take you to jail in a few minutes. Please do not panic, you are simply being used as an example. -Music Management | |
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 | | People still buy music? I have not since 2001 after discovering Napster, then Kazaa, then Bit Torrent and then finally I moved to legal ways of enjoy music for free using YouTube or Vevo on my computer or via my iPhone. On both you can create playlists and listen to the songs you want, when you and wherever. | |
|  TransmasterDon't Blame Me I Voted For Bill and Opus join:2001-06-20 Cheyenne, WY 1 edit | iOS 4.3 has the RIAA is Screaming What has the minions of the RIAA/MPAA screaming at Apple and is related to cloud storage is what is going to happen with Home Sharing and iTunes on the 11th of March the day iOS 4.3 will be pushed out. Home Sharing will have wifi streaming enabled. With my iPod Touch, or iPad I will be able to access my iTunes account and have any file there directly transmitted to my Apple touch or iPad for playback. The file is not download but is streamed to the device for viewing. This functionality is related to cloud storage. In the very near future you will be able to store your iTunes purchases in the cloud at the new Apple date center. You then will be able to access and play those files anywhere you have a halfway decent internet/wifi setup with your iPhone, Touch, iPad, Macbook, etc. The RIAA, like the racket they are, want money for this. Apple correctly points out these music and video files have been bought and paid for, are in secure storage at a remote location only accessible by the person who owns them, and how is this any different then an external Hard Drive except for the distance. It is so sweet to know Steve Jobs and Apple have the RIAA, and the MPAA firmly by their balls.  -- I am quite sure now that often, very often, in matters concerning religion and politics a man's reasoning powers are not above the monkey's. - Mark Twain in Eruption | |
|  Reviews:
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| Yo Apple, can I get a record deal? Word is born, son! Like, I am da hottest rapper on da planet. Since yall own 70% of digital market, son, yo, hook me up with a record deal. For real, shawty, put me on, son!
6 months later:
Apple Records is proud to present their first signed artist, SkinnyMan Fat. His debut album "Broadbandit" include #1 downloaded hits such as "DSL-Reportin and Frontin", "Karl Bode-N" and the platinum downloaded smash "Broadband Beyatches". Don't forget the Steve "Jigga" Jobs remix of "Bustin Download Caps in Dat Azz".
In stores Available at ITunes.com. -- A citizen of The United States of Amnesia. How quickly we forget. | |
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 KearnstdElf WizardPremium join:2002-01-22 Mullica Hill, NJ | Apple does need to make one important and major change. Make iTunes like steam and let people redownload their purchases at will. with steam for example someone can get a new PC or maybe only keep the games they have room for at the moment and then delete the local cache and download one of their others later on.
However id imagine the RIAA has something to do with it not working this way sincethe RIAA hates the customer. -- [65 Arcanist]Filan(High Elf) Zone: Broadband Reports | |
|  b10010011Whats a Posting tag? join:2004-09-07 Bellingham, WA | Apple, please don't do any favors for me I have been getting along just fine without you. | |
|  1 edit | Apps vs music, & "cloud". Ok, so, it looks like some of you folks need some accurate information...................
Paid apps are yours to download for life once you purchase. Free apps it's free so unlimited downloads. In either case if you accidentally delete the app completely from your device(s) and on itunes and it's no longer in the app store, then it's gone. This cloud feature would fix that.
Music however, you have to pay for each downloaded item, but after you download it is DRM free and can play on say, an AAC supported cell phone or media player. The cloud would fix the same issue as apps, but in this case the track would likely still be there to download again.
Also, as far as sharing AAC plus (DRM free) tracks:
Using tunes store app, purchase track or album.
Then, make sure it's both on your computer and your iPod by transferring purchases if it's purchased on the handheld device. This is found under the file menu on itunes "transfer purchases".
If you want to make an easy "backup", simply go to someone else's computer (who might like the same music as you?)...
Sign into itunes store on their copy of itunes on their computer..
Plug in your device...
Say no, you don't want to sync...
Under FILE in itunes, click "transfer purchases".
Then they can put it on their ipod too.... TADA! Music shared & backed up!
You can also do this with apps, ringtones, tv shows and movies (not sure about rentals).
It really is pretty flexible if you actually stop and think for 2 seconds.
It feels like a bunch of folks who never owned an iphone & possibly never an ipod are whining about the iTunes system. This issue they are trying to resolve is the one last big thing standing in the way of a fully reliable flexible music purchasing experience. I can't wait!!
- A -- LETS GO METS! | |
|  heat84Bit Torrent Apologist join:2004-03-11 Fort Lauderdale, FL | Cupertino Cage? Am I the only one who doesn't know what that is?  -- Bit Torrent is my DVR. | |
|  |  MikePremium,Mod join:2000-09-17 Pittsburgh, PA Host: W.O.W. FairPoint World of Warcraft Site Tools Verizon Wireless
| Re: Cupertino Cage? Apple is HQ'd in Cupertino.
Apple locks down everything they have and is one of the most secretive businesses on the planet.
Cage is a reference to the restrictions. -- "If something about the human body disgusts you, complain to the manufacturer" - Lenny Bruce What this country needs is a good five dollar plasma weapon. | |
|  |  |  heat84Bit Torrent Apologist join:2004-03-11 Fort Lauderdale, FL | Re: Cupertino Cage? said by Mike:Apple locks down everything they have and is one of the most secretive businesses on the planet. After what Bill Gates did, that's understandable. -- Bit Torrent is my DVR. | |
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