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Wal-Mart Gives Number 1 Reason Why DRM Isn't The Answer

readwriteweb.com — The music industry is struggling to gain a foot-hold in the battle with online piracy. The options available for music lovers to grow their music collection digitally is tremendous and free. So much so that music companies and publishers have struck up agreements with some of biggest names offering digital music: iTunes, Last.FM., Amazon & Wallmart

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  • kwilms, on 09/28/2008, -20/+14Whoa! Walmart is shutting down its music store servers, meaning all the copy-protected music will go dark unless the customers burn it to CDs.
    • conversekid, on 09/28/2008, -1/+46That's called transcoding, and it's a crime against sound :(
    • kenij, on 09/28/2008, -2/+18kwilms: You shall go down in the Internet Hall of Fame for your truly amazing insight. Thank you good sir.
    • OneLess, on 09/28/2008, -1/+12Spoiler alert!
    • RaulMuadDib, on 09/28/2008, -1/+9Captain Obvious to the rescue!!
    • sancho, on 09/28/2008, -1/+3It doesn't exactly go dark. You get to keep it for as long as you keep your computer. Not everyone reinstalls or buys a new computer at the same time. This means that the fallout will be staggered, and there likely won't be massive customer service issues (until maybe Christmas, when people get new laptops.)
    • pmgauthier, on 09/28/2008, -0/+1sancho: Christmas will provide massive customer service issues? Sounds more like a clustered fallout than staggered.
  • itseze, on 09/28/2008, -7/+49Good thing I get my music for free... I don't think Wal-Mart has enough cd-r's for me to burn my whole collection!
    • conversekid, on 09/28/2008, -33/+4Unless they're lossless, you're an idiot :(
      • snds, on 09/28/2008, -3/+41Not everyone has a need for large lossless audio files (that work in only a few digital audio players and software) unless you are an absurdly specific and astute audiophile. I can tell when a file has been compressed at 256kbps, but that does not mean anyone else will. People aren't idiots for having mp3s or other compressed formats so long as that music is enjoyable to them. Get off your high horse.
      • pHreaksYcle, on 09/28/2008, -2/+4Kinda like the HDTV argument. If you've never WATCHED HD you will be just ***** fine with standard. :)
      • bagboyrebel, on 09/29/2008, -2/+1sorry, I like having hard drive space.
    • jerrycurley, on 09/28/2008, -5/+20you are a rebel! So cool!!!!
    • DigitalBrian, on 09/29/2008, -7/+2Hi my name is John and I work with the RIAA, we will be sending you a letter ROFLMAO
  • kangy3213, on 09/28/2008, -12/+0oh ***** walmart
  • conversekid, on 09/28/2008, -6/+65This is why you don't buy music online.
    • rittz, on 09/28/2008, -3/+32Nothing beats owning the actual cd/vinyl :)
      • Briandrews15, on 09/28/2008, -7/+1what about possessing a clone with pictures?
      • collution, on 09/28/2008, -2/+13I agree about the vinyl part, but I hope i'm not the only one who hates buying cd's with 2 good songs and a bunch of trash on them :/.
      • Overcyn, on 09/28/2008, -3/+7vinyl != better songs
      • pHreaksYcle, on 09/28/2008, -6/+4Wrong. Vinyl=better time=better songs.
      • ProfessorRiffs, on 09/28/2008, -1/+8Better time? Vinyls are still being made.
      • pHreaksYcle, on 09/29/2008, -0/+1I was doing so well...+6, then ur bitch ass came along! Vinyls represent older songs, like it or not...
    • collution, on 09/28/2008, -1/+10Not really...

      Beatport (& Network Sites), Emusic, Amazon have DRM free music... I'm sure there are many more providers but pretty much i've managed pretty well, avoiding DRM online. I especially like Beatport over them all cause' they sell lossless formats like wav which is a nice step above the others. However they don't sell much but electronic music. The others though serve me pretty well for everything else.
    • roebeet, on 09/28/2008, -1/+11Online music sales are fine, as long as they are DRM-free and lossless.....
      • MScrip, on 09/29/2008, -0/+12Amazon's 256k MP3s are good enough for me.

        Hey, they're 89 cents.. what do you expect?
      • roebeet, on 09/29/2008, -2/+3I expect lossless - sorry, but that's just me. MP3 won't be around forever - I'd like my codec to be easily transcoded without quality loss, in the future.

        I also wish the DAP companies out there could decide on a standard lossless codec (other than WAV). The way, companies like Amazon are actually motivated to offer a lossless format, with their digital downloads.
      • kodek, on 09/29/2008, -0/+4roebeet is right. This isn't just for listening. This is a purchase you've made. The best version you have is going to be the one you get from their servers, and if it isn't lossless, it means that every time you'll encode it afterward, you'll lose quality.

        Besides, CDs are lossless. Why should we pay more for less quality?
      • MScrip, on 09/29/2008, -0/+1Won't MP3s be playable in the future? MP3 has become the defacto digital standard. We've gone from records, 8-tracks, cassettes and CDs on the physical side. And on the digital side, there was MP3. I'm not ruling out a future format... but MP3 has been pretty popular for the last 10 years. And I don't see future devices NOT playing an MP3.

        I'm with you... I'd love to buy songs in a lossless format. But, I also love buying tracks for 89 cents, now, even though they are MP3.

        Yes, CDs are lossless. But for most people, they like the convenience of buying a single digital track over the internet. I haven't bought a CD in years. I like Amazon MP3. Am I stupid?
    • ElectricKetchup, on 09/29/2008, -0/+2Correction: This is why you don't buy DRM music online.

      Buying music online has advantages:
      Less environmental impact
      Cheaper Product
      Quicker Delivery
      Usually Cheaper (sometimes it isn't, which is weird)
  • pancak3s, on 09/28/2008, -4/+13iTunes, Last.FM., Amazon & Wallmart, eh?
    • soban, on 09/28/2008, -4/+3Canadian eh?
    • Palaceguard, on 09/29/2008, -6/+1You own the music on iTunes.
      • bdbr, on 09/29/2008, -0/+7You don't own ***** on iTunes, unless you happen to buy some of the very small percentage that is non-DRMed (iTunes Plus). Take a look at the Terms of Service that you have to agree to when you sign up - they can change or cancel service at any time (just like Wal-Mart did).
  • haywiremonkey, on 09/28/2008, -0/+29It's obviously because Wal-Mart is worried about the unfair contracts with those who put the direct labor into the music (the artists). They just can't bring themselves to support a system where those high up in the system make excessive profits at the cost of the worker.
    • haywiremonkey, on 09/28/2008, -0/+16As a side note, I have friends that would purchase a song twice on itunes because they reached the DRM share limit. It's ***** pathetic. If you buy a song, you should actually own it.
      • jerrycurley, on 09/28/2008, -4/+5You should get what you agree on when you pay the price to buy it. Just because you think that 99 cents is a fair price to completely own a song does not make it necessaqrily true.
      • haywiremonkey, on 09/28/2008, -1/+2Well incidentally when you buy a cd, you have the power to copy any of the tracks on the album. Although you are buying in bulk (track-wise) you realize that benefit by having a price-per-track lower than $.99

        It doesn't make sense to change the entire system of music distribution when you buy 1 song as opposed to ~10. Obviously they have the power to rape the consumer like this, but it doesn't "necessaqrily" make it right or logical.
      • Overcyn, on 09/28/2008, -0/+4@haywiremonkey

        exaggerating only makes your argument weaker. They do not have "the power to rape the consumer". Music is not a basic necessity (food, water, gasoline). online stores are not the only place you can purchase music. the consumer gets raped only by choice.

        So it really makes little sense to criticize the way they sell music. If you dont like it. dont buy it. its not something to get angry over.
    • tRANIS, on 09/28/2008, -2/+5Um I seriously doubt it has anything to do with Walmart's sympathy. It has to do with money plain and simple.
      • Overcyn, on 09/28/2008, -0/+4he was being sarcastic (i think). referring to how walmart exploits their own workers.
    • EssPii, on 09/28/2008, -2/+3"They just can't bring themselves to support a system where those high up in the system make excessive profits at the cost of the worker."

      Uhh what? Isn't that Walmart's current business plan to a T?
    • ProfessorRiffs, on 09/28/2008, -0/+6The people in this thread lose at the game of sarcasm.
  • Duckie502, on 09/28/2008, -10/+2Wal-mart had an online music store? What is wrong with people just use FrostWire.
    • insinuate, on 09/28/2008, -3/+11Had to google that, sounded too close to Limewire...but yeah just say BitTorrent next time. uTorrent ftw.
      • bejayel, on 09/28/2008, -1/+4Frostwire isnt bittorrent. It is a free alternative to limewire. I believe it was derived from limewire at some point.
      • scarwars, on 09/28/2008, -6/+1"Frostwire isnt bittorrent. It is a free alternative to limewire."
        just download the cracked limewire pro
      • Darkaged, on 09/28/2008, -4/+3"just download the cracked limewire pro"
        I like how that works.
      • bagboyrebel, on 09/29/2008, -0/+1frostwire is limewire pro without the hassle of pirating it.
  • matthias00, on 09/28/2008, -0/+12At least they're doing it because they're switching to DRM-free music sales. Still, their method of compensating those that purchased their DRM'd songs is lacking. If those songs had DRM, then it would have been pretty easy to prove that you have a copy of that song, which should have let you download a DRM-free copy. Oh well.
    • RaulMuadDib, on 09/28/2008, -2/+2Why don't they just allow people to download the DRM Free ones?
      • robzthird, on 09/29/2008, -0/+5Isn't that exactly what he just said?
  • slundal, on 09/28/2008, -7/+21***** RIAA!
  • wilf_brim, on 09/28/2008, -1/+41OK, for the last time. Please write this down:
    You do not buy digitally restricted media, either audio or video. You only rent it. Your ability to do anything with it, at any point can be either modified or revoked. And yes, this includes FairPlay.
  • bejayel, on 09/28/2008, -7/+10Burried. This is the exact same as yesterdays story. I thought i was going to read an actual walmart statement about why DRM sucks.
  • insinuate, on 09/28/2008, -2/+28I just can't wrap my head around why people still purchase DRM music...because you're basically paying money to rent a song...and record companies wonder why there are so many pirates. Argh!!! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZLsJyfN0ICU
    • Aorawn, on 09/28/2008, -3/+1The Russians are after me.
    • Overcyn, on 09/28/2008, -0/+6"youre basically paying money to rent a song."

      some people are okay with that. like going to blockbuster and renting a movie, not everyone feels the need to own the music they listen to.
      • ProfessorRiffs, on 09/28/2008, -1/+1You don't rent a movie for the same price you purchase it at.
      • Overcyn, on 09/29/2008, -0/+3there are many pay per month music subscriptions services which could be considered cheaper than purchasing
  • trixterii, on 09/28/2008, -10/+1http://www.spiralfrog.com
  • Cycline3, on 09/28/2008, -1/+6If I buy online I only use iTunes Plus - it's higher quality files and DRM free - so it plays anywhere without any DRM issues.
  • solidwhetstone, on 09/28/2008, -1/+11Could Walmart possibly develop a tool that would remove their DRM from the audio files? Maybe I'm dumb and don't know what is possible, but that seems like a possible solution.
  • Mustard911, on 09/28/2008, -17/+2OMG the World Economy is dying because of Zionist at the helm of Western Society and we are talking about Walmart not wanting DRM in mp3s.

    Wake Up SCARED PEOPLE.
    • jerrycurley, on 09/28/2008, -0/+9wow...your life sucks. You may want to LIVE your life and not have it be so worthless.
  • ThiefAnders, on 09/28/2008, -1/+9To be honest, if you've ever bought music from Wal-Mart in the first place, you deserve this to happen to you...Not a whole lot of good music at Wal Mart, save the absolute classics (i.e. Floyd, Rush).
  • gfunk84, on 09/28/2008, -1/+18Why doesn't Wal-Mart just allow anyone who purchased the DRM version to download the DRM-free version from their store?
    • pHreaksYcle, on 09/28/2008, -5/+3As soulja boy would say,

      "Jewwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww!"
    • thedragon4453, on 09/28/2008, -1/+6Won't the computers get tired from copying all that?
  • Makave22, on 09/28/2008, -1/+4I wonder how the hell is the RIAA is going to manage to put a stop on all the music that is out there,, leaking on the internet ? When you got Pirates, people selling bootleg CDs & DVD, torrents file, youtube, google,....ahhh ***** them! the odd are against them and they know it! And they want to pass laws onto to congress that prohibits file shares and make more laws on stricter laws on copyright materials. ***** THE RIAA!
  • benitojuarez, on 09/28/2008, -2/+5I got a zunepass, I use an application that plays the drmed file records the stream and dumps it into a fresh mp3 ogg whatever without drm. I know its wrong but after I BOUGHT The bucketheads All in the mind and they decided not to offer it anymore they decided to revoke my rights to listen to it and it took 30 minutes on the phone with zune support to get my points refunded. Yes this was a purchase that was made before I signed up for a zunepass that was revoked about 5 months after I bought it. So ***** em. I'll pay my 15 a month, leech all I want, undrm them and delete the drmed files.
  • AgincourtDB, on 09/28/2008, -3/+2Not that I like DRM or Walmart, but you can burn those songs to disc and then reimport them via any CD-ripping tool. One of the many reasons why DRM is pointless; it's easily defeated. Nobody need lose any music. Buy a 50-pack of cheap cd-rs. Given the difference in price between retail and d/l albums, you still come out way ahead.
    • roebeet, on 09/28/2008, -2/+2Transoding lossy files = major quality loss. It's not a solution.
  • RgyaGramShad, on 09/28/2008, -3/+1*cough*requiem*cough*
    Oh sorry, I really need to get that cough checked out.
    What I meant to say is that you could always use requiem to remove the DRM from your iTunes songs, if that was legal.
    Too bad it isn't.

    *cough* http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/FairPlay#Requiem *cough*
  • retral, on 09/28/2008, -1/+5As always, they'll blame this failure of epic proportions on piracy.
  • MassiveTaTas, on 09/28/2008, -0/+3Whale-Mart - I told you so!
  • Aorawn, on 09/28/2008, -0/+3Buried as lame, a full transcript of the announcement will reveal that they are shutting down the DRM servers because they are switching to a completely DRM-free music store. Yes, there should be compensation, but this isn't nearly as big of news as this story makes it out to be.
  • cmoose, on 09/28/2008, -0/+10This is scary. If thepiratebay gets shut down, will all my music stop working?
  • jagoo, on 09/28/2008, -2/+0I just dont understand why all this with DRM people will still do what they wait and share music if they wont, not like DRM will prevent anyone from doing so. They are just wasting money on it, instead of wasting it like that they should remove DRM and lower prices, it would give them much more profit. This way people will still share or buy music from russian sites.
  • wdr1, on 09/28/2008, -0/+4Um, actually Microsoft gave us the answer first. (And the same one at that.)

  • sdipaola, on 09/28/2008, -1/+5Never buy DRM anything , you gave them real money but they gave you rented music. Walmart, yahoo, MS all screwed those who thought they bought music. DOn't use itunes or other DRM. If a law makers weren't corrupt, they would allow drm money for drm music, that is our money returns to us if they take their music back ( by removing there authorization servers).
  • fuzzynyanko, on 09/28/2008, -0/+3At least I don't hear horror stories anymore about CDs doing things like installing rootkits or killing Macintoshes.
    • Lunarsight, on 09/28/2008, -1/+3I don't think anyone has forgiven Sony over that. I won't put a Sony audio disc within a few miles of my computer.

      If they were sneaky enough to do that behind the back of consumers, how can we ever trust them again?

  • hit2cho, on 09/28/2008, -2/+1"wallmart", eh? i thought it was wal-mart. oh well.
  • TheSkinsFactory, on 09/28/2008, -0/+4The solution for Wal-Mart to save face and to give value to the consumer is to offer DRM-Free versions of all the songs you bought and make them readily available for download. Otherwise the consumers who have played by the rules are completely f**ked over. What kind of lesson is that going to teach kids and consumers? That's basically saying "play by the rules but we're going to screw you over because you were stupid enough to do what's right"? And the RIAA wonders why they get owned by online piracy.

  • argylesocks, on 09/29/2008, -0/+1You know I've been telling people this for ages and none of them listened. I blame the people stupid enough to buy music that is kept alive remotely. Don't buy it and they wont keep pulling this *****. Only purchase DRM free media.
  • rodted2, on 09/29/2008, -0/+3I thought wal-mart as more evil then Hitler? I don't get it.
  • relinquish, on 09/29/2008, -0/+1***** THING SUCKS
  • AmericanSlave, on 09/29/2008, -0/+1I don't buy any music from signed artists anymore since the RIAA sues people for downloading a few songs. I cannot, in good conscience, contribute money to their Bully-Poor-People fund. I call on all of you to do the same. The RIAA has had a strangle hold on Artists and Consumers for far too long. They have become a monster that needs to be destroyed. Boycott signed artists. Only buy directly from unsigned and Indie Artists. Support the Artists! Boycott the RIAA
  • sugablonde, on 09/29/2008, -0/+2“Wall-mart... do they like make walls there?” - Paris Hilton
  • drexl, on 09/29/2008, -0/+2Why the ***** would anyone buy MP3s from Wal-Mart?
  • sadchild, on 09/30/2008, -0/+1always always always buy music from amazon mp3 or other place that does not use drm. just be sure to back up all mp3s to dvds in case of hard drive failure. 1,000 songs per 40 cent DVD.

    or just go to a.b.s.m. shh!
  • johnsu01, on 10/01/2008, -0/+1This is a reasonably positive move -- Wal-Mart is switching to DRM-free going forward. Yes, they should take better care of their customers and should apologize for screwing them, but the overall move here is good.

    Wal-Mart DRM-free is huge -- Please join our campaign against Digital Restrictions Management to help us convince more retailers and distributors to do the same, at http://defectivebydesign.org.
  • heoluoc123, on 10/07/2008, -0/+0the Largest digital music storage. Legal, secure mp3 service with well-ordered mp3 content http://westsounds.com/
  •  

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