“In an open letter on the Apple website, Mr Jobs argues that the copy protection software used to protect digital music downloads from piracy has not worked,” Jonathan Fildes reports for BBC News.
Fildes reports, “In the letter he outlines a world where the record industry abandons so called Digital Rights Management (DRM) systems… ‘This is clearly the best alternative for consumers, and Apple would embrace it in a heartbeat,’ he wrote.”
Fildes reports, “Apple uses its own DRM system known as FairPlay, which means music downloaded from the iTunes store can be played only on iPods.”
MacDailyNews Take: No, it most certainly does not. Music downloaded from Apple’s iTunes store can be played on iPods, Macs and Windows PCs, certain Motorola phones and burned to a normal audio CD to be played in any CD player and/or ripped again into another format for any player in existence. iTunes Store customers do not even require an iPod at all. Of course, you can use an iPod without ever downloading a single bit from the iTunes Store, either. The Beeb and their awful, amateurish “reporters” strike again. Is Fildes Norwegian? How many years (eons) will it take for the Beeb (and others) to get basic facts about iPods and iTunes right?
Fildes continues, “Mr Jobs says FairPlay was imposed on it by the big four record companies: Universal, Sony BMG, Warner and EMI.”
“Apple makes most of its money from selling hardware like the iPod. It makes very little selling music through iTunes,” Fildes reports.
“But with Apple now such a big player in the digital music market, will Steve Jobs’ call for arms steamroller the industry’s plans and pave the way for a DRM-free future? Paul Jackson, principal analyst at Forrester Research, doesn’t think the main players are ready just yet. ‘The fact that we are starting to see crack appearing in this universal DRM motto means that we will start to see labels opting out,’ he said. ‘But I think it will be a long while before a big company like Sony Columbia comes round to thinking about DRM free content,'” Fildes reports.
Full article here.
[Thanks to MacDailyNews Reader “Karwa” for the heads up.]
MacDailyNews Note: Contact the BBC to complain (as we already have) here. Maybe this time they’ll correct their misinformation and use actual facts instead of fiction in future articles on this subject.
Related articles:
Enjoying Apple’s iTunes and iTunes Music Store without owning an iPod – May 11, 2005
Piper Jaffray: ‘less than a 25% chance’ music labels will heed Apple CEO Jobs’ call to drop DRM – February 07, 2007
Apple’s Jobs jolts music industry; Zune exec calls Jobs’ call for DRM-free music ‘irresponsible’ – February 07, 2007
Dvorak: Apple CEO Steve Jobs is dead right about DRM – February 07, 2007
Apple CEO Steve Jobs’ posts rare open letter: ‘Thoughts on Music’ – calls for DRM-free music – February 06, 2007
“You can’t handle the truth.” Col Jessup
I always liked that character.
They are starting to see crack (sic) appearing? They’re all on crack if you ask me. (the big 4 execs)
Stupid British twit.
More Brit windows FUD.
Music downloaded from Apple’s iTunes store can be played on iPods, Macs, Windows PCs, certain Motorola phones and burned to a normal audio CD to be played in any CD player and/or ripped again into another format for any player in existence. And soon it will be able to be played on AppleTVs and iPhones.
BBC reporters are, in the main, a bunch of useless prats.
He did get it wrong. However, like most journalists on this subject, really meant it is the only portable music player on which the tracks natively play.
Lazy and misleading.
I think you’re digging a little here. It is true that music downloaded from iTunes can ONLY be played on a digital player called the iPOD. You can’t play it on the zune, creative zen, or anything else unless you take extra monotonous steps to make it happen. I think they were focusing on the music player, not the CDs or the two worthless phones that Motorola made and that no one is using.
Can you please look at something kind of objectively even though you’re a mac focused site? Stop sucking Jobs’ dick and attacking everyone else who says something that, in this case, is true.
The Beeb has already been outed as MS tools. Their coverage of Apple has been hostile and their coverage of MS has been fawning.
http://www.theinquirer.net/default.aspx?article=37411
Really disappointing.
Shawn’s right.
The reporter was referring to digital music players.
I dont see anything wrong with the reporting. MDN should calm down a bit.
Shawn et al.
If the reporter was only referring to digital music players, then he should have written it as so.
False and misleading: “…Music downloaded from the iTunes store can be played only on iPods.”
MDN is correct to call the reporter and the BBC on this error.
John,
If you dont see anything wrong with the reporting, then you must have been educated in the US public school system.
I think that you’re missing the point. It’s simple to convert music files from iTunes into a DRM-free format that can play on any digital player, it only requires a few steps that take several minutes. If this is too complex for you to do, much less understand, you have my sympathy. Of course, you could also rip music from CD in the same fashion. If this is also too difficult for you, maybe you shoud consider getting some remedial educational.
This statement is false:
“Apple uses its own DRM system known as FairPlay, which means music downloaded from the iTunes store can be played only on iPods.”
To criticize MDN for correcting it with the facts is complete idiocy.
“Shawn’s right.
The reporter was referring to digital music players.”
We all know he’s right, but the fact remains that it’s lazy and partial truth reporting at best. They could have just as easily finished the sentence by saying only iPod music players but also CD players etc etc… but that would have taken the boogey man out of the story, and the media has shown consistent patterns of needing to have a boogey man to scare people and exaggerate a story (see Boston ‘bomb’ hoax story).
The scary part for me is listening to the media talk about technology, and how wrong they get it, make me wonder what the hell else they are screwing up.
MDN: “Is Fildes Norwegian?”
ROTFLMFAO!
I doubt if the man is a prat/twit nor lazy/stupid/ignorant or whatever.
For crying out loud get a grip. I hope nobody sends the guy an email, he’ll think Americans are nuts.
No wonder they think Mac heads are fanatics. Sweat the big stuff, not this.
It says a lot for the insecurity of some of the American posters on this site that, when something negative appears in the foreign media – no matter how inconsequential, that the insults based on race or nationality start flying around.
To prove that point, when Jonathan Ive CBE creates an industrial design masterpiece for Apple, I never see any posts saying British genius; presumably, because he lives in San Francisco, he’s be ‘adopted’ as an American because that saves anyone having to recognise a) where he studied his craft and b) where he earned his spurs.
As this appears to be a recurring problem on this site, I’m now going to start referring to all the ill-informed American commentators as “under-educated American lardass with no fashion sense” (useful for Dvorak) or “delusional Yank fuckwit with an overflated ego” (Enderle). I reserve the right to develop other variations for other commentators as I see fit.
You forgot to mention that iTunes-purchased songs can be streamed to home stereo via Airport Express’s AirTunes, streamed to a TV via Apple TV, and also will be playable on the iPhone.
Sent a nice email pointing out that iTunes music can be played on 5 computers(Macs or PC’s), unlimited number of iPods or burned to a CD and played in any CD player.
Left out any venom or bile, as would any reasonably intelligent human being who realizes it’s only a computer, OS or digital device-not a religion.
They have to fill a screen and time with talking and talking a lot of nonsense.. First Napster and now iTunes is not right anymore.
Face it, the guy is right, ITMS uses the same infamous abusive policies as MS has done for years. That is why even as a Mac user I will never buy any song from from ITMS.
He doesn’t blow it at all!
It’s the BBC’s policy to bash Apple at every opportunity.
“he’s be ‘adopted’ as an American because that saves anyone having to recognise a) where he studied his craft and b) where he earned his spurs.”
I thought Limeys wore spurs only in bed.