The Wisdom of Matthew Yglesias
The wisdom of Matthew Yglesias: "We must do what it takes to succeed whatever the cost. Always suppressed is the proviso -- whatever the cost to other people."
« November 2006 | Main | February 2007 »
The wisdom of Matthew Yglesias: "We must do what it takes to succeed whatever the cost. Always suppressed is the proviso -- whatever the cost to other people."
Nick Carr makes a much-linked-to and persuasive argument that the practical reality of DRM is more about controlling the means of distribution of digital music than it is about preventing copying. The fact is, illegally shared MP3s are available and will continue to be available no matter what the industry does about DRM. That being the case, there are only two realistic ways to sell music online, either some PlaysForSure scheme from Yahoo or Napster or Real, or via the iTunes Music store (okay, Zune is a third option).
But under any of these regimes, the music industry has very little control. But they don't have much of a choice either, since users aren't going to sign up for five or six different services to get the music they want. Since the iPod has more than 70% of the market share, there's almost no way around going that route.
Unless the labels start selling MP3s. Every digital music player will play MP3s. Once you go this route, you can sell the music yourself, and your customers don't have to worry about whether your service is compatible with their players. Buying direct from the label would ensure correct metadata, consistent quality, and universal availability that the pirate networks can't match.
Piracy is going to happen no matter what. That's a matter of enforcement; there's no way to DRM your way out of that. Simultaneously, I think YouTube has shown more clearly than ever that putting up with some level of "infringement" can actually be very very good for your product. In the end, DRM-less media can open up a whole new world of freedom for artists, labels, and consumers alike. Instead of wasting our time and energy on valueless roadblocks, we should be opening the doors to see what the future can do for us.
The wisdom of Jim Henley: "Cripes, it’s worse than even I thought: our government is like the callers to a sports talk radio station."
The wisdom of Kevin Drum: "It's hard to imagine a more disastrous end to a disastrous war. For that reason, I suspect this proposal will be adopted."