Yet Another Downside of DRM: Microsoft to Nuke MSN Music DRM Keys

Is there such thing as a “good” DRM? As far as I’m concerned, there isn’t. As I’ve mentioned in the past (one hundred times, at least), DRM and other forms of copy protection hurt the legal consumer only. Why would someone purchase music legally and then turn around to distribute it? Very few would. Those who do want illegal music… will just go download it. It’s simple.

But I digress. Ars Technica has posted about the upcoming death of MSN Music’s DRM service, meaning all music purchased through the service (when it existed) will no longer be able to be licensed after August 10, 2008. Up until that point, you are able to make regular use of your music, including transferring to another PC. But when the date hits, you will have to listen to the music on whatever PC it’s currently on… or tough luck.

I think it goes without saying that this is a clear reason why DRM should die, right now. Companies who sell DRM music have the ability to turn off their service at any time, and when that happens, you are have the equivalent of a digital paperweight. You will either have to purchase the music again elsewhere or go without. Though on a positive note, more and more online music stores are indeed moving towards offering DRM-free files for the bulk of their collections, so we are on the right track. The progress just can’t happen fast enough.

This doesn’t just apply to the five different computers that PlaysForSure allows users to authorize, it also applies to operating systems on the same machine (users need to reauthorize a machine after they upgrade from Windows XP to Windows Vista, for example). Once September rolls around, users are committed to whatever five machines they may have authorized—along with whatever OS they are running.

Source: Ars Technica