Rob, why doesn't Real drop all the pretense of desiring to have an interoperable solution with the Ipod and actually use one for their downloads site? The Ipod supports a few standard file formats and one DRM encumbered one. If Real were really about customer choice, they'd sell non DRM encumbered files and then be able to shout from a mountain that their music works with the Ipod as well as almost every other digital media player.
Yeah, because then Real's music store will leap to the head of the online music market with its impressive collection of public domain jingles and amateur-recorded classical music.
How on earth is this post insightful? Even if we assume that Real was willing to use an unencumbered format, then what about the actual copyright holders, like the RIAA, who have made very clear that this sort of thing would be totally unacceptable? By the same token, why doesn't Apple sell unencumbered MP3s (or AACs, or whatever your particular poison is in this case) so that Linux users can play them without the hassle of messing around with Wine?
Let's keep some perspective on this whole thing, folks....
Just wanted to remind you that while it's easy to lump all record companies into the RIAA, movie studios into the MPAA, etc, there is a difference.
In the case of your post, the RIAA is not the copyright holder. Either the labels or (in a few rare cases) the artists hold the copyright to the music. The RIAA is just the trade group of which many but not all labels are a member. Some of those who aren't were discussed here [slashdot.org]. (I also recall a discussion regarding labels listed as members who actually weren't, b
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interoperability (Score:5, Insightful)
Re:interoperability (Score:5, Insightful)
How on earth is this post insightful? Even if we assume that Real was willing to use an unencumbered format, then what about the actual copyright holders, like the RIAA, who have made very clear that this sort of thing would be totally unacceptable? By the same token, why doesn't Apple sell unencumbered MP3s (or AACs, or whatever your particular poison is in this case) so that Linux users can play them without the hassle of messing around with Wine?
Let's keep some perspective on this whole thing, folks....
Re:interoperability (Score:1)
In the case of your post, the RIAA is not the copyright holder. Either the labels or (in a few rare cases) the artists hold the copyright to the music. The RIAA is just the trade group of which many but not all labels are a member. Some of those who aren't were discussed here [slashdot.org]. (I also recall a discussion regarding labels listed as members who actually weren't, b