“The discussions at a music conference here Tuesday started with an all-around bashing of Apple CEO Steve Jobs before moving to the plethora of issues plaguing the music industry,” Greg Sandoval reports for CNET News.

Sandoval reports, “At the opening of the conference, some of the panel members lashed out at Jobs. Members said Jobs’ call three weeks ago for DRM-free music was ‘insincere’ and a ‘red herring.’”

“‘Imagine a world where every online store sells DRM-free music encoded in open licensable formats,’ Jobs wrote in a letter that rocked the music industry. ‘In such a world, any player can play music purchased from any store, and any store can sell music which is playable on all players. This is clearly the best alternative for consumers, and Apple would embrace it in a heartbeat.’ Jobs’ position was perceived by many in the music industry as a 180-degree shift in direction. The view expressed at the conference is that Apple has maintained a stranglehold on the digital music industry by locking up iTunes music with DRM,” Sandoval reports.

Sandoval reports, “Cohen told the audience that if Jobs was really sincere about doing away with DRM, he would soon release movies from Disney–the studio Jobs holds a major stake in–without any software protection. An Apple representative declined to comment on Tuesday on remarks made by the panel.”

Full article here.

[Thanks to MacDailyNews Reader "Chris" for the heads up.]
DRM does not work. It does not hinder pirates and it can potentially frustrate paying customers. Why the music cartel can’t see this simple fact is a testament to the blinding power of greed. As for DRM on films, it should and will go away; probably after it’s been proven that DRM-free drastically increases music sales.

When the dust settles, Steve Jobs will have saved the music industry, while changing it radically. Maybe the reason the music cartels aren’t thanking Jobs is that they see themselves quickly becoming redundant.

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