Steve Jobs Against DRM?
July 29, 2007 by Jo Minor
The Apple iPod sing-handedly changed the way we listen to music, and the iTunes store revolutionized the way that music is made available. Pay-per-song at an affordable rate, it smashed the idea of music albums and put record companies on the edge.
But all songs sold on iTunes were licensed from the record companies, which insisted on having DRM or Digital Rights Management on all downloads. DRM prevents the sharing and copying of music beyond the original purchaser of the song.
But now that several European governments are making threats to breaking the lock between the iPod and iTunes, Steve Jobs is taking the road less traveled and moving against DRM itself, with partner EMI.
According to Wired news:
Only Jobs could so boldly rip down the system he had previously built — the iTunes music store, which is the most-successful online store (perhaps the only one), which was built on copy-protected music, and force the music industry to follow suit. He’s tearing down the old system for something much more modern — high-fidelity tracks that can be played on any device. Oddly for a business leader with a reputation for tight control and lock in, Jobs is ceding control of a locked-down format in favor of a much bigger, open market.
The move is sure to remake the online music business. The old DRM system is going to be swept aside in favor of a much more open approach. Jobs is already confident his power plays will work. In a statement on Monday, Jobs said he expects half of the songs on iTunes will be sold DRM-free by the end of the year.
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