Blogging Ottinger (tim)Non-DRM works!
According to DbD, it looks like selling music without DRM works. We knew that when eMusic got so big. They move a lot of independent and long-tail stuff, all non-DRMed.
It bothers me when I see a review of an mp3 player (or worse, an ad) that lists DRM as a feature. I know that the innocent might see DRM and think it means “compatible with iTunes (and the like)” but of course that’s not necessarily so. One DRM isn’t necessarily compatible with another, and of course DRM adds cost to the development of players.
It’s encouraging when people get mad about DRM because it is a bad system for the consumer. Hopefully the vendors will learn that DRM is just a bad idea.
But now it looks like we have further evidence that not having DRM is a good idea, and that’s a move in the right direction. I hope the market chooses wisely.
Markets ALWAYS choose wisely, or at least more wisely than vested interests. Unfortunately, it’s often these interests that wind up controlling the descision-making process for their own short-term purposes rather than the long-term good of the market.
Comment by Kris Cook — 2007-June-26 @ 05:25
Agreed: the market chooses well, provided it has the ability to choose freely. Now, of course, the market will choose from among the options open to it, so controlling distribution or awareness of options or popularizing false perceptions of options can cause the market to make choices poorly. Hence FUD and the famous microsoft tax and Brittney Spears.
But what’s cool is that the market does not merely choose, it also drives the development of new choices and new categories of choice. Unless, that is, there is a stranglehold on innovation, some barrier to entry like the US patent system right now.
I like how the market will flow around obstructions. I fear it as well, because it means you can become irrelevant if you don’t keep up. It is a fickle place, running on convenience rather than loyalty. But it’s exciting.
Comment by Tim — 2007-June-27 @ 03:06