Now I Understand

Wired has a piece that describes how the presence of DRM in almost everything electronic compromises innovation. For example,

Steve Vasquez, the founder of ReQuest, which makes ultra-high end streaming audio networks for homes, says his company struggles with the limitations of DRM-protected audio files.

A similar system made by Sonos creates a mesh-wireless network that connects up to 32 remote amplifiers with music stored on a home computer, but the company hides music bought through Apple's iTunes store, according to co-founder Thomas Cullen.

"We don't want to taunt them," Cullen said. "The best thing we can do is hide iTunes songs so they don't get an expectation they can play them."

Ninety percent of his customers own iPods, according to Cullen, and many call in after first buying the system, wondering where their iTunes songs are. But after the company explains it is Apple's DRM that prevents the file from playing, users universally respond that they will go back to buying CDs that they can then rip into non-DRMed audio files, Cullen said.

That explains it! DRM is the mechanism that so limits the capabilities of contemporary innovation in production and dissemination of music that consumers will go back to buying CDs, thereby rescuing the obsolesced business models of the folks at CRIA and RIAA!

I suppose they still don't want to hear the reality, that they wouldn't be in business today if their industry had been hampered by the technological protection mechanism proposals they, themselves, are promoting (besides the fact that the existence of DRM actually promotes so-called piracy.)
[Technorati tags: wired | drm | innovation]