| Thursday, July 24, 2008 |
20:05 - Can't give this away
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It seems to me that the trend is for all the non-iTunes DRM-based music stores to shut down, one by one—and DRM-free MP3 stores, first with Amazon (and iTunes Plus) and now with Rhapsody reinventing itself yet again, springing up in their place.
To the pundits, this is all a very compelling case study in the efficacy and ethics of DRM, and will result in many solemn chin-rubbing conclusions. But I wonder... will this trend reverse iTunes' stranglehold on the market at all? Will consumers' buying habits appreciably change as a result of these moves? In short, does anyone who's not a pundit care?
iTunes' DRM always reminded me of some comedian's impression of Bob Dole back in the 1996 election: a snarling, petulant "You're not as happy as you think you are!"
I think most users just use what works and is obvious. The DRM in iTunes never presents a serious obstacle to the typical user, and it makes music accessible and cheap. Nobody wants to think about what company even makes the software that they use to sync up their music library to their MP3 players, let alone what happens if they want to try mixing music from a variety of different online stores and window-shopping among them to find out who offers the least onerous buying experience and the best long-term service. People just want to pick a solution and go with it. And while for a lot of people that solution is "anything that sells unencumbered MP3 tracks, even if they're not produced by anyone anyone's heard of", most people just buy an iPod, install iTunes, and make with the clicky clicky. Nobody else can offer that level of obviousness.
And so I look forward to seeing whether people like Rhapsody can succeed even by touting the fact that their music plays "everywhere, including on your iPod" now. One way or another, it'll make for some great punditry.
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Brian Tiemann
