Not Good: Jobs Changes The iTunes Rules
I don’t know about you but when I invest in a certain type of media I don’t expect the rules to be randomly changed on me. While Apple’s recent change to the Digital Rights Management (DRM) agreement may seem benign the changes, by their very existence, are a dangerous precedent.
Imagine, after building up a 100 odd CD collection being told that, from now on, the CD’s that you buy now cannot be played in your car? Absurd? By treating iTunes songs as software Apple has reminded all of us that the rules can, and will change. While changing the rules from 10 burns to 7 burns isn’t a big deal this isn’t the point. The point is that as consumers we cannot rely on the iTunes music store being a stable entity. What if the record labels start to get, as they are prone to, even more irrationally paranoid and decide that we can only use our songs on one machine, burn them once, and listen to them on an iPod? Irrational? Yes. Improbable? Perhaps. But entirely plausible.
Just like the Compact Disc was based on a series of standards the digital music file needs a standard set of rules and fast. Maybe this is a time when government intervention is necessary to corral the myriad interests together. The format shouldnŐt matter (although it would be nice if there was a standard format) but the rules should. How many times can a file be burned and how many devices it can be played on should all be established keeping in the mind the interests of the consumer and the music industry.
Steve Jobs has done a wonderful job monetizing and legitimizing digital music. However, by suddenly announcing that the rules are changing, albeit (for now) in a minor way, Jobs has reminded us that we are not buying CD’s. Indeed, while Jobs is proud to boast that people don’t like to rent music (a la the subscription model) by changing the rules us iTunes’s consumers are made to feel more like renter’s than purchasers. I’ll continue to purchase music from the iTunes music store because I have faith that Apple will do the right thing. I’m just a little less comfortable now that the rules have been changed on me.
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Comments
Well, since I have cited the New York Post article about the spectre of rising prices at ITMS, I suppose it’s incumbent on me to supply a url to the contrary, (which has appeared several hours later):
http://news.com.com/2100-1027_3-5208436.html
Jeff M,
If the contract on the ITMS is so onerous, so unconstitutional, then why do you shop there?
As it happens, I don’t shop there very much at all. From ITMS I have purchased only four to six songs and that’s it. The vast majority of my music comes from CD’s I have purchased direct from retail stores. I agree with Nathan about the promise of online digital music though—do I get points for that?
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Personally I hop between ITMS and Amazon, I don’t have much time to go to retail shops so I make purchases based upon price and potential use/quality of the music (for pop music I don’t mind the AAC format).
Thanks for the discussion and logical consistency.
for the record - I agree this discussion has been great - many offering countering views but more importantly really delving into the details of very major issues, ones that go beyond digital music.
I actually end up being in the same camp of Jeff M to some degree. I may have a rosier picture of the future, but that’s also maybe a generational thing (half Gen X, half Gen Y) Jeff M writes as if he’s squarely in the Gen X camp of thought.
but I digress… I have only purchased one album on iTMS: the reason for that is because the trade off of sound quality. I agree with Jeff M that the 128kbps is way too low - I can tell the difference in quality even with my untrained ear. Not over the crappy line out wire to headphones - but definitely over my Digital USB line into my consumer-level Yamaha receiver. And that’s where I want to enjoy loud music, clear high ends and tight bass beats, those are what get distorted with 128. All the digital convenience in the world won’t get in the way of my day-to-day listening of clear music.
Quality must rise, but I do think that will happen within 2 years. Then, I will trade CD buying for iTMS… but most the population is fine with the quality level and that is the audience that is the most important to iTMS. I feel okay that I am not the norm =)
One thought on why it will be a while before we see ITMS music sample quality improve.
Battery life.
Higher sample rates impact the battery life performance of the iPod. Apple will be slow to sell music that makes the iPod look bad. I think this will be the limiting factor rather than bandwidth or file size.
I buy almost all of my music in CD form. Still little or no DRM on CD music.
Here we are almost a year after the iTunes rule changes and it has mattered not a whit.
As nice as it is to not have to do anything but click a mouse button to get an entire album, I think that once that album (or song) is yours, it should remain yours. I’m not sure I am too happy with Apple telling me what i can do with the music that i have purchased and now own.
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