Here is an article I wrote about DRM for the school paper (The Broadside). This is the version I sent them so there may be a few editorial changes from the print version. Also, the paper came up with the title...and randomly left off the word "Past," leaving "DRM: A Thing of the." Enjoy:
"Something that almost any Mason student is already aware of is music piracy. Once the domain of slick eggheads and Napster fans, now anyone can easily obtain and distribute music for free on the internet. This kind of activity has prompted major music labels under the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) to place restrictive coding on all digital music tracks in order to safeguard against illegal file sharing. Such coding is known as Digital Rights Management (DRM) and typically restricts the ability of users to copy, move, or play music on any computer but the original computer to which it was downloaded. These restrictions hamper usability and interoperability in a way that has kept many potential customers away from legal downloads, choosing to download illegally or buy CDs and rip them.
All of this may change in the near future. Music labels are realizing that no matter what DRM they apply to music files, those files are invariably cracked and distributed illegally. Instead the DRM serves only to prevent ordinary, legal users of digital music from using their music in the ways that they want to. The most common example is the Apple iTunes Store's "FairPlay" DRM. Aside from restricting the number of times iTunes songs may be copied, FairPlay prohibits their use on any music player other than the iPod. While the iPod is popular and iTunes makes up a large percentage of all online music sales, many users do not wish to feel locked into one player for as long as they own their tracks. It is possible to burn these tracks onto a CD and then rip them back onto iTunes, thus stripping away the DRM, but this process is time-consuming and slightly degrades the files.
Recently Steve Jobs, CEO of Apple, posted an open letter on the Apple homepage, asking music companies to provide consumers with a DRM-free product instead of punishing them for the misdeeds of pirates. Only a few weeks later, Apple announced that it would be holding a press conference with major music label EMI. EMI holds the rights to many artists such Queen, Elvis, and Red Hot Chili Peppers. Many rumors cropped up as a result of the announcement, suggesting Jobs had finally convinced EMI to relinquish DRM encryption.
On April 2nd, the joint press conference revealed EMI's first momentous step toward DRM-free music. All tracks controlled by EMI on the iTunes Store would soon be available for thirty cents more ($1.29 from $0.99) in an un-DRMed format. As an added bonus, these tracks would be available in a higher bit-rate (read: higher quality) and in the AAC format that many portable players now read. Users who had previously purchased EMI tracks would also have the ability to upgrade to the premium format for thirty cents.
This simple price and feature reconfiguration paves the way for other RIAA members to follow in EMI's footsteps. What does this mean in a larger sense? Music downloading, long plagued by restrictive software and licensing agreements, may yet save the music industry's crisis. Falling CD sales have prompted the RIAA to attack file sharers with laws suits and other legal actions. If the industry learns to embrace the digital age instead of putting up wall, more users may stay on the straight and narrow, choosing to download music legally instead of pirating."
This material is held under the copywrite of James Rogers (2007) with all rights reserved.