Forbes > Why online music will stay locked up This article is about DRM and quotes several music exutives about the issue. EMI was the first to allow DRM free downloads and announced this breaking news just a few weeks ago. I don't believe my ears and eyes hearing people working for majors say DRM is not high on their agenda. Everybody is yearning for the first results published by EMI on their DRM free sales. If they don't wonder what should be done to close the gab between decline in physical sales and digital growth, I think they should start doing that now. The argument that it becomes too complicated is also weak. Allofmp3.com offers this already for a long time and consumers love it. It's like the conflict in the middle east, no we can't talk openly about it because it's too complicated. I think it's very simple. A DRM protected world only works if we stop selling CD's and hunt everybody down that owns unprotected music. We create a D-day where all music is replaced with protected music and we stop selling anything that carries unprotected songs. Imagine this scenario and wonder if you think this is a feasible one, let me know. I think that people are more honest than dishonest and that digital music will take of if:
1. DRM is only applied on add supported or subscription based models (Rhapsody, WE7 etc)
2. Licensing is made easy and transparent and supports the likes of Sirius, Pandora, Last.FM
3. Flow of content is made cheap, fast and easy
4. Channels and IP owners agree on a method for sales authentication
5. Pricing is fair and understandable for a wide audience
6. New technologies are not seen as a threat but as an opportunity
7. Law enforcers take their responsibility and actively chase down people and businesses that infringe copyright laws and steel IP with the intent of stealing.
I can go on and on about this and don't understand why the industry isn't looking at the succes of some small Independent labels that don't even know what DRM is and that sell their music on as many channels as possible and make a lot of money doing so. Applying those ratios on major player catalogues would create an explosion in digital sales. It looks like we have exciting times ahead of us and those responsible for digital at record companies will face bigger challenges every day the GAB becomes bigger and services like Pandora have to close down in territories because of licensing issues.
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