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Will Microsoft drop its DRM next?
There's an interesting take on Micosoft's response to the EMI/iTunes announcement over on Engadget. It looks like Microsoft, the perpetual "me too" guys, hint they will be trying to shake off the DRM they've spent the last ten years trying to flog to the music industry:
Microsoft's response, specifically regarding the Apple / EMI announcement:
"Consumers have indicated [having DRM free music] is important to them so Zune has been working with a variety of partners to head in this direction. [Emphasis ours {i.e. Engadget's}] This is a time of transition for the music industry and Microsoft is committed to striking a balance between delivering the best consumer experience while still protecting the rights of the content owners."
"Consumers have indicated [having DRM free music] is important to them so Zune has been working with a variety of partners to head in this direction. [Emphasis ours {i.e. Engadget's}] This is a time of transition for the music industry and Microsoft is committed to striking a balance between delivering the best consumer experience while still protecting the rights of the content owners."
We're not sure that taking rights management off the music will help the Zune player find a market - after all, if people are shunning it in favour of iPods which are locked-in to one store, if people can use an iPod to play Zune Music Store stuff in a no-DRM future, even exclusive offers from the Zune store won't drive sales of the Microsoft player.
2 comments:
Those few of us who have a Zune bought them because they're actually a nicer player. The screen's lovely, the sound and battery life are great, and as long as you steer clear of the Zune Marketplace, you don't encounter any DRM. I just like the player, I think it looks good and works well.
so MS claim to be interested in less DRM - this is AFTER shafting all the companies who signed up to the MS DRM system for Windows, and then creating a new and non-compatible DRM standard just for the Zune.
Regardless of how good the player might be, MS are getting spanked by the iTunes+iPod lock-in.
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