Is DRM fading out?

By EDRi · January 17, 2007

(Dieser Artikel ist auch in deutscher Sprache verfügbar)

2007 has started with news showing the fading away of the
DRM systems that have created many problems with consumers and
interoperability without having clear results in the actions against illegal
copies.

Thus, one of the biggest record companies, EMI, has announced at the
beginning of the 2007 that it will no longer produce DRM protected CDs. EMI
considered that the technology was not efficient enough for the CDs.
However, the decision was limited to the classical CDs and was not related
to the distribution of online music in an MP3 format.

But the major record companies have started a serious discussion regarding
also selling music online with DRMs. It is expected that in 2007 the music
industry revenues from Internet downloads and mobile content stop their
increase and possibly even decline. However, the number of Internet users is
increasing and it is very possible for people in the industry to “have a
very different conversation in January when the dust clears and they realize
just how bad this year really was” as Eric Garland, CEO of peer-to-peer
(P2P) tracking firm BigChampagne points out.

Major brands in the Internet industry, such as Amazon or Myspace, are
discussing with the record companies for new business models, where music
could be sold without embedded DRM.

In France the plans for selling music online without DRMs seem more
advanced. VirginMusic has announced that in 2007 it will sell over 200 000
music files in an MP3 format with no copy-protection system, that could be
played on any kind of music software. FnacMusic says it will start a similar
system on 17 January 2007, when 150 000 music files will be offered to the
public, with more files to be added in the next months. Other record
companies have announced their intentions to have the same approach in the
future months.

EMI abandons CD DRM (8.01.2007)
http://www.boingboing.net/2007/01/08/emi_abandons_cd_drm.html

Ailing music biz set to relax digital restrictions (2.01.2007)
http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20070102/wr_nm/digital_dc

One major should announce abandoning the DRMs (only in French, 3.01.2007)
http://www.ratiatum.com/news4113_Une_major_devrait_annoncer_qu_elle_abandonne_les_DRM.html

FnacMusic starts selling DRM free MP3s (only in French,
16.01.2007)
http://akosh.pcinpact.com/actu/news/34051-fnacmusic-DRM-MP3.htm