“So far as the yet very quiet forums are claiming, a new app called FairUse4WM can be used to strip Windows Media DRM 10 and 11 (i.e. PlaysForSure, but not WM DRM 9). Yes, yes, we know, we’ve heard this song and dance before. But before we proceed, let’s just be totally clear on how the system works: providers like Napster and Yahoo Music Unlimited provide subscription service for unlimited access to Windows Media DRMed files; stop paying the fee, stop getting access to the files — but you already knew all this. We tried FairUse4WM and we can verify that it quickly and easily stripped the DRM from our Napster To Go tracks, and made them freely available to play on our Mac (which, of course, has Flip4Mac installed). In other words, it’s a simple, apparently lossless, one-step method for making your files playable after you’re no longer paying fees on your subscription service,” Ryan Block reports for Engadget.
“Now watch as Microsoft shuts down the forums and runs damage control in order to prevent an digital media entire platform from collapsing,” Block writes. “P.S. – Here are some links to the app (no, we can’t verify their validity, and yes, we take absolutely zero accountability for what you may do with it): here, here, and here.”
Full article here.
Aw gee, that’s too bad, isn’t it? We have to wonder if one (or more) of Microsoft’s “partners” leaked a bit before they potentially get “Zuned.” DUCK, FLYING CHAIR!!!
That damn Karma is such a royal bitch.
And, all this just when Microsoft is getting ready to lay some big thick PlaysForSure-based Zune bricks, too. Tsk, tsk. At least the name finally fits: it actually will PlayForSure now. Coffin, Nail. Nail, Coffin.
Related articles:
Zune: Apple cannot lose. Microsoft cannot win. – July 26, 2006
In wake of Zune, Microsoft ‘partners’ consider abandoning PlaysForSure – July 25, 2006
Enderle: Microsoft’s ‘PlaysForSure’ going to be a long-term problem for Apple – January 09, 2006
Napster’s dirty little secret: changing subscription services into downloads is easy – February 18, 2005
Apple CEO Steve Jobs warns record industry of Napster To Go’s security gap – February 16, 2005
Users thwart Napster To Go’s copy protection; do the music labels realize the piracy potential? – February 15, 2005
Napster-To-Go’s ‘rental music’ DRM circumvented – February 14, 2005
Microsoft debuts ‘PlaysForSure’ logo to signify incompatiblity with Apple iPod, iTunes Music Store – October 15, 2004
AWESOME!
Now if only we could get the streaming media to be cracked, too.
WOOT!
Slight correction, Zune is not part of the Plays-For-Sure program. That is why Creative is mad enough at Microsoft to drop its lawsuit against Apple for $100 million and switch to making iPod accessories.
It’s probably a ploy by Microsoft to get people to buy Zune like crazy when it ships.
1. We ostensibly have DRM, so the music labels are happy.
2. We put out a “hack” onto teh interwebs to let users steal music by the truckload, for their new plasticky Zune.
3. We cry beleaguered, besieged, beset… and blame hackers.
4. We tout improvements coming in Vista that will fix the problem.
5. Repeat 2.
The Microsoft Business Plan: Release crap. Break it. Sell the Fix.
People will NOW have shitloads of music for their Zune.
What suspicious timing for the hack to be released.
Paranoid? This is Microsoft we are talking here, people.
I swallowed a bug
“1) Fire up XP via Boot Camp
2) FairUse4WM
3) “Subcribed to Napster or one of the others.
4) Download tons of music.
5) Cancel subscription (complete #4 before end of free trial)
6) Strip away DRM.
7) Convert files into AAC format.
8) Laugh a Ballmer…
“
And somehow this is GOOD news for Apple and iTunes?
“Apple doesn’t offer a subscription service, so iTunes Music Store content is not at risk in vast uncontrollable numbers like a Napster To Go, for example.”
Only they are at risk that fewer people will use it because they now have a much cheaper way of getting the same songs.
Lemme see, spend $15,000 filling up a 60GB iPod from iTunes or get a free trial from Napster and fill up the iPod that way…
Piracy,
For how long do you think the music labels will allow Napster et al to give all of “their” music away for free?
===
“Lemme see, spend $15,000 filling up a 60GB iPod from iTunes or get a free trial from Napster and fill up the iPod that way…”
===
This has always been a craven and specious argument.
1. Most people are using their existing already-paid-for CD collection to import the majority of their content from.
2. The user’s music collection grows based on their income, as it always has, from day one with records, tapes, CDs. Can’t afford more music? Work more. Stealing is stealing.
3. There is no “requirement” to have 15,000 songs. (This is like people buying SUVs even though they only need a Golf). They are external hard drives too, plus video players, all of which reduces the space available for music. So, the 15,000 song capacity number, (ironically) oft quoted as a NEGATIVE feature (by equating that to $15,000) is merely an upper limit; a guideline.
Buying new CD a month retail, for ten years costs $1,700 and that’s 21,528 songs. Import THAT.
Apple has no delusions that people will buy 100% of their music though iTunes, let alone to the capacity of their iPods.
$14.95 x 12mos x 10yrs = $1793 for 21,528 songs (if each CD has 12 songs)
And that’s just 120 CDs. Music lovers have 200, 300, 800 CD libraries sometimes.
Yes you can rip cheap used CDs or library-borrowed CD but I’m just using averages.
Most companies and their fanboys are jealous because the other players get to their touted capacities only by dumbing down the quality using 64Mbps WMA instead of the higher quality 128Mbps AAC that Apple iPods use.
4. Stealing music helps no one, least of all you, the so-called music lover. You’re only encouraging tighter restrictions.
I very much doubt the conspiracy theories suggesting that Microsoft leaked this exploit in order to provide an excuse to kill off ‘Plays for Sure’
They wouldn’t be so stupid as it reflects very poorly on Microsoft’s competence.
They can hardly expect to make anybody believe that although their Plays for Sure DRM was cracked and every version of Windows was insecure, the new Zune DRM will be totally secure.
Who would be stupid enough to believe them ( apart from Thurrott ) ?
Why has Jack Bauer suddenly signed up for 5 free Napster trial accounts?
I want to know where he got the plans for stripping MS DRM?
Get me those plans and get ME a napster account. I’ve got a new iPod that needs filling fast!
Hey 24 spaz…you aren’t funny, cute or entertaining. Keep it to yourself.
Now, let me get this straight.
You’re saying I can buy a Mac mini with an Intel chip, right?
I can add Windows via Boot Camp and run Windows, right?
Then, I can subscribe to Napster for only a month, and download about twenty gazillion songs to play on Windows Media Player on Windows which is running on my Mac.
OK so far.
After that, I need to get FairUse4WM which strips out the DRM lock on the recently downloaded thousand and thousands of Napster tunes, right?
At that point, I cancel my Napster subscription and all the music I downloaded can be played on either my Mac or Windows under Boot Camp, right?
That works for me.
Is this a great country or what?
well just take your DRM stripped WMA files, bring them into your mac, and burn an audio cd using Toast….voila! Not that I would even think about that………
Half of writing history is hiding the truth.
I like hiding the truth
No need to burn an audio CD using Toast and re-rip back into iTunes.
iTunes for Windows allows you to convert unprotected WMA files into AAC, so you can then pull them over to the Mac and load them straight into iTunes without the hassle of losing ID tag info or going Digital->Analog and then A->D again.
“This has always been a craven and specious argument.”
You miss my point. What’s new today is the ability to take those “Rented” songs from Napster and make them permanent, and transfer them to any player you want, iPod included.
Sure it’s stealing. I wouldn’t do it, but others clearly do.
“$14.95 x 12mos x 10yrs = $1793 for 21,528 songs (if each CD has 12 songs)”
Check your math.
12*10*12=1440. not 21528. Methinks you multiplied by an extra 14.95 in there somewhere.
You’re talking about buying about 15 CDs a month for $223.50/mo to get to those numbers. Over 10 years that’s $26,820
You may be right, people may still buy the 15 CDs/month. But a certain number will now steal that $26,820 worth of music rather than pay that amount of money.
Also as a side point, somewhat moot given your faulty math, 21528 songs you pick yourself are more “valuable” than buying 1794 CDs with a few good songs and a bunch of filler for the rest. To get to 21528 good songs you might need to buy 2-4 times that number of CDs.
“Most companies and their fanboys are jealous because the other players get to their touted capacities only by dumbing down the quality using 64Mbps WMA instead of the higher quality 128Mbps AAC that Apple iPods use.”
Personally I rip from CDs and use lossless AAC. That really increases file size and cuts player capacity. But lossy WMA or lossy AAC just sound like crap when played using an SP/DIF output from a computer to a good home system. They even sound like crap on a good car system played from an iPod. So a 60GB iPod’s capacity is closer to 1,800 songs if you prefer quality over capacity.
And despite arguing that people will download all that music, I am that dinosaur who actually buys all those CDs because the digital delivery alternatives today just can’t match the quality.
Um, did anyone else follow the links above and only get .exe files? so this program is worthless to mac users in OS X – now this article was a waste of time in my opnion! Why in the hell should I care if windows DRM got cracked if all it is, is a stupit .exe file!
Just to let ya know… iTunes songs can be stripped of their FairPlay DRM using Apple’s own software:
http://www.macosxhints.com/article.php?story=20060725200656470
Tedious? YES. Possible? ABSOLUTELY.
Hey hey Apples DRM was hacked yonks ago too remember. Ok you have to burn a CD then re rip it, more of a work around than a hack. And yeah ok no free trial but it still works. Or is this just about crushing Napster.
Kazman…
we have windows on mac now. It’s called the XP pluggin for OSX. You run it with bootcamp. if you have a newer mac that is.
Best method to undo the Fairplay copy protection seems to be
1: Get CD-RW
2: Set up a Smart Playlist with only DRMed songs
3: Setup multiple regular playists with numbered names and place 15 songs in each playlist from the Smart Playlist of DRMed songs.
4: Set iTunes prefs burn speed to match or less burn speed of cd-rw, set the import to 192kps MP3.
5: Burn playlist #1, click on cd-rw icon when appears on desktop, click on iTunes and the cd-rw will appear, import songs
6: Disk Utility Erase cd-rw, place playlist #1 in new “done” folder.
7: Repeat from step 5 for each playist.
8: Create smart playlist to match same songs that were formally drmed and play them through to make sure they are good.
No doubt this is being played throughout. The Microsoft servers are slow crawling to d/l WMP 11. Folks are going to slam this hard until MS fixes it.
I say it’s poetic justice for all the idiot experts who mouthpieced for MS, Napster and the like in stating subscriptions are the wave of the future and the best value for customers. Boy, have those words come back to bite them!