Jobs Favors DRM-Free Music Distribution

Another anonymous reader tips an essay by Steve Jobs on the Apple site about DRM, iTunes, and the iPod. Perhaps it was prompted by the uncomfortable pressure the EU has been putting on Apple to open up the iPod. Jobs places the blame for the existence and continuing reliance on DRM squarely on the music companies. Quoting: "Much of the concern over DRM systems has arisen in European countries. Perhaps those unhappy with the current situation should redirect their energies towards persuading the music companies to sell their music DRM-free. For Europeans, two and a half of the big four music companies are located right in their backyard. The largest, Universal, is 100% owned by Vivendi, a French company. EMI is a British company, and Sony BMG is 50% owned by Bertelsmann, a German company. Convincing them to license their music to Apple and others DRM-free will create a truly interoperable music marketplace. Apple will embrace this wholeheartedly."

Which means...

[Ariastis]

Dear governments, please Gang-Bang the big studios for us. (Which I believe would be a very nice thing to see)

Can we get a new icon?

[IANAAC]

One with Jobs sporting a nice, glowing halo?

But make it in proportion to the Gates/Borg icon.

Future Essays Leaked

[DysenteryInTheRanks]

I have obtained a copy of "Thoughts on Movies," a followup to to "Thoughts on Music," from sources inside Apple. I present it in its entirety:

"With the stunning global success of YouTube, podcasting, Rocketboom and Zefrank, some have called for my other company, Pixar, to "open" the digital rights management (DRM) system that Pixar uses to protect its DVDs and online movies against theft, so that movies purchased from Pixar can be played anywhere in the world.

"These people also point out that doing so would be in keeping with the principles I called upon the music industry to support in my previous essay.

"To which I respond: Suck it, frigtards. Do you honestly think I got here by being a 'nicer guy' than Bill Gates? This is the real world, not 'fantasy la la land' where 1st gen Apple laptops don't burn your crotch and mysteriously shut down, or where you don't have to pay a bribe to go to the front of the line in the Apple Store.

"Now if you'll excuse me, I need to go backdate some stop options, inspect the dormitories at our Foxconn company town in China and sue the pants off a teenaged blogger."

Re:Which means...

[Workaphobia]

No, no, no. In capitalist America, Big studios Gang-Bang YOU!

Re:Vivendi is french?

[Pierre-Arnaud]

Actually, it is even worse than your puny nightmare. In fact, every french, male, female, child, work at Vivendi. Socialist pacifist cowards as we are, there were too many companies to brutaly nationalize. So we decided to incorporate France. We called it Vivendi, thought that was nice sounding, and we went public.

And now we are after you. Capitalist warmonger pig.

Re:At least Apple is consistent, I guess...

[synx]

have you ever thought that your "listening tastes" actually diminish the music for you? I dont constantly hear these differences, and I enjoy the music just as much as you. In fact, I enjoy it better, because I am not driven to post to slashdot about how much mp3 and aac sucks.

Is your quality of life better mister audiophile?

Re:As least MS Fanboys are consistent, I guess...

[Anonymous Coward]

wow. someone forgot his tuesday pills.

Re:At least Apple is consistent, I guess...

[dangitman]

why should it be easier to be a pirate than to be a honest man?

'Tis just the way 'tis matey. The seas are an alluring wench. Plunderin' makes many a scurvy dog's heart race. You better watch yeself though, Jim-lad. It may seem easy at first, but all that easy booty weighs heavily on the heart. Eventually ye'll be drawn to the darker side, and before ye known it ye be headed for Davy Jones' locker like a dinghy fitted with a galley.

Being an honest man was never easy, 'tis easier to be an honorable swine.

Re:At least Apple is consistent, I guess...

[Nugget]

I like to listen to music using my stereo.
An audiophile likes to listen to their stereo using music.

Re:At least Apple is consistent, I guess...

[orphuntus]

Hi there, I don't really see where you're coming from mate - you say that you're "Locked Out" because you CHOOSE not to buy Music with DRM, so you're not "Locked In". If you make an active choice to not participate in something, you're not locked out - you just choose to stay outside. I'm not "locked out" of wearing womens underwear - I just choose not to. I certainly don't hold it against the makers of the wonderbra just because I don't want to buy them - good luck to them I say. As for the lost "profit" you say they are missing out on, I think they'll live without your $200 a month to forgo the gushing artery of losses they'd encounter by making their music easier to pirate. I mean really - tell me you'd spend $200 a month if you could get the stuff for free - you're having yourself on a bit aren't you? I can't see why people are so uptight about the whole DRM issue anyway - if I want to but an iPod and never make a purchase from the Music store - or not even buy a Mac, I can. If I'm happy to buy an iPod, a Mac - destroy all my old CD's and download every song on the store while wearing an "I love Jobsie" T-Shirt, I can do that too. No-one but music pirates and the anti-mac squad should have any problem with that scenario, should they?

Re:At least Apple is consistent, I guess...

[10Ghz]

"You will hear loss of dynamic transience."

But that can be fixed with some magnetic phase-inducers and cable-elevators. And wooden knobs [referenceaudiomods.com]. Can't go wrong with those knobs....