Life in the Network

The music industry has changed drastically over the past few years. With the invention of mp3 players and the ability to put music that YOU want to hear on it people are of course moving toward using these devices instead of using CD players where you have to skip through songs to hear your favorite one. However, music industry officials have now found a way to screw the music consumer. I understand the point of DRM, it supposedly helps people from stealing music. But what happens when the technology is hurts the consumer more than benefits them?

The DRM is now forcing people to choose which company they love the most. I have an iPod and love i. I have had it for three years and it keeps on ticking. Because of this, I would buy another iPod again in a second. I currently have over 2,500 songs on my iPod and how many have I bought from the iTunes store? 21. (The only reason its 21 is because I bought an album that I really enjoy). If I would ever want to change mp3 brands, I could because most of my music comes from either CDs or from an illegal downloading site. I realize that I should not be doing this but if Apple is trying to screw me? Why can't I screw them right back by putting .wavs on my iPod? Jobs is correct when he states, "DRMs haven't worked, and may never work, to halt music piracy." But he states that he has to continue using them. However, why would record companies want to continue to use them if people can hack them so easily? The experience of stealing music is nothing new. First, we recorded mix tapes by recording CDs, then people recorded mix CDs by trading mp3's, now we want to put mp3s on different systems. As long as there is music, people will want to get it for free.

Doctorow makes good arguments but I do not understand his statement that, "If you rip your own CDs and load them onto your iPod, you'll notice something curious. The iPod is a roach motel: Songs check in, but they don't check out. Once you put music on your iPod, you can't get it off again with Apple's software." This may have changed since I bought an mp3 player but I am able to remove music from my iPod. I delete the song from my computer and if iTunes cannot find it, it erases it. Does anyone have a problem with getting their music off their iPod?

Movies are the next frontier of stealing entertainment. I have tech savvy friends who used the University HUB for their years at college. I never used it but I was able to attain numerous movies and television shows from them. I don't know why, but for some reason, I feel worse about stealing movies than music. I can really see Jack Valenti's point when he states, "If you're allowed to make up one backup copy of a DVD, all of a sudden somebody makes two and gives one to a friend. And next thing you know file-swappers are trading that film online." We have to buy CDs and DVDs for a reason, we enjoy the entertainment. If we really enjoy the entertainment, we should purchase it rather than steal it.

In the case of the Apple-EMI deal it just shows how Apple could better serve its consumers. Why is it that you have to pay more for songs that do not have the DRM? I could just buy EMI's CDs, put them on my iPod, my Zune, or burn as many CDs as I'd like. The deal, which will sell, "songs by the Rolling Stones, Norah Jones, Coldplay and other top-selling artists for $1.29, or 30 cents more than the copy-protected version. The premium tunes also will be offered in a higher quality than the 99-cent tracks." While copyright is important I believe Apple has taken its power too far and hurt the music industry in the long run.