DRM

Zune’s Big Innovation: Viral DRM

September 15, 2006 by Kirk Biglione

Now that Microsoft has released some hard facts about Zune we can finally begin to sort out how much of an impact the product might have on the digital music market. For weeks we’ve been hearing rumors about how Zune’s wireless capabilities will be used to enable new types of music sharing and discovery. It’s the one feature that could potentially set Zune apart from the iPod.

Unfortunately Zune’s wireless music sharing is turning out to be one of those features that seemed better when it was just a rumor. While Zune users will be able share music with friends, there’s a catch (isn’t there always). As Jim noted earlier, recipients of shared songs will only be able to listen to them three times or for three days, whichever comes first. It sort of sounds like a really bad tire warranty.

Debunking A Few Amazon Unbox Myths

September 10, 2006 by Kirk Biglione

Last week Amazon launched Unbox, its long rumored video download service. In the days since its unveiling Unbox has attracted a storm of media coverage – a surprising amount of which has been misinformed and misleading. As a service to Medialoper’s readers, we will now attempt to debunk a few of the most persistent myths surrounding Amazon Unbox:

The Futility Of DRM

August 31, 2006 by Kirk Biglione

2006 will go down in history as the year the entertainment industry finally started to take digital content distribution seriously. So far this year we’ve seen television networks and film studios experiment with a surprisingly wide variety of new distribution models, while the recording industry has started to realize that there may be a future in downloadable music. If there’s a downside to the recent explosion of digital content it has to be the entertainment industry’s unhealthy obsession with digital rights management (DRM).

In the past entertainment companies have been hesitate to distribute content digitally due to piracy concerns. Those concerns have apparently been replaced by a complete and total faith in DRM. Or, at the very least, a belief that it will be possible to build viable new business models around DRM protected content.

There’s just one problem — DRM doesn’t work. It’s a futile exercise in artificial scarcity that punishes honest consumers while doing little to slow the tide of piracy.

[Read more…] about The Futility Of DRM

Was Google GTunes A Victim of Zune?

August 8, 2006 by Kirk Biglione

One of the most persistent media rumors of early 2006 involved Google launching a digital music service to rival Apple’s iTunes. There was a point earlier this year when it seemed as if every analyst on Wall Street was predicting that Google would be launching GTunes any day now. iTunes was clearly doomed and its days would soon be numbered.

Far be it from me to say “I told you so”, but back in April I went on record with a list of reasons why Google Music won’t matter. Now comes word that Google is going to sit out the upcoming digital music war. Instead, they’ll be partnering with MTV to insert advertising into videos that will be available on the still dismal Google Video service. No matter how Google tries to spin it, the MTV deal is a huge letdown for anyone expecting the company to make its mark on the music industry.

5 Signs That Zune Has Already Jumped the Shark

August 4, 2006 by Kirk Biglione

You’re probably wondering how the hell an unreleased product jumps the shark. By definition something has to have been around long enough to become a parody of itself before this happens. The amazing thing is that Microsoft has managed to turn Zune into a parody of itself without ever going through the product release cycle. I could give you some very specific details on how they managed this feat, but that would violate the NDA they asked me to sign. Instead, I’ll point to a few of the obvious signs that anyone with access to Technorati could easily uncover on their own.

Is Zune A PlaysForSure Killer?

July 27, 2006 by Kirk Biglione

Earlier this week I told you the 10 things you need to know about Microsoft Zune. While that list will get you through small talk at most cocktail parties, there’s one item that merits more discussion — the fact that Zune will not be PlaysForSure Compliant.

10 Things You Need To Know About Zune

July 24, 2006 by Kirk Biglione

Last week Microsoft confirmed the name of its soon to be released digital audio player. It’s called Zune, and here’s what you need to know about it:

Movielink Steps Up (A Little)

July 17, 2006 by Jim Connelly

Some good news for those who are interested in legally downloading film: Movielink, one of the major services originally created to sell movie downloads, is going to allow consumers to burn their downloads to DVD.

Will this be the magic steriod that will kickstart the mostly-ignored film downloading service? Probably not, but it is a start.

Do Consumers Care About DRM?

June 14, 2006 by Kirk Biglione

Defective By Design held rallies at Apple stores around the country this weekend to protest the company’s use of Digital Rights Management (DRM) technology in the both the iPod product line and the iTunes music store.

As it turns out, these weren’t really rallies, but self-described “flash mobs”. I say “self-described” because by all accounts the turnout was rather poor. A half dozen protesters dressed in yellow jump suits is hardly what you would call a mob. Apple store patrons might have easily confused the protesters for a Devo tribute band.

The group has valid points about DRM in general, and Apple’s DRM in particular, but they face an uphill battle in their effort generate an appreciable amount of consumer outrage. While über-geeks and early adopters are well informed about the issues surrounding DRM, the average consumer is unlikely to protest Apple’s DRM for one simple reason – it works too well.

There May Still Be Hope For Google Video

June 7, 2006 by Kirk Biglione

Yesterday Google released a video player for Mac OSX. On the surface that might not seem like big news. Google Video still looks like a picked-over flea market. Meanwhile, iTunes is on a roll – offering over 250 programs for download. Google is clearly playing catch up in the online video market – and not very well.

While Google has failed to make a dent with its video store, it may have better luck with its video DRM system. Yesterday’s release of the OSX video player wasn’t so much about supporting the Mac platform as it was about making the Google Video DRM system available cross-platform.