IEEE Spectrum July, 2007 - 8

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IEEE	Spectrum	|	July	2007	|	NA		

www.spectrum.ieee.org

mAtthEW	PEytoN/gEtty	ImAgES/mohEgAN	SUN

from	that	perspective,	the	 	playing	products	and	features	
unrestricted	format	as	a	
those	who	obtain	illegal	music	
introduction	of	dRm	into	the	
that	would	be	useful;	intro-
default,	we	have	the	world	we	
would	otherwise	be	paying	
music	world	was	an	anomaly.	
ducing	them	in	a	dRm	world,	
want	to	live	in,"	says	Jason	
customers,	about	20	billion	
No	longer	could	a	consumer	
however,	has	invited	lawsuits.	
Schultz,	a	staff	attorney	
songs	were	illegally	swapped	
who	bought	a	new	computer	
[See	"death	by	dmCA,"	IEEE
with	the	Electronic	frontier	
or	downloaded	in	2005.	
move	his	music	collection	to	
Spectrum,	June	2006.]	In	
foundation	(Eff),	a	consumer	 Such	activity	is	particularly	
it,	nor	could	a	child	making	a	
recent	years,	the	recording	
advocacy	organization.
rampant	in	China,	korea,	
slide	show	for	a	school	project	 industry	has	gone	after	Xm	
Besides	enabling	people	
Spain,	and	taiwan,	accord-
back	that	show	with	favorite	
Satellite	Radio	for	marketing	
to	listen	to	recordings	on	any	
ing	to	the	London-based	
tunes.	moreover,	music	
products	that	allow	consumers	 kind	of	device	and	copy	them	
International	federation	of	
	collections	purchased	online	
to	record	satellite	radio	
as	they	wish,	music	without	
the	Phonographic	Industry	
could	be	locked	to	only	one	
	programs	for	later	listening,	for	 dRm	also	stands	to	be	of	higher	 (IfPI).	Legitimate	sales	of	
brand	of	device-forever.
example,	and	after	devices	that	 fidelity	[see	sidebar,	"A	fringe	
digital	music	racked	up	about	
	Can	we	now	imagine	a	new	 record	hd	radio	broadcasts.	
Benefit	of	No-dRm	music"].
US	$20	billion	last	year,	with	
world,	really	a	return	to	the	
In	the	consumer	electronics	
$2	billion	of	that	in	online	
old	spirit	of	music	recording,	
industry's	view,	says	oxman,	
* AbsENCE of DRM	will	not	
sales,	the	IfPI	estimates.
without	dRm?	the	music	
customers	should	be	able	to	
necessarily	lead	to	more	piracy	
A	world	in	which	at	least	
industry	has	for	years	said	it	
do	anything	they	want	with	
and	may	actually	discourage	it.	 half	the	music	is	obtained	
doesn't	want	to	go	there,	and	
legally	purchased	music,	as	
"dRm	is	not	stopping	anybody	
free	of	charge	is	not	a	world	
these	days	the	industry's	trade	
in	which	dRm	is	working	very	
group,	the	Recording	Industry	
well.	Nor	is	there	any	real	rea-
Association	of	America,	simply	
son	to	fear	that	elimination	of	
is	not	talking; IEEE Spectrum	
dRm	will	lead	to	the	immediate	
got	an	official	"no	comment."
demise	of	sold	music.	Just	the	
But	perhaps	the	industry	
instant	gratification	obtain-
is	finally	realizing	that	dRm	
able	from	online	music	stores,	
is	pointless,	after	all.	It	was	
plus	the	higher	quality	and	
meant	to	be	a	barrier	to	piracy	
add-on	features	offered	on	
but	has	turned	out	to	have	
sold	discs,	guarantee	the	con-
little	effect.	Just	consider	
tinued	viability	of	the	business,	
lEt it All hANg oUt:
the	fundamentals:	according	
as	the	CEA's	oxman	sees	it.
the rock group barenaked
to	Big	Champagne,	a	media	
ladies favors unlocking
measurement	firm	based	
* RECoRDiNg ARtists	won't	
digital music.
in	Beverly	hills,	Calif.,	and	
necessarily	suffer	in	a	no-
Atlanta,	there's	typically	only	
long	as	it's	for	their	personal	
from	massive	[music	file]	shar- dRm	world.	these	are	the	
a	3-minute	gap	from	the	time	
use	and	perhaps	for	members	
ing,"	said	Eff's	Schultz.	"It	
struggling	musicians	who	sup-
the	Apple	itunes	store	makes	
of	their	household.	they	should	 is	only	hurting	the	legitimate	
posedly	would	be	playing	their	
a	song	available	to	the	time	it	
be	able	to	listen	to	music	in	
customers."	In	fact,	argues	
guitars	for	tips	in	the	subway,	
is	available	on	an	illegal	music- different	rooms,	on	different	
Schultz,	dRm	drives	some	
in	the	doomsday	scenario,	if	
sharing	network,	stripped	of	
devices,	and	take	it	with	them	
would-be	paying	customers	
music	were	distributed	dRm-
its	copy	protection.
when	they	travel	or	have	it	in	
to	the	music	black	market,	
free.	for	them,	however,	the	
Perhaps	it's	time	for	even	
their	cars.	for	example,	a	music	 because,	to	date,	it's	the	only	
move	to	a	dRm-free	world	is	
the	industry	to	contemplate	
collector	might	have	a	small	
place	where	you	can	obtain	
either	good	news	or	irrelevant.	
those	benefits	of	a	no-dRm	
digital	music	player	for	jogging	
music	downloads	that	you	can	 It	may	mean	fewer	sales	for	
world	that	are	so	evident	to	just	 and	a	larger	one	for	commut-
use	without	constraints.
the	top	moneymakers,	but	
about	everyone	else:
ing.	today,	if	these	are	made	by	
"Eliminating	dRm	will	
the	majority	of	recordings-
* A No-DRM woRlD	will	be	
different	manufacturers,	they	
	equalize	the	playing	fields	
85	percent	according	to	the	
good	for	innovation.	thus,	the	
can't	share	a	music	library	if	
for	the	legitimate	and	ille-
RIAA-don't	generate	enough	
Consumer	Electronics	Asso-
that	music	has	been	purchased	 gitimate	distributors"	without	
revenue	to	cover	their	costs.
ciation,	a	worldwide	organiza-
online;	in	a	dRm-free	world,	the	 	preventing	the	industry	from	
todd	Rundgren,	a	record-
tion	of	manufacturers,	based	
consumer	would	not	be	locked	
going	after	those	who	infringe	 ing	artist	since	1966	who	
in	Arlington,	Va.,	has	declared	
into	one	manufacturer's	prod-
copyright	by	sharing	or	
has	performed	on	some	
itself	"delighted"	by	EmI's	move.	 uct	line	or	forced	to	maintain	
	downloading	music	illegally.
30	albums	and	produced	
"We	would	like	all	the	music	
multiple	music	libraries.
As	things	stand,	it	looks	
another	50	or	so,	is	thrilled	by	
labels	to	follow	suit,"	says	CEA	
like	legal	and	illegal	down-
EmI's	move.	"the	reality	of	the	
spokesman	Jason	oxman.	
* No-DRM is	unequivocally	
loads	are	roughly	equivalent	
music	industry,"	he	said	in	a	
As	the	consumer	electronics	
good	for	the	music-listening	
in	terms	of	download	num-
phone	interview	from	Raleigh,	
industry	sees	it,	dRm	has	ham-
public.	If	the	industry	moves	
bers.	though	nobody	knows	
N.C.,	"is	that	artists	don't	see	
strung	product	development.
in	the	direction	of	lifting	dRm	
exactly	how	much	music	
money	from	their	recordings;	
Consumers	and	engineers	
and	"we	end	up	in	a	world	
is	shared	or	downloaded	
we	capitalize	on	music	we	
can	envision	lots	of	music-
in	which	music	is	sold	in	an	
illegally	and	whether	or	not	
have	recorded	by	going	out
http://www.spectrum.ieee.org
Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of IEEE Spectrum July, 2007
