In a February blog, Apple CEO Steve Jobs was all over the music industry for demanding that iTunes incorporate a digital rights management scheme in order to allow Apple to sell their product. Jobs said he would dispense with it, if he could. But some thought it was just posturing ahead of contract negotiations for […]

As the dust settles on the newest version of iTunes, and iTunes Plus music, DRM-free and of higher quality, you wonder about the implications of this new way of distributing online music. Let me start by asking you a question: What’s better than selling you something? How about selling you the same thing, or a […]

As EMI prepares to release Paul McCartney’s voluminous repertoire of solo albums online (his newest album is already available for pre-order), you have a strong feeling that a certain band with which he was once associated will come shortly thereafter. Now I’m not going to get into the silly argument about whether you are going […]

As digital rights management schemes go, it’s a sure thing that FairPlay, the one used at the iTunes store, isn’t terribly intrusive. You are authorized to use up to five Macs and/or PCs (doesn’t matter what combination), and copy it to an unlimited number of iPods, more or less. The fine distinctions really don’t matter, […]