Microsoft to turn off DRM servers for MSN Music store

Discussion in 'The Lounge - Off Topic' started by ffreeloader, Apr 23, 2008.

  1. ffreeloader

    ffreeloader Terabyte Poster

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    MS is turning off the DRM servers that authorize the playing of all music bought through the MSN Music Store on August 31 of this year. If you bought music through that outlet you have to commit to a single computer and a single OS forever. If the computer dies, or the OS has to be reinstalled, you're out of luck. Your music will be gone.... Forever.....

    You can read the rest of the above article from arstechnica here.

    Ah, yes, how fair DRM is. It's just screw the consumer all the way to the bank.
     
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  2. Mitzs
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    Mitzs Ducktape Goddess

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    Well since they bought the music, can't they just burn it to a dvd?
     
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  3. ffreeloader

    ffreeloader Terabyte Poster

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    Nope. Without the DRM keys the music is not accessible, and those keys are tied directly to one computer and one OS. If anything changes the music isn't accessible anymore.

    This is one reason I'm so anti-DRM. It's a ripoff and consumer gets screwed all the time by it. If you buy a movie or music encoded with one type of DRM and try to play it on a device that uses another type of DRM it won't play, and there are many different DRM schemes. Sony puts out DRM'ed movies that won't play on Sony video disk players because they changed the DRM they used. This stuff is a huge mess and consumers are going to keep on getting the shaft as long as it's around.

    DRM is one of the reasons Vista is so slow at deleting and copying files. It thinks it has to check every file before it's read, written, or even deleted to see if it's a "legal" file. Think about the stupidity of that move that MS made. Vista wants to check for DRM'ed files even if you're deleting the files..... In other words MS even wants to check your trash to make sure you're not getting rid of something "illegal"....
     
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  4. BosonMichael
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    BosonMichael Yottabyte Poster

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    Unfortunately, those customers are screwed.

    Fortunately, this means that Microsoft has given up on DRM. Customers are purchasing from non-DRM sources, such as Amazon, in droves.
     
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  5. ffreeloader

    ffreeloader Terabyte Poster

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    They are, but they shouldn't be. MS should be forced to keep on supporting the product that they sold. The customer purchased in good faith expecting their music to be always available to them. It's not their fault MS closed the store. It's not as if MS can't afford to keep these 5 servers running.....

    This is just more arrogance from MS. They're telling their own customers, "screw you", your goodwill isn't worth the cost of keeping 5 servers running....
     
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  6. BosonJosh

    BosonJosh Gigabyte Poster

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    Actually (and unfortunately), Microsoft hasn't given up on DRM. The Zune store sells DRM music. Microsoft seems to have just focused their efforts on the Zune store rather than keep the MSN store open.
     
  7. BosonMichael
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    BosonMichael Yottabyte Poster

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    So why can't MS just use their Zune DRM servers to handle the DRM traffic? Or, like Freddy said, keep a couple of MSN store servers up to handle their prior customers?

    In any case, if they continue to push crippled music, people will just buy the uncrippled stuff. Or, at least the informed people will. Sadly, there are many uninformed people who will get taken.
     
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  8. Mathematix

    Mathematix Megabyte Poster

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    Yep, I've lost about £90 to DRM'd music through Napster. Lame. :x
     
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  9. ffreeloader

    ffreeloader Terabyte Poster

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