Am I imagining this? Jessica Simpson's latest single, DRM-Free!

Last Wednesday, Yahoo announced that Jessica Simpson's latest single, A Public Affair, will be sold in the MP3 format. Like iTunes music store and Rhapsody, Yahoo typically sells DRM-encoded MP3 files, but A Public Affair has oddly dodged the DRM bullet. Why? Where is this coming from? No one seems to know. We do know that in February, general manager of Yahoo, Dave Goldberg spoke at a Music 2.0 conference in Los Angeles and decried DRM technologies, "DRM is not a consumer value proposition, it's a consumer cost. It creates a nice barrier of entry for the tech companies, rather than something that's beneficial to labels, artists or consumers."

Even so, I'd like to think Simpson's people had something to do with all of this. A bit hopeful, maybe, but still very possible. The incentive to buy her single? Your name somehow gets incorporated into the song. Silly, perhaps, but instead of trying to fight the powers that be (in this case, the downloaders), maybe it's best to work within the system to get the green.

There are plenty of musicians who hold the anti-DRM flag high, but what the movement needs are the artists topping the charts. You can only get so far when the crusaders are made up of the ones who benefit the most from the MP3 revolution. Who are the independent musicians to deny any exposure they can get? They weren't really making anything from record sales, anyway. What we need is someone like Simpson to take a stand--show how it's possible to avoid the implementation of pricey DRM-technologies, while still being able to pay the bills and have some luxury dollars left over. Apparently, it's possible to remove the DRM by burning a CD and re-importing it into your computer system, anyway. Companies should be using their time and money on finding ways to profit within this system.

Check out eMusic--A download service that sells unprotected MP3s. They do it. Why can't the rest of 'em?

DRM Overview

Digital Rights Management

It's not like I had a cell phone as soon as I made my way out of the womb. I didn't get my first cell until I was in high school, yet since then, I can't imagine my life without one. Forgetting my cell phone at my apartment for a day kind of feels like forgetting my glasses for a day. I didn't grow up downloading music for free either, but I know living without free downloads would produce a similar affect. And somehow I doubt I'm the only one. If the RIAA (Recording Industry Association of America) has it their way, I couldn't imagine breathing coming as naturally as it does now.

With digital rights management (DRM) creeping up on us otherwise law-abiding citizens, our lives as media pirates are under threat. Sure, it's doubtful that the free mp3 will ever dissolve completely, but publishers and copyright owners using DRM technologies could very well make finding your favorite artists' new album for nothing very difficult. How long will it take for most copyrighted files to be equipped with DRM technology? It's uncertain, but it might be creeping up quicker than we think, especially considering it has international legal backing.

We've already been exposed to some of these technologies. One of its earliest forms made VHS duplication almost impossible with Macrovision. And the conception of the compressed music file, mp3, came with its own anti-piracy counterpart. The most perceptible manifestation of mp3 anti-piracy is the protected AAC iTunes music store audio file, making their files incapable of being copied.

While bands like Metallica were fighting on the side of the RIAA, most of the public has unconsciously grouped together to demand free music. And others, are more consciously assembling to battle DRM.

You can't simply support free music and video with only "the I can't live without it" defense in your arsenal. So, in the next few months I will examine why we should and how we can keep the 'free' revolution alive. I'm Ryan Piccirillo and this is the Cutting Edge: DRM Blog. So let the blogging begin.

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