“Yet another major purveyor of copy-protected media has alerted the customers that purchased downloads from it that it’s shutting down its DRM servers, thereby crippling the stuff those customers bought. This time it’s Walmart.com and it joins Google, Microsoft, and Yahoo in what’s becoming a really predictable tradition of handling the situation poorly,” Harry McCracken reports for Technologizer.
“Wal-Mart… sent a e-mail to purchasers of its earlier downloads wrapped in Microsoft DRM advising them that it will shut down the DRM server as of October 9th. Once it’s done that, the tunes can no longer be transferred to new computers or devices; Wal-Mart suggests that customers burn CDs to prevent the music from becoming unusable, long-term,” McCracken reports.
“What it apparently isn’t planning to do is give those “buyers” their money back for the songs they ‘purchased.’ Google, Microsoft, and Yahoo all ended up having to do better by their customers than they originally intended; I hope that Wal-Mart, too, will issue refunds or credits,” McCracken reports.
Full article here.
Good article on the difference here: http://www.stereophile.com/features/308mp3cd/index.html
Actually, that would not work, unless Apple had a way to verify that the protected WMA files actually belonged to person wanting to convert to iTunes Store songs.<i>
Fly Steve Jobs to Bentonville, and have him offer to take over the DRM operations, on the spot, completely free of charge to WM. WM can even have the server farm back after the transition.
As WM is all about saving a buck, I doubt they could resist this.
Once the DRM info is in Apple’s hands, <i>then offer the users the chance to switch. Even extend the deadline a little, 11 days is a bit draconian.
try this again:
Actually, that would not work, unless Apple had a way to verify that the protected WMA files actually belonged to person wanting to convert to iTunes Store songs.
Fly Steve Jobs to Bentonville, and have him offer to take over the DRM operations, on the spot, completely free of charge to WM. WM can even have the server farm back after the transition.
As WM is all about saving a buck, I doubt they could resist this.
Once the DRM info is in Apple’s hands, then offer the users the chance to switch. Even extend the deadline a little, 11 days is a bit draconian.
This only really affects about three people, right?
CMB
That’s if you count that one guy in Canada who bought a red zune.
Do what i do.
Buy the physical Cd from half.com or ebay for fraction of cost. Rip. Burn. Then sell back to someone on those sites
I also have bought someone’s entire cd collection on those black binders on ebay. Took me a few weeks sometimes to rip them all. When done, i sell the collection back on ebay. i usually get all my money back sometimes even more.
What! No bloodbath comments? What’s wrong with you people?
What a shaft job. This is a big lesson for the consumer. I hope the message gets even further out.
LOL
Microsoft planed this from the beginning. They wanted to get rid of the DRM and now record companies are forced to sell music without the DRM because Microsoft demonstrated that the DRM won´t work
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DRM magic word: clearly
WTF? How did that raspberry end up there? It should be ; and P?
Funny
Tiger,
Please see related article:
More blood on Apple iTunes Store’s play button: Wal-Mart pulls plug on movie download store – December 27, 2007
And since all of this stuff runs exclusively on Windows who’s actually behind all of this…? You guessed it. For all of the bitching and moaning about Apple’s DRM, at least they have a system where the customer doesn’t get stiffed, even if iTMS goes belly-up.
Of course Wal-mart has to assume responsibility for listening to the MS minion-partners in the first place – but there you have it.
It’s happening again! How many times to people have to be ripped off by these goofy DRM schemes before they finally see the light. Several years ago I bought several songs with DRM. The rest of my music is ripped from the CD’s I purchase. Then I bought a new computer. I will give you one guess which songs I was not able to get onto my new computer. Thankfully they represent less than $10 worth of music. That’s why I still buy CD’s. I like having physical ownership of something. That is also why cloud computing makes me nervous.
Another reason not to rent music!
SUE SUE SUE and SUE.
I love the DRM.