David Byrne Attacks DRM

David Byrne, eccentric and shrewd ex-member of the Talking Heads, recently spoke out against DRM in a presentation called "Record Companies: Who Needs Them?" at the SXSW festival in Austin, TX.

"...First, [Byrne] said, labels will have to remove their digital rights management (DRM) copyright-control technology. He said he buys most of his music online via eMusic, or obtains it illegally, due to the file constraints on files sold on iTunes. Byrne predicated that once DRM is removed, iTunes will no longer "have a monopoly," and labels will be better prepared to deal with Web sales."

The presentation was focused on the cost-efficiency of digital music sales, and how digital music will take control of the industry by 2012. This allows a label to focus on marketing and distribution, especially when manufacturing costs will be nearly non-existent. But Byrne brings up an interesting point. Labels and artists can find greater success once DRM isn't clouding the possibilities of digital albums. iTunes music store is limiting the format in a quality and creative sense. I don't want my MP3s downloaded at a 128 kbps bit rate, but they force that inferior quality on me, especially when, in certain rare cases, iTunes is my only option for a download. Also, couldn't we explore the possibility of digital liner notes? or other endeavors that I can't even conceive of now? Aren't there more possibilities in making money off of digital sales? There are, but iTunes store and DRM is preventing that sort of growth.

Anyway, I like David Byrne much better as an anti-DRM spokesperson than Jessica Simpson. And I don't know about you, but I'd rather side with David Byrne than Metallica. Metallica are oddly much bigger pansies (see Metallica: Some Kind of Monster) than hipster geek, David Byrne.

YAY! More DRM Technology!

"Thomson, the French-owned electronics company, has announced two new implementations of its NexGuard DRM technology that will encode digital content with the specific identity of the device to which it is downloaded."

Basically, this technology is a digital 'fingerprinting' system that can track which unique device is bearing the downloaded media and/or the unauthorized copy of that media, and therefore, at times, the person. This isn't exactly a preventive measure, but another method for the companies and political organizations with an interest in finding these 'fervent and malicious pirates,' and prosecuting them.

With the RIAA prosecuting college students, the ones pumping in mammoth amounts of money into the industry through merchandise and concert tickets, they continue to alienate themselves from music fans. This sort of technology will be obsolete in only a few years. While Thomson has other products to sell, it's a waste of precious funds. The RIAA and soon the MPAA are realizing that DRM isn't exactly the best avenue. Since Steve Jobs' published thoughts on the industry, record companies are considering ditching DRM technologies, and the RIAA will have to find better ways to adapt to the changing industry landscape. DRM technology is rarely cost-efficient and companies who invest this much time, effort, and money into it will soon find themselves at a loss when the industry eventually adapts. For me, left-brain companies dedicated to preventing the exposure of art is just as despicable as someone walking into a record store and stealing an album right off the shelf. But opinions aside, most of these companies will evaporate and I'll be laughing. Yes, I'll be laughing.