Filed under: Analysis / Opinion, Audio, iPod Family, Multimedia, iTunes
DMB encourages Windows users to bypass the DRM
For once, it's Mac users who are free to pop a shiny new CD into their computers without fear of it bringing down the entire system or becoming stuck in the optical drive. Windows users, however, are getting the shaft this time if they want to copy the Dave Matthews Band "Stand Up" CD to their iTunes Music Library and onto their iPod, due to the disc's copy protection which effectively locks it into Windows Media Player 9.0 and higher.Don't fret, though. DMB has posted a few tips to help PC users circumvent the restrictions. It's simple really... you just have to agree to an alternate End User License Agreement and burn a CD of the tracks from within Windows Media Player. Once you have this duplicate CD, you can rip the tracks from that CD into iTunes, much like Mac users often do to circumvent Protected AAC restrictions.
DMB stresses that they think Apple is really to blame for this inconvenience since iTunes and the iPod aren't compatible with WMA or protected CDs. They say "Please note an easier and more acceptable solution requires cooperation from Apple, who we have already reached out to in hopes of addressing this issue. To help speed this effort, we ask that you use the following link to contact Apple and ask them to provide a solution that would easily allow you to move content from protected CDs into iTunes or onto your iPod rather than having to go through the additional steps above. http://www.apple.com/feedback/ipod.html."
I'm not as anti-DRM as C.K. is, but I'll stick to blaming the record companies and the artists (although mostly the record companies I think) for restricting their CDs to begin with. If I've bought a physical CD I should have the right to play it in whatever format suits me without jumping through hoops to do so.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
Pete said 11:38AM on 8-17-2005
If you want to to upload DMB's new album to iTunes or your iPod, why not just buy it from iTMS? They have the full album, liner notes, and (a lame) video. Plus, it's cheaper than buying the actual CD. You may not be getting the best audio quality but if your uploading it to your computer or iPod, you're probably compressing it anyway.
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DC said 11:42AM on 8-17-2005
The DRMed CDs will not last. CDs that only come with Microsoft Windows Media formatted music files are a joke because Mac, Linux, & older versions of windows are not supported. CDs on the other hand are great because if you rip the songs in MP3 format for your ipod now, then 5 years from now you want to re-rip them in another format for another player, or a newer higher quality format, you have that option too.
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Brian said 11:43AM on 8-17-2005
Nothing like putting DRM on a cd...and then instructing your buyers how to break it.
Self Defeating much?
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narco said 11:43AM on 8-17-2005
Yeah, this is complete crap. I can't believe the Dave Matthew's Band would stand there and blame Apple even though they're not the ones who put the DRM on the CD in the first place. I think Mr. Matthews has had a few too many joints and naked dances around the camp fire while listening to old Steppenwolf LP's.
As if I needed another reason to hate the DMB -- more like DuMB.
Fishes,
narco.
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Al said 11:56AM on 8-17-2005
Agreed. Why not blame the group that DRM'd the CD in the first place, not the industry leader in digital music distribution...
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Derek said 4:30PM on 8-17-2005
Does anyone find it odd that Microsoft is the only one that has this feature right away? My guess is that somebody in a large software company wants a huge payoff for allowing others to use their DRM scheme...
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Reefdog said 12:11PM on 8-17-2005
Wow. The stupidity of protecting your CDs when you've clearly got no problem with your customers ripping them just boggles my mind.
Yet another reason why I haven't respected DMB since they scrapped The Lillywhite Sessions.
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Michael Ducker said 12:17PM on 8-17-2005
My email to apple through that page:
"Recently, several record companies have again come out and blamed "Apple" for the incompatibilities of their new DRM'd CDs and iTunes. This is blatantly incorrect logic, and I wanted to let Apple know, that as a consumer, I see through it. Please, please, continue to NOT support the record companies attempts to lock in physical cd music to a microsoft, or any DRM'ed standard.
It is ridiculous that when the record company breaks compatibility, that the technology company gets blamed for it. You make an excellent product and solution for music, and aiding and abetting the record companies in their plan to restrict and harm consumers can only do the technology industry harm. The record industry needs to know that consumers, and the companies that make the technology to play their content (where would they be without sony, apple, cd players etc), have control over how we play content.
Thank you"
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PeterO said 1:40PM on 8-17-2005
When I buy a loaf of bread, am I restricted to which toaster I can use??? Man-oh-man-oh-man...
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Brian said 1:48PM on 8-17-2005
Now can we mobilize Apple fans to send emails to DMB (fanmail@davematthewsband.com according to the website) and remind them they're the dumbasses for allowing their fans, who are some of the most fanatical around, to be treated like criminals for supporting them? Well, I will anyway.
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PeterO said 2:00PM on 8-17-2005
Brian, count me in. Cheers.
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Chris said 2:34PM on 8-17-2005
Doesn't tactics like this just make you want to steal music from a P2P network? There is a reason why the crime of stealing music is much more tolerated then say, robbing a bank.
I really hate the record companies.
If there were a way to steal the music from a P2P then paypal the artist I would.
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kirk said 3:05PM on 8-17-2005
If DRM is here to stay on the CDs themselves, what the record companies could do is have a URL and redemption code to download a copy of the album either from iTMS or in WMA for no additional charge.
It would be a drag to have to go online to activate the online download but it beats the current "solution". Of course, Microsoft wouldn't like it since most iPod owners would get the songs from iTMS.
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Chris K said 4:46PM on 8-17-2005
I guesss I'll just download this album off P2P, instead. No way am I buying an album with DRM on the CD, and I don't buy tracks online, either.
Of course, DMB concert recordings are usually much better than the studio albums...
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Nate MC said 6:06PM on 8-17-2005
I believe that DMB is mad at apple because they won't let them make protected aac files to add to their disc in addition to the WMA files.
Apple likes their little monopoly for DRMed iPod tunes, and they don't want to let go of the strangle hold. In a free market companies should be allowed to compete on the same level, Apple hasn't show anything "Fair" in FairPlay, HA! +1 pun point!
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paul said 7:14PM on 8-17-2005
Here's an idea: How about if Dave Matthews "reaches out" to his recording company and tells them "If you use DRM, we're moving to another label"? I'm so sick of musicians and bands blaming everyone but themselves for their own lack of effort.
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David said 9:00PM on 8-17-2005
When the recording industry first licensed Apple to sell a small part of its music catalog at .99 with the restrictions of a small number of authorized computers and playlist burns I have no question that they expected Apple to fail. I am certain the industry intended to use the failure as proof that a fee based digital delivery system wasn't feasible. I am equally certain that the industry intended, in the unlikely event of success, to take the business away from Apple one way or another.
Apple had a vision, it took a huge risk, and the result was a huge success. The monopoly, as Nate MC, provides a nice synergy which does more then let Apple maximize its profits. It provides for a seamless interplay between hardware and software. There's a reason why critics scoffingly refer to Microsoft's "Plays for Sure" as "Plays for Maybe". Microsoft doesn't control the entire process - its the same reason that the Macintosh experience is superior to the Windows experience.
Be that as it may, I've lived through 45s, LPs, 8 Tracks, CDs, MP3s, and so on. I know the day will come, at some point, when my iTunes music won't be compatible with modern audio technology. I buy CDs right now to maximize my chances of not having to buy my music again. Once you've bought 3 copies of the Beatles White Album you start thinking ahead.
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Steve said 9:19PM on 8-17-2005
I, like David, have bought three copies of the White Album (8 track, Album, and CD) and I too like having the CDs so that I can avoid such expenditures in the future. However, I have stopped buying CDs. The price is ridiculous, I can get more bang for my buck by buying online and compiling my own CDs. This also means I have them in two formats (electronic and on CD). Record companies need to realize that the CD is a fading technology and copy protecting it is just going to hasten its demise. I won't buy them.
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Dave said 10:48PM on 8-17-2005
As soon as the DMB does something worth buying, I'll take their 'comments' towards Apple remotely seriously.
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Mike said 1:43AM on 8-18-2005
I think the commenters are right here - this is the label's fault, not Apple's.
Furthermore, the reason this works fine on a Mac is because we don't have the Windows implementation of Autoplay. I would assume that if you hold the Shift key down while popping that DMB disc in, Windows won't give you that DRM WMA crap and let you rip the CD properly in iTunes if you wish.
Haven't tested it, since I'm not in the market for a DMB CD...
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