Steve Jobs wins! DRM (for music) is dead.

April 2nd, 2007

A few months ago Steve Jobs wrote an open letter stating that Apple would be happy to sell DRM free tracks if the record labels would let them. Watching Channel 4 news now it seems EMI has folded. They’re expected to annouce that they will release their catalogue DRM free on iTunes. This is an incredible thing. I’ve always felt that underneath it all the record companies must have understood the subtleties of the arguments against DRM. Their war against consumers seemed doomed to fail but they continued nonetheless. Either they were incredibly stupid or there was something else going on. I find it difficult to believe that someone who runs a multi-billion dollar company is an idiot – even more difficult to think that all 4 leaders (and everyone who works for them) of 4 separate companies are idiots. Clearly they’re not.

This is a watershed in electronic rights. There is no way that the other record companies can continue to push DRM. EMI must show their shareholders that this did not hit sales. The other companies will not be able to continue an argument in the face of this kind of proof (of course I could be wrong and EMI sales tank but I’m confident they won’t).

Entry Filed under: DRM