Last month, I ventured to say that DRM was dying, and dying quickly. It seemed like a decent call at the time – Apple was getting its teeth kicked in by Amazon’s DRM-free downloads, so it threw in the towel and decided to follow Amazon’s lead. Collectively, the two own the vast majority of online MP3 sales. It wouldn’t seem to be a great leap to assume that other online music retailers, unable to compete on market share or openness, would have to fold and ditch DRM, and actually start selling songs to people, instead of renting out a suite of restrictive permissions.
The thing is, all of that assumes that America’s captains of industry actually know what they’re doing and/or are interested in making money. So, apologies for the mistaken assumptions.
Every Christmas, I’m the happy recipient of an FYE gift card. This year, after the thing sat on my desk for a month, terrifying all who walked past (it’s some horrifying Batman/Joker deal), I figured I’d save myself a trip to Everett and just download some songs.
And my fault for not reading FYE.com‘s Draconian EULA. Usually, the things are all, “Do you promise not to ravage our technology like a Somali pirate?” Instead, this thing said something like, “Give us your money for these digital music files which shall be totally and completely useless to you the moment they hit your desktop and hahahahaha we just stole $20 from you hahahahaha.” (I’m paraphrasing there.)
It should go without saying that, after several hours spent opening up Windows Media Player, using it to burn my all-but-worthless DRM’d WMA files, then ripping the CD’s with iTunes, just so I can listen to Ray LaMontagne on the T, that these dudes have seen the last of my filthy lucre. Which is the point of running a business, right? To make commerce as difficult and unpleasant as possible?
And next January, I’ll see you in Everett. Assuming you can still buy a CD without signing your life away, that is.
[image via]