News | Technology
30 Mar 2024 2:34
NZCity News
NZCity CalculatorReturn to NZCity

  • Start Page
  • Personalise
  • Sport
  • Weather
  • Finance
  • Shopping
  • Jobs
  • Horoscopes
  • Lotto Results
  • Photo Gallery
  • Site Gallery
  • TVNow
  • Dating
  • SearchNZ
  • NZSearch
  • Crime.co.nz
  • RugbyLeague
  • Make Home
  • About NZCity
  • Contact NZCity
  • Your Privacy
  • Advertising
  • Login
  • Join for Free

  •   Home > News > Technology

    Apple's Steve Jobs tells Music Industry drop DRM

    "It doesn’t work and may never work."


    Steve Jobs
    Steve Jobs
    In a message posted on the Apple website, entitled “Thoughts on Music”, Steve Jobs, the CEO of Apple, has urged consumers unhappy with DRM to lobby the big four music companies, Universal, EMI, Sony BMG, and Warner to eliminate DRM for music downloads. He says DRM has never worked and may never work to stop music piracy.

    At present, most digital downloads from music download sites such as Apples iTunes are copy protected with DRM (Digital Rights Management) software so that they cannot be played back on other manufacturers equipment.

    The situation is becoming increasingly of concern to consumers as Apple’s competitors enter the music and video player market. Microsoft, for example, has its Zune player and their own online music store. Most large download sites have their own proprietary DRM systems that are incompatible with those of other competitors.

    Even much of the content purchased in physical stores, such as DVD’s and Video Games is DRM protected. The new Blu-Ray and HD-DVD disks are incompatible with the other’s players and systems. So not only can you not play content for one system on another, in the future, if DRM becomes the norm, some movies or music may be only available for a particular manufacturers system, and you may need multiple sets of hardware to play the item.

    Already, there is talk Apple has done an exclusive deal for a three month period to release the Beatles content on Apple’s iTunes only. If true, Zune buyers and others might be out of luck.

    Job’s says that effectively Apple has no choice but to impose DRM on its users, and that the restrictions are mandated by the music and movie industries.

    Jobs says Apple would embrace a DRM free world where, “any player can play music purchased from any store, and any store can sell music which is playable on all players “, in a heartbeat”.

    He also points out the apparent hypocrisy of the music industry in targeting the download market for special restrictions, while he says 90% of all music is sold DRM free anyway. He says last year less than 2 billion songs were sold online with DRM protection, while more than 20 billion were sold on CD completely unprotected.

    Apple has been under increasing attack in Europe over its Fairplay digital rights system which officials say may unfairly lock people into using only Apple products. Many want Apple to licence its system to other manufacturers so they also can offer playback of Fairplay encoded songs.

    Job’s position is that Apple is between a rock and a hard place with licencing its DRM technology. He says that inherently, DRM relies on secrecy to work, and that the past has shown that licencing this type of technology to numerous companies around the world will inevitably result in key secrets being disclosed sooner or later.

    If that happened it would be disastrous for Apple. Apple has strict contracts with the music companies which state that if the Apple DRM system is hacked or compromised allowing anyone to freely copy iTunes songs, and Apple does not fix the problem quickly, Apple will lose its rights to sell the music.

    The full text of Jobs thoughts can be found here: http://www.apple.com/hotnews/thoughtsonmusic/

    © 2024 NZCity

     Other Technology News
     18 Mar: How Vegemite can help break down your old computers, phones and TV sets
     14 Mar: A high-tech upgrade for a ferry service plying a Fiordland lake
     02 Mar: Elon Musk sues ChatGPT maker OpenAI, CEO Sam Altman for allegedly 'perverting' mission for profit
     01 Mar: NASA's asteroid-smashing DART mission 'completely reshaped' its target Dimorphos, scientists say
     03 Feb: Ignoring work calls and emails after hours could soon become a legal right in Australia as political momentum grows to ensure people can unplug and unwind
     10 Jan: Conversation is Key: Kiwi women favour chat skills in online dating, survey shows
     02 Jan: More and more drug users and dealers are taking to social media to buy illegal substances
     Top Stories

    RUGBY RUGBY
    The Chiefs are backing young first-five Josh Jacomb to step up in tonight's Super Rugby clash against the Crusaders in Christchurch More...


    BUSINESS BUSINESS
    New Zealand Food Safety is supporting Matakana Smokehouse in its recall of a specific batch of two of its salmon products because of the possible presence of Listeria More...



     Today's News

    Rugby League:
    NRL Good Friday: Bulldogs take on desperate Rabbitohs, Broncos renew rivalry with Cowboys 23:07

    Law and Order:
    Gisborne Police have charged three people with graffiti vandalism and have identified a fourth suspect after the city's rainbow crossing was defaced with white paint earlier this week 21:57

    Entertainment:
    Heidi Klum would've "loved" a role in 'Griselda' 21:53

    Law and Order:
    Police have left the scene of a party that erupted into a disturbance on Auckland's Princes Wharf 21:37

    Entertainment:
    Tom Schwartz "made out" with Scheana Shay 12 years ago 21:23

    Entertainment:
    Mel B vowed she would never marry again following her split from Stephen Belafonte 20:53

    Entertainment:
    Eva Mendes has branded her mum "incredible" for retaining her sense of humour during her battle with cancer 20:23

    Entertainment:
    Katie Maloney doesn't "hang out" with her 'Vanderpump Rules' co-stars 19:53

    Entertainment:
    Jessica Chastain found it "difficult" to film 'Mothers' Instinct' with her showbiz pal Anne Hathaway 19:23

    Rugby:
    The Chiefs are backing young first-five Josh Jacomb to step up in tonight's Super Rugby clash against the Crusaders in Christchurch 18:57


     News Search






    Power Search


    © 2024 New Zealand City Ltd