DRM Embittered XKCD
XKCD becomes embittered over the loss of his collection of files. Being greatly upset, he recommends avoiding all DRM-ed content, and draws a comic that suggest that you are better off to just steal to begin with than to have DRM recalled and break the law later trying to recover a collection you’ve already paid for.
If you buy DRMed stuff, it can be taken from you at any time. If you’re okay with that, then by all means go ahead and enjoy the material. Only accept DRM for something you are going to discard after a month or two anyway. You can save yourself a lot of disappointment and embitterment and stay on the right side of the law this way.
If you expect to keep the content you buy, then you must avoid DRM entirely. Use DRM-free content only if you expect to hold onto it and use it freely (time-shifting, format-shifting, device-shifting, etc). I use services like EMusic to get drm-free music. I don’t get the top-ten from the radio, but I keep finding new music to listen to.
There is more out there than ITunes and Audible and big-label stuff. Open your head, pour in something new.
